Rebuilding Confidence After Sexual Trauma: How Yoga Can Help You Heal
Healing from sexual trauma can feel overwhelming, leaving many women struggling with anxiety, shame, or disconnection from their bodies.
Traditional therapies may help, but often they don’t address the body-based impact of trauma.
That’s where yoga and somatic practices come in. Gentle, trauma-informed yoga can help survivors reconnect with their bodies, release stored tension, and rebuild a sense of safety and confidence.
As someone who has walked this path myself, I want to share how yoga became a powerful tool in my own healing journey and how it can support yours too.
How Trauma Shows Up in the Body
Sexual trauma doesn’t only live in memory, it lives in the body. Survivors may experience:
Feeling disconnected or numb in certain body parts
Anxiety, panic, or hypervigilance in daily life
Difficulty relaxing or falling asleep
Flashbacks or being easily triggered
Shame or self-blame that feels hard to shake
These are not failures or flaws. They are natural survival responses that your nervous system developed to protect you.
With this sort of trauma, boundaries and safety are violated therefore feeling balanced and safe in the body again requires time and patience. It’s common that the nervous system may be hyper-sensitive and easily agitated.
When the nervous system is hyper-sensitive, daily life can be full of unexpected triggers that further a feeling of disconnect from the body.
My Personal Journey With Trauma & Healing
I’m Joss, Yoga Therapist C-IAYT. If you’re reading this, you’re not alone. I support women from around the world to begin their healing journey and reconnect with their bodies.
Women’s stories of abuse and trauma remain hidden or shamed too often. For a trauma survivor, even considering the healing process might feel confusing and daunting.
When I began healing, I chose to explore trauma-informed yoga therapy and somatic exercises which slowly helped me begin to feel better.
I realized that I was living in a state of fight or flight, everything felt triggering and my body was always on edge.
For example: Unpredictable sounds or movements triggered body tension and increased my heart rate. Any emotional interactions that triggered feelings of betrayal made me re-live my trauma because sexual trauma is betrayal, violation, and a loss of safety in one’s own body.
Sexual trauma is a betrayal, violation, and loss of safety in one’s own body.
I lived in this state for over a decade. Unconsciously re-living my trauma on an endless loop. I never connected the dots.
Even more conflicting was how I felt in healing spaces such as yoga classes…
When Yoga Doesn’t Feel Safe
Not all yoga spaces are supportive for survivors. Some common challenges include:
Hands-on adjustments without consent
Dark, crowded, or loud environments that heighten anxiety
Language that pushes (“go deeper,” “ignore discomfort”) instead of offering choice
Competitive or rigid atmospheres that can feel unsafe
If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable in yoga, know this: it’s not your fault. The space wasn’t right for your healing.
What Felt Safe for Me
For me, safety came from spaces where:
I had complete choice over my movements
Teachers asked before offering touch (or didn’t use touch at all)
The pace was slow, grounding, and gentle
Language focused on options, not demands
I could leave or pause without judgment
This reminded me that I am in control of my body. That shift built trust I thought I had lost.
There’s plenty of promising research behind yoga as a powerful tool to release trauma.
Yoga can enhance your recovery because it provides a safe space to explore self-regulation of the nervous system and body connection.
But the yoga should be trauma-informed and woman-friendly with practices that foster connection to feminine anatomy and experiences.
The Types of Yoga That Support Trauma Healing
Not all yoga is the same, and for survivors, certain approaches can be more supportive:
Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TSY): Designed specifically for survivors, rooted in choice and safety.
Somatic & Embodied Practices: Focus on reconnecting with sensations in the body without forcing or rushing.
Womb Yoga: Focuses on the feminine body, cycles, and energy - particularly the womb space (whether or not you have a physical womb).
Yoga Therapy: Personalized practices that adapt to your needs and healing pace.
The key is not the “style” of yoga but whether the environment feels safe, gentle, and empowering.
How to Begin Your Own Gentle Healing Journey
If you’re curious about trying yoga to help you heal after sexual trauma, here are some steps to start:
Find a safe space - trauma-informed teachers or online practices where you feel in control.
Start small - even 5 minutes of gentle body connection and breathwork each day can help balance your nervous system.
Trust your pace - there’s no rush; your healing is yours alone.
Listen to your body - if something feels unsafe, you have full permission to stop.
Consistency matters more than intensity. Little by little, these practices help you rebuild confidence and reconnect with yourself.
Next Steps for Deeper Healing
Healing from sexual trauma is not linear and you don’t have to do it alone.
If you want support, you can explore 1-1 yoga therapy designed for survivors.
I create a space of safety, guidance, and support so true healing can begin.
Book a free consultation for 1-1 yoga therapy
Final Thoughts
Yoga, when approached with compassion and safety, can be a profound tool for survivors of sexual trauma.
It’s not about pushing yourself or achieving a pose, it’s about learning to feel safe, whole, and empowered in your body again.
Healing is possible. Your body always wants to progress to healing. With gentle, consistent care, you can rebuild trust and confidence from the inside out.
Thanks for being here,
Joss | Yoga Therapist C-IAYT
Joss Frank, Yoga Therapist C-IAYT
I’m Joss, founder of Wild Womb, and I specialize in empowering people to heal, reclaim their power, and build lasting self-confidence.
After years of struggling with depression, anxiety, and trauma, I discovered that true healing comes from within. Through my personal journey of self-healing, I learned that the key to overcoming physical and emotional challenges lies in reconnecting with the body, cultivating inner awareness, and embracing holistic practices.
As a certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), I now guide people through transformative healing processes that address both the physical and emotional aspects of their well-being. My work combines somatic therapy, yoga therapy, and emotional healing practices to help people cultivate self-love and lasting inner peace.
Whether you're struggling with mental health, trauma recovery, or building a positive relationship with your body, I’m here to support you on your healing journey.