Session 3J
Tracks
Track 10
| Friday, October 30, 2026 |
| 2:00 PM - 3:35 PM |
| Arbour Level foyer |
Overview
Arbour Foyer
Speaker
Ms Feren Yen
Australian Trauma Education Centre
Heal Through Movement: Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga for Trauma-Aware Educators (Friday)
2:00 PM - 2:45 PMAbstract
Aim: To offer participants a direct experiential introduction to trauma centre trauma sensitive yoga and its core principles as an evidence-based wellbeing practice for supporting complex and developmental trauma.
Background/Context: Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) is the world’s first evidence-based yoga intervention specifically developed for complex trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. Twenty years of research, including randomised trials, demonstrate it is as effective as talk therapy in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress while significantly improving interoception and self-regulation. Unlike traditional yoga, it removes performance pressure and physical adjustments, focusing instead on restoring a felt sense of safety and agency in the body through gentle movement that can be practised standing or seated in a chair.
Relevance: This body-based approach directly advances trauma awareness and trauma-informed practice by giving educators and adult learners a safe, accessible tool for self-regulation and resilience without requiring disclosure or prior experience.
Contribution: Participants leave equipped to integrate trauma-sensitive movement elements into classrooms, staff wellbeing programs and learner support, expanding practical options for trauma-aware education across vocational and higher education settings.
Description: Participants will experience a Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive yoga practice that can be fully adapted to standing or seated positions, and an overview of the key theories.
Engagement: Through active guided practice, reflection, and a brief group discussion on applying the principles in educational contexts to support both staff and trauma-impacted adult learners.
Background/Context: Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) is the world’s first evidence-based yoga intervention specifically developed for complex trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. Twenty years of research, including randomised trials, demonstrate it is as effective as talk therapy in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress while significantly improving interoception and self-regulation. Unlike traditional yoga, it removes performance pressure and physical adjustments, focusing instead on restoring a felt sense of safety and agency in the body through gentle movement that can be practised standing or seated in a chair.
Relevance: This body-based approach directly advances trauma awareness and trauma-informed practice by giving educators and adult learners a safe, accessible tool for self-regulation and resilience without requiring disclosure or prior experience.
Contribution: Participants leave equipped to integrate trauma-sensitive movement elements into classrooms, staff wellbeing programs and learner support, expanding practical options for trauma-aware education across vocational and higher education settings.
Description: Participants will experience a Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive yoga practice that can be fully adapted to standing or seated positions, and an overview of the key theories.
Engagement: Through active guided practice, reflection, and a brief group discussion on applying the principles in educational contexts to support both staff and trauma-impacted adult learners.
Biography
Feren Yen is the Director of the Australian Trauma Education Centre and Senior Learning and Teaching Specialist at RMIT University. A certified Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga (Facilitator, Mentor and Trainer), she leads workshops, ongoing mentoring programs and professional development sessions that empower educators and practitioners to integrate this evidence-based body-based practice for complex and developmental trauma.
Since 2015 she has worked across VET and higher education as trainer assessor, lecturer, coordinator and education designer. Feren completed a 2017 international fellowship on engaging disadvantaged students through ISSI and is currently finishing an Ed.D focused on trauma-aware adult education. She was recently awarded an associate fellow of the Higher Education Academy (indigenous knowledge).
Connect on LinkedIn or join her for a chai to explore somatic tools for trauma-aware classrooms.
