Yoga For Trauma: The Inner Fire of Yoga

Liz Albanis - Certified Yoga Therapist
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Mental Health

Yoga for Trauma: The Inner Fire of Yoga is a heartfelt podcast for anyone carrying the weight of stress, trauma, or burnout. If you want to learn more about how yoga can release trauma. Learn more about holistic wellbeing. Improve your mental well-being, regulate your nervous system, and reconnect with your body. You’re in the right place. Join Liz Albanis, a senior yoga teacher and yoga therapist in training, as she shares tools and insights. You can use to feel calmer, more grounded, and better equipped to navigate life after trauma and leave behind harmful patterns. Expect a mix of solo episodes where Liz shares practical tools, personal stories, and body-based insights. Alongside conversations with experts and fellow yoga practitioners, all offering inspiration and real-life strategies to support your mind, body, and soul. If you’ve ever wondered: What type of yoga is best for releasing trauma?Which yoga is best for the nervous system?Can yoga help you overcome harmful habits?How does yoga benefit the nervous system?What is trauma-informed yoga?How does trauma-sensitive yoga work?Is yoga good for grief and trauma?What's the difference between yoga and somatic yoga?What are customised yoga practices?This is the podcast for you!Subscribe now to Yoga for Trauma: The Inner Fire of Yoga, and visit  https://www.lizalbaniswellness.com.au/ to explore personalised yoga programs like Yoga Designed for You, or sign up for exclusive insights and wellness resources https://www.lizalbaniswellness.com.au/podcast/yoga-for-traumahttps://www.youtube.com/@lizalbaniswellnessau*DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare professional if you have any personal medical questions.

  1. Jul 14

    Trauma Informed Progressive Muscle Relaxation Reset | Ep 38

    Host Liz Albanis invited you to try a trauma informed meditative relaxation. A progressive muscle relaxation, to help you to start noticing sensations in your body. Trauma can often cause a disconnect. If this is you, that's common and there's nothing wrong with this. Your body can learn the difference between being told to “relax” and being helped to feel supported.   If you’ve been carrying stress in your jaw, shoulders, hands, or feet, this is a gentle way to come back to yourself. You can practise:  Lying down or seated:With props if you’ve got them and want to}. Props may aid  your muscles and mind to soften.Whatever lighting feels most supportive.With someone or by yourself, again what feels most supportive.Feel free to discontinue the practice at any time. It's your practice and no one else's. Feel free to add music. If you're curious to know more before we start:  Starting with simple breath awareness. Breathing softly through the nose if it’s available, noticing where the breath lands, and letting my voice be an anchor when your attention drifts. There’s no pressure to do it “right”. You’re welcome to adjust, keep your eyes open, pause, or even fall asleep. That permission is part of the practice, and it’s why this guided meditation can work so well for anxiety, burnout, and bedtime wind-down. Halfway through, an invitation to introduce a sankalpa. A heartfelt intention or affirmation you plant quietly in the background. Then we moving into progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), tensing and releasing key muscle groups. So you can feel the contrast between effort and ease.  Finish with a full body release into the ground, a moment many people notice as warmth, lightness, or calm. If this helped, subscribe for more guided mindfulness and relaxation practices, share it with a friend who needs a reset, What did you notice first when you let gWe guide a slow, supportive meditation that helps you settle your body, soften your breath, and feel safe enough to relax. We layer in a sankalpa intention and progressive muscle relaxation so you can notice the clear difference between tension and ease. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan.  Instagram:  Youtube

  2. Jul 8 ·  Bonus

    Sept 1 Break announcement

    Taking a little break. You’ll hear from me in September.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan.  Instagram:  Youtube

  3. Jul 7

    How Yoga Helped Me Quit Smoking With Todd McLaughlin (Liz Albanis on Native Yoga Toddcast) | Ep 37

