With My Body, I Heal
Sensitive yoga for trauma, PTSD, and CPTSD
Training for yoga teachers and psychotherapists
With Yael Itzhak-Edan
With My Body, I Heal, is a unique training for yoga teachers and psychotherapists that introduces both sensitive yoga for trauma and the integration between sensitive yoga followed by conversation that focuses on content the body brings up.
With My Body, I Heal was developed by Yael Itzhak-Edan, PhD, and Efrat Havron, PhD, in Jerusalem, Israel, in 2007. It is based on the idea that the body holds memories of traumatic events, and thus should be part of the therapeutic process. As the body is the primary locus of harm, it should take an integral role in the therapeutic conversation. We offer different settings in the path of sensitive yoga:
Sensitive yoga: Which focuses on grounding, regulating, reclaiming the body and befriending the body. This can take place in one-on-one sessions or in a group setting.
With my body I heal: A model that enables us to encounter trauma through the body. This model can take place in a one-on-one session or in a group setting.
In both settings we work in accordance with seven principles. When integrating sensitive yoga and conversation , we work with a specific protocol and the groups are co-facilitated by a sensitive yoga teacher and a psychotherapist specializing in trauma. Read more in the website.
The training will consist of three parts.
Part One: 3 days introduction retreat (21 hours)
3-5 January 2025 at Sky Yoga Berlin
In this retreat we will learn and experience:
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The practice of sensitive yoga. The difference between sensitive yoga and regular yoga.
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What is trauma and what are the symptoms of PTSD and CPTSD.
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Trauma as a neurophysiological wound.
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An introduction to the seven principles of sensitive yoga.
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Yoga philosophy and its relevance to sensitive yoga for trauma. This part can be taken as an introduction to sensitive yoga without continuing the training and is open to all.
You are invited to take this part as an introduction even if you are not planning to continue to the whole training.
The cost of the sensitive yoga retreat in Berlin: registering until 26/10/24 320 Euros, after that 350 Euros.
Payment by PayPal by this mail: wmbih10@gmail.com
I invite you as well to take time to write to me a little about yourself to this mail address.
Part Two: 12 zoom meetings 3 hours each, and an intense week retreat
Each of the zoom meetings will contain sensitive yoga practice (75 minutes) and theoretical studies (75 minutes).
In these meetings we will learn:
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The seven principles- by experiencing them in practice and by analyzing them in theory.
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Going deeper into the understanding of Trauma as a neurophysiological wound.
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The different settings (group or individual, with or without conversation) and adjusting the work setting in accordance with the setting chosen.
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How do we begin? First phone call, first intake, first meeting, and practice.
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Theoretical knowledge of the following topics: the healing gaze, post traumatic growth, pregnancy and birth after sexual abuse, trauma and cancer, CPTSD and somatic disease.
These weekly zoom meetings will begin on November 2025
A week retreat
In this retreat we will experience as a group the model with my body I heal. We will learn from case studies what usually comes up in therapeutic groups- working with the themes. We will practice facilitating sensitive yoga on one another in different settings. We will learn the basics of group facilitations theory, transference and countertransference, yin yoga trauma informed and yoga Nidra. We will go back on the symptoms of PTSD and CPTSD, and dive deeper into yoga philosophy and its relevance to sensitive yoga.
The final date and place of the retreat will be determined at the beginning of the training approximately the end of April or May.
The price of the second part (zoom meetings and a week retreat) 2100 euro.
This price does not include the charge of room and board at the retreat center.
Part Three: Practicum
In this part the participants will experience working with sensitive yoga. To complete the practicum, one needs to have two sensitive yoga private sessions or group sessions of 12 meetings 90 minutes each.
These sessions will be documented throughout the process and will be sent to Yael. The mentorship includes 6 group sessions with Yael on zoom and one private mentorship conversation with Yael.
The price for the practicum is 500 euro.
About me
My name is Yael Itzhak-Edan, and I am a senior Vijnana yoga teacher. I teach and co-manage the Neve Shaanan Yoga Center, the Israeli center for Vijnana yoga in Jerusalem. I am a mother of two young man, we live in Neve Shalom- Wahat al -Salam, a village of Jewish and Palestinians co-existence. My PhD research in philosophy examined higher states of consciousness and essential conditions for achieving such states, focusing on the writings of Maimonides and Spinoza. After a few years of research and teaching at the Hebrew University, I decided to walk the path of yoga.
I am a group facilitator with experience in facilitating dialogue groups between Jews and Palestinians as well as over a decade of experience in facilitating therapeutic groups for sexual abuse survivors.
In 2007 Efrat Havron and I developed the program With My body, I Heal. The program was born at the time we were both volunteering and working at the Jerusalem sexual assault crisis center. We both felt the need to develop a tool for empowering and connecting with the body as well as listening to what the body tells us. Over the years we have facilitated over 15 groups. During the last few years, I have taught this program to both yoga teachers and therapists, so they can use it in group or private sessions. In Israel, the model is used at centers specializing in treatment for sexual abuse survivors, as well as in crisis centers. I invite you to participate in this training that will enable you to create the possibility for every woman (or man) who has reached a place of being motivated to connect to and befriend their bodies, in a therapeutic group or in individual work.
For more questions you are most welcome to email or WhatsApp me
Technical details:
The training will open with the minimum of 10 participants.
The training is modular. one can take the first part only, continue to the second part and choose to continue to the practicum. It will not be possible to take the second part without the first part or the third part without the previous ones.
Looking forward to meeting you,
Yael
