Trauma Informed Yoga - The Voice is Queen in the Pelvic Floor Kingdom
Trauma Informed Yoga - The Voice is Queen in the Pelvic Floor Kingdom
This course includes
The instructors
Overview
You can tell a great deal about a person’s health by listening.
Listening to her voice. Listening to her story.
In this course, you will appreciate why the voice is queen in the pelvic floor kingdom through an exploration of the connections between three diaphragms (cervico-thoracic, respiratory, and pelvic) and their intersectional systems-based influence on health.
The voice is the tell-tale sign of health in a person – it is a new biomarker for wellness, from sexual health to core strength.
We can often spend a great deal of time approaching pelvic floor health by addressing the pelvic floor directly, but in many cases, a pelvic-floor-centric approach may not be best or even possible. A very common example where an indirect method may be best is in situations of trauma. 1 of every 3 women has experienced some kind of sexual trauma or birth trauma, and with rates like this, it is important to develop sensitivity to trauma-informed and indirect methods of nurturing pelvic floor health.
The voice also dictates the success of your livelihood and impacts your effectiveness as a therapist or teacher. This course addresses both ends of the spectrum, from the throat to the pelvic floor, showing you how the oral cavity and laryngeal area have as much to do with your pelvic floor health as the levator ani.
Join Dr. Ginger Garner for this online course 'Trauma Informed Yoga for Women’s Health: The Voice is Queen in the Pelvic Floor Kingdom'. Ginger will guide you through an indirect (if unorthodox) approach to studying the voice in order to reveal and address dysfunction in the pelvic floor. This session will include 2 one-hour sessions and will address not only pelvic floor health but the general use of trauma-informed yoga for women’s health.
Short Video Introduction
Learning Objectives
- Describe an evolved definition of core strength & pelvic floor health.
- List the biopsychosocial & neurophysiological implications for optimizing pelvic floor health.
- Identify key breath work, postures, and mindfulness techniques that support vocal, diaphragmatic, and pelvic health.
- Interpret how vagal tone impacts self-regulatory mechanisms in order to understand interventions that improve tone.
- Differentiate between the motor systems that influence vagal tone.
Audience
This online course with Dr. Ginger Garner is available to all healthcare professionals including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, as well as fitness professionals, yoga teachers and yoga therapists
The instructors
PT, DPT, ATC, LAT
Dr. Ginger Garner PT, DPT, ATC/L is a clinician, author, educator, and longtime advocate for improving access to physical therapy services, especially pelvic health.
She is the founder and CEO of Living Well Institute, which has been training and certifying healthcare providers in Integrative Medical Therapeutic Yoga & Lifestyle Medicine since 2000. She also owns Garner Pelvic Health in Greensboro NC, which offers digital and in-person care.
Ginger is the author of multiple books and book chapters, published in several languages. She has presented at over 20 conferences worldwide and has reached an audience across 6 continents, teaching on a range of topics impacting the pelvic girdle, respiratory diaphragm, and the voice (which she calls the 3D or Three Diaphragm approach).
Ginger is an active member of APTA, serving as the Legislative Chair for APTA North Carolina, a Congressional Key Contact for APTA Private Practice, and in the Academy of Pelvic Health on the Prenatal and 4th Trimester Task Force. Ginger lives in Greensboro, NC and is a mom of four – three sons and the family rescue Lab, Scout Finch. Visit Ginger at the links above, on Instagram and YouTube.
Material included in this course
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Part 1
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Welcome and Slides
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Workbook 1
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Additional Resources
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Who is at Risk of Trauma?
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Core Strength
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Three Diaphragms
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The Biopsychosocial Approach to Pelvic Floor Health
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Vagus Anatomy
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Vector Analysis
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Why is the Vagus Nerve Important?
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Neuroanatomy
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Maps
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Feedback
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Part 2
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Workbook 2
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Polyvagal Theory
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Social and Vocal
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Vagal Dysregulators
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Cultural Transformation
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Research
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Trauma Informed Practice
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Addressing Safety Biomarkers
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Vagal 6th Sense
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Recognizing Warning Signs
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Breathwork
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Movement
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Review
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Feedback
Patient exercises included in this course
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Identifying 4 Abnormal Breath Patterns
What are the three diaphragms?
According to osteopathic theory and neurophysiology, there are three diaphragms which are involved in controlling the fluid pressure and movement of the entire body, while biomechanical theory, neuroscience, and neuroendocrinology supports the three diaphragms’ multi-system influence on human response to communication and basic life functions, including stress response, pain perception, sexual function, and sound production. They include:
- The Cervical-Thoracic Diaphragm (laryngeal and oral diaphragms) is responsible for neurological optimization of stress response, swallowing, and communication, which controls vagal tone for cardiorespiratory functioning and the respiratory and pelvic diaphragm functioning.
- The Respiratory Diaphragm is a connecting point between cephalad and caudad diaphragms, and is the main muscle influencing pulmonary function. None of the diaphragms work in isolation, therefore, each exacts an influence on vagal tone and function.
- The Pelvic Diaphragm is the terminal end of the tri-diaphragmatic (3D) system, and can bear the brunt of trauma and impairment with dysfunction in the superiorly-located diaphragms. The pelvic diaphragm contains the muscles of the pelvic floor, which in turn impacts pressurization of the entire 3D system.
What is trauma-informed yoga? Isn’t all yoga trauma-informed?
Trauma-informed yoga is yoga that takes into consideration the background and experience of the individual and makes real-time adaptation and modification for the health and well-being benefits of the individual.
Not all yoga is trauma-informed or sensitive, just like not all yoga is therapeutic. Group classes often happen on a drop-in basis, which doesn’t allow the teacher to have prior knowledge or screen for trauma. It is important, especially when working with high-risk populations for trauma, like expectant women or mothers or military service members, to screen everyone for a history of trauma and to make our classrooms and practices safe spaces for individuals to heal and recover.
Why is the vagus nerve important?
The word vagus means “wandering,” hence it is known as the wandering nerve. The vagus nerve impacts the gut-brain body axis as well as cardiovascular and pulmonary health, which have a ripple effect on the entire mind-body complex. From chewing and swallowing to noise production to breathing, digestion, mood, and sexual health, even giving birth, the vagus nerve plays a critical role in the success of all of these functions.
This course has exercises. Can I prescribe them to my patients?
Yes, exercises included in courses or resource packages on Embodia can be prescribed directly through the Embodia platform. A Tier 2 or 3 Membership is required to prescribe exercises. These memberships include a range of other features. You can learn about home exercise programs (HEP) on Embodia here, and about memberships on Embodia here.