    This week I'm sharing an episode of a The Native Yoga Toddcast with Todd Mclaughlin on which I was a guest on in October 2025.  Thank you Todd for this great interview and letting me share it on my feed the following year. Here are Todd's show notes minus my introduction. Key Takeaways: Trauma-Informed Approach: Liz emphasizes the importance of trauma-informed practices in yoga to cater to individuals with mental health challenges.Diverse Yoga Practices: Transitioning from Bikram to Iyengar and LifeForce Yoga, Liz illustrates how different styles can support mental well-being.Personalized Care: The episode highlights the significance of personalized programs in addressing individual needs and injuries in yoga.Creating Safe Spaces: Liz shares practical tips on making yoga environments inclusive and non-triggering for trauma survivors.Resilience Through Yoga: Personal anecdotes reveal how yoga empowered Liz to quit smoking and cope with PTSD.Thanks for listening to this episode. Check out: 👇 8IN8 Ashtanga Yoga for Beginners Course Online- Learn 8 Limb Yoga in 8 Days - Get FREE coupon code for a limited time only (Regular price $88) https://info.nativeyogacenter.com/8in8-ashtanga-yoga-for-beginners-8-limbs-in-8-days/ Practice with Native Yoga Online - New classes EVERY day - Use Code FIRSTMONTHFREE https://nativeyogacenter.teachable.com/p/today-s-community-class Subscribe to Native Yoga Center and view this podcast on Youtube. Thank you Bryce Allyn for the show tunes. Check out Bryce’s website: bryceallynband.comand sign up on his newsletter to stay in touch. Listen here to his original music from his bands Boxelder, B-Liminal and Bryce Allyn Band on Spotify. Please email special requests and feedback to info@nativeyogacenter.com https://info.nativeyogacenter.com/8in8-ashtanga-yoga-for-beginners-8-limbs-in-8-days/ Support the show Native Yoga website: here YouTube: here Instagram: @nativeyoga Twitter: @nativeyoga Facebook: @nativeyogacenter LinkedIn: Todd McLaughlin  Further episode info: https://toddasanayoga.com/2025/10/10/liz-albanis-the-inner-fire-of-healing-yoga-pilates-resilience/ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan.  Instagram:  Youtube

  4. Jun 30

    Discernment In Trauma Aware Yoga and Breath-Work With Rebel Tucker | Ep 36

    A quick note before you listen: this episode was recorded in less-than-perfect audio conditions, so you may notice a few sound quality issues along the way. We appreciate your understanding and hope you'll stay with us, as the conversation contains valuable insights that we didn't want you to miss. Liz Albanis welcomes back Rebel Tucker for another insightful conversation. The wellness world loves big promises, but what happens when the very practices meant to help people are the ones doing harm? We dig into the uncomfortable edge of modern yoga and breathwork: quick certifications, charismatic authority, and emotionally intense techniques that can feel “cathartic” while leaving someone more destabilised than before. Our north star is discernment, learning when to trust, when to question, and how to keep your power in your own hands rather than handing it to a teacher, a brand, or a trend.  unpack why not all breathwork is pranayama, why contraindications matter, and how teachers can accidentally step far outside their scope of practice. We talk about real risks in large-group “release” processes, the importance of agency and opt-outs, and why trauma-aware yoga is not the same as trauma therapy. We also get practical about professional standards: what ethical marketing looks like, why insurance may not cover you when you overreach, and what many Australian yoga teachers don’t realise about unregistered health practitioner codes of conduct. the rise of short online add-on certifications like yin yoga “teacher” trainings that may skip the foundations needed for safe cueing, anatomy basics, and real teaching skill. If you’re a student, a teacher, or someone returning to yoga after trauma or PTSD, you’ll leave with sharper questions to ask, clearer red flags to notice, and a more grounded way to seek support without chasing a quick fix.  Key Topics: Discernment in yoga and breathwork, what ethical teaching looks like, and how to choose support that protects your agency and mental health. Power dynamics in yoga spaces and why “guru” culture can be risky Discernment (viveka) as a core yogic skill rather than blind trust Breathwork versus pranayama and why contraindications matter Real-world harm when emotionally intense practices remove choice Scope of practice, insurance limits, and why liability gets ignored Australia’s unregistered health practitioner codes and what teachers should know Quick certifications, yin yoga misunderstandings, and safety problems Why practical assessment beats quiz-based “certificate” models Trauma-aware teaching as agency, choice, and careful language About this episode's Guest: Rebel Tucker is a yoga therapist, naturopath. And senior yoga teacher with over 40 years of experience. She runs a yoga studio on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Where she specialises in helping individuals restore well-being through the energetic body. Traditional yoga practices, and evidence-based methods. As a board member of Yoga Australia. Rebel is dedicated to the professional growth of the yoga community. And making yoga accessible to everyone. https://yogarebel.com.au/ https://www.instagram.com/yogireb/?hl=en ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan.  Instagram:  Youtube

    Discernment In Trauma Aware Yoga and Breath-Work With Rebel Tucker | Ep 36

  5. Jun 23

    Yoga Unveiled - Yoga Week in Australia 2026 | Ep 35

    As a celebration of Yoga Week here in Australia, a compilation of past guests on the show. Their definition of yoga and what it has done for them. Yoga gets sold as flexibility, activewear, and picture-perfect poses, but that story leaves a lot of people feeling like they don’t belong.   A rich mix of teacher perspectives and real-life stories grounds it all: yoga as an anchor through grief and change, an unexpected emotional release in class, a practice that shifts with age towards mindfulness and longevity, and the way yoga can support the nervous system and ease anxiety. If you’re curious about yoga therapy, trauma-sensitive yoga, meditation, and holistic health, you’ll leave with a clearer sense of what yoga is actually for, plus permission to make it your ownf, ageing, resilience, and everyday presence.  • Yoga as a work-in rather than a workout  • Common myths around flexibility, thinness, and activewear  • Why yoga postures are optional and not the point  • Yoga as union, relationship, and oneness  • Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the “still mind” definition  • Asana as a tool to notice reactions and practise self-compassion  • Yoga as grounding through loss, anxiety, and nervous system overload  • Taking yoga off the mat through mindfulness and self-inquiry  • How practice changes with age, health goals, and longevity. Thanks to my guests!  Lisa Weller, Karen Fabian, Rob Dorgan, Doro Baumfalk, Mel Ferrier, Rebel Tucker, Justine Janssen and Kristin Klipp. If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who thinks yoga “isn’t for them”,  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan.  Instagram:  Youtube

    Yoga Unveiled - Yoga Week in Australia 2026 | Ep 35

  6. Jun 21 ·  Bonus

    BONUS If You Are Not Your Thoughts Then Who Are You With Rebel Tucker | Ep 34

    In honour of the 2026 International Day of Yoga.  Please note: Real life doesn't always come with studio-quality sound! This recording has a few audio imperfections, but the content was too good not to share. Thanks for listening with an open mind—we hope you find the conversation helpful and inspiring. A bonus episode on self inquiry (Atma Vicharya). This is vedanta. But in the opinion of Liz Albanis and Rebel Tucker's, yoga doesn't exist without vedanta and vice versa.  Grief can distort time, memory, and even what feels real. We sit down with Rebel to talk about the moment yoga stopped being exercise and became a way to survive a mind in pain after the devastating loss of a brother to suicide. Rebel shares, with honesty and care, how practice creates a bridge back to the present: sensing the body, steadying attention, and learning to recognise when the mind is replaying a memory rather than living what’s here. From there we widen out into yoga philosophy and Vedanta, where the question “Who am I?” becomes a practical form of self-inquiry, not an abstract idea. We explore why “Why me?” can trap us in unanswerable loops, while “Who am I really?” opens a bigger lens on identity, consciousness, and meaning. Along the way we unpack a deceptively simple tool for mental health and emotional resilience: cultivating the opposite, meeting sadness with one small uplift, fear with a deliberate step towards courage, and self-destructive spirals with a health-giving choice. We also talk about service, and the subtle difference between wanting to help and feeling responsible for fixing people. Rebel reflects on how yoga matures that impulse into something steadier: guiding others towards their own insight, and remembering that real change comes from practice, not just theory. If you’re drawn to yoga for mental health, mindfulness, trauma-informed grounding, Vedanta, or the “witness” behind your thoughts, this conversation will give you language and direction you can actually use. Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave us a review with your biggest takeaway. We talk with Rebel about how yoga becomes a mental lifeline after the shock of a brother’s suicide, bringing the mind back from painful memories to what’s real. We follow the thread from Vedanta self-inquiry to service, and why the real shift happens when the philosophy becomes lived experience.  • yoga as a grounding skill after trauma and grief  • separating memory from the present moment through practice  • cultivating the opposite as a tool for hard emotions  • choosing a health-creating mindset rather than chasing pathology  • “Who am I?” as a better question than “Why me?”  • Vedanta, mahavakyas, and asking the big questions out loud  • service as helping others help themselves  • theory versus experience and meeting the inner witness About Rebel Tucker: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan.  Instagram:  Youtube

    BONUS If You Are Not Your Thoughts Then Who Are You With Rebel Tucker | Ep 34

  7. Jun 16

    Trauma Recovery With Intelligent Movement Anna Rahe | Ep 33

    Liz Albanis continues her conversation with Anna Rahe. Exploring fascia, the body-wide tissue network that changes how we understand trauma. Chronic stress, pain, and even the way we cue “good form” in movement practices. Why trauma is not only something we carry in the mind, but something that can be reflected in tissue tone, breath patterns, and protective shapes driven by stress hormones.    If you’ve ever left a yoga, pilates or fitness class feeling more tense than when you walked in. This conversation puts words and physiology to that experience Trauma as physiology and tissue patterning, not just mindset Why stress chemicals drive protective contraction through breath, ribs, and spine Cueing in Pilates and Yoga that can mimic a stress state Why muscle-dominant training may keep the nervous system on high alert.Fascia-first movement as a whole-body approach to pain, migraines, and regulation Fascia as “tubes not sticks” as a simple body map for safer practice Why to avoid diagnosing where trauma is “stored” Quiet unwinding versus chasing catharsis and performance release The limits of psoas obsession and the role of the thoracolumbar fascia and adrenal belt Why myof-ascia only thinking can repeat old medical silos why changes in breathing, organs, and head pain can be connected through the same system.  Tips for teachers: internal movement under the pose, interoception, traction, and length-based strength Honesty about the current hype around somatic releasewhy big cathartic experiences aren’t automatically healing and how quiet unwinding can be more stabilisingWhy teachers need to stay inside scope when working with trauma-informed yoga.Practical ways to practise yoga that keeps the body open, supple, and steady.  About Anna: is a leading innovator in the health and wellness industry, with over 25 years of pioneering work in fascia science. As the founder and CEO of GST Body, she has developed a proprietary system that helps people restore vitality, prevent injury, and unlock physical resilience through fascia-focused movement and care. Her method has gained recognition among top athletes, physicians, and wellness experts, and she has been a featured speaker at the 2019 Goop League as well as numerous masterclasses, webinars, and events. Anna is a member of the Fascia Research Society and is building a new category of body care rooted in science, performance, and self-healing. Special Offer Anna would love to share the 7-Day Body Revival, a free introductory experience designed to help people begin getting to know their own body in a deeper way. It is not a challenge, but rather a gentle introduction to GST and an invitation into more awareness, connection, and understanding of how their body responds. Connect With Anna: https://www.annarahe.com/ https://gstbody.com/  https://www.instagram.com/gstbody/ https://www.youtube.com/@TheGSTBody ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan.  Instagram:  Youtube

    Trauma Recovery With Intelligent Movement Anna Rahe | Ep 33

  8. Jun 8

    How Fascia Holds Trauma With Ana Rahe | Ep 32

    In part 1 of this conversation, fascia expert, Anna Rahe joins the show to discuss its importance in relation to trauma and mental health overall. Fascia being the connective tissue network that also functions like a body-wide communication field. Anna explains how fascia registers load and stress, how it distributes force, and how it carries the analogue “texture” of experience into the brain. we connect the dots between trauma and the nervous system: when the brain predicts danger, it mixes a biochemical cocktail that tightens breath, raises tonus, and builds protective armour in tissue. This lens helps explain why certain yoga postures or somatic practices can bring up emotion, and why trauma release should feel stabilising, not chaotic or forced. You’ll also hear a powerful story about self-connection and the moment the body finally feels ready to speak.  Key Topics: Pain reframed as communication rather than damage Trauma as struggle filtered through skills, support, and meaningMovement as the core tool to metabolise load and stress Fascia as a body-wide communication field with dense sensory inputTrauma imprinting as patterns of tension, torsion, and protective bracingBrain as a “digital” processor creating a hormonal stress response Why releasing trauma can feel stabilising and calm rather than catharticRisks of pushing somatic release too fast and going outside scope A personal turning point through self-connection and compassion About Anna: is a leading innovator in the health and wellness industry, with over 25 years of pioneering work in fascia science. As the founder and CEO of GST Body, she has developed a proprietary system that helps people restore vitality, prevent injury, and unlock physical resilience through fascia-focused movement and care. Her method has gained recognition among top athletes, physicians, and wellness experts, and she has been a featured speaker at the 2019 Goop League as well as numerous masterclasses, webinars, and events. Anna is a member of the Fascia Research Society and is building a new category of body care rooted in science, performance, and self-healing. Special Offer Anna would love to share the 7-Day Body Revival, a free introductory experience designed to help people begin getting to know their own body in a deeper way. It is not a challenge, but rather a gentle introduction to GST and an invitation into more awareness, connection, and understanding of how their body responds. Connect: https://www.annarahe.com/ https://gstbody.com/  https://www.instagram.com/gstbody/ https://www.youtube.com/@TheGSTBody ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love the show? We’d love a review! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Want to make video and audio editing quicker and simpler? Get 50% off the first 2 months of the Descript Creator Monthly Plan.  Instagram:  Youtube

    How Fascia Holds Trauma With Ana Rahe | Ep 32
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About

Yoga for Trauma: The Inner Fire of Yoga is a heartfelt podcast for anyone carrying the weight of stress, trauma, or burnout. If you want to learn more about how yoga can release trauma. Learn more about holistic wellbeing. Improve your mental well-being, regulate your nervous system, and reconnect with your body. You’re in the right place. Join Liz Albanis, a senior yoga teacher and yoga therapist in training, as she shares tools and insights. You can use to feel calmer, more grounded, and better equipped to navigate life after trauma and leave behind harmful patterns. Expect a mix of solo episodes where Liz shares practical tools, personal stories, and body-based insights. Alongside conversations with experts and fellow yoga practitioners, all offering inspiration and real-life strategies to support your mind, body, and soul. If you’ve ever wondered: What type of yoga is best for releasing trauma?Which yoga is best for the nervous system?Can yoga help you overcome harmful habits?How does yoga benefit the nervous system?What is trauma-informed yoga?How does trauma-sensitive yoga work?Is yoga good for grief and trauma?What's the difference between yoga and somatic yoga?What are customised yoga practices?This is the podcast for you!Subscribe now to Yoga for Trauma: The Inner Fire of Yoga, and visit  https://www.lizalbaniswellness.com.au/ to explore personalised yoga programs like Yoga Designed for You, or sign up for exclusive insights and wellness resources https://www.lizalbaniswellness.com.au/podcast/yoga-for-traumahttps://www.youtube.com/@lizalbaniswellnessau*DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare professional if you have any personal medical questions.

Information

  • Creator
    Liz Albanis - Certified Yoga Therapist
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Yoga For Trauma: The Inner Fire of Yoga
  • Show Website
    Yoga For Trauma: The Inner Fire of Yoga