About Anaya & Aim Wild

What does Aim Wild offer?

Couple Connection Yoga

Yoga at Avondale Fire Department

Yoga for Memorial Early College High School Students

Aim Wild works with people in one-on-one, couples, family, & group sessions to support nervous system regulation, trauma recovery, & overall well-being. These sessions are tailored to the needs of the individuals or group & can include a combination of:

• Therapeutic Movement
• Sound Healing
• Breathwork
• Meditation
• Nonviolent Communication
• Life Coaching that is nature & somatic based
  

Aim Wild also creates & leads retreats, workshops, wellness fests, trainings, & more.

If you are looking to create an experience for your place of work, your community, or your family & friends, Aim Wild can custom design the right occasion for you.

HOW I MAKE MY YOGA CLASSES MORE TRAUMA-INFORMED

I have been a trauma-informed yoga teacher for a little more than six years now. I have taught at a cancer center, fire department, children’s advocacy center, hospice & ​grief center, & a youth residential rehabilitation facility. I also teach at local yoga studios & gyms, & trauma survivors walk into these classes every day.

Some of them tell me their whole stories; some give me just a few cliff notes, & some don’t say a word. This means I don’t always know what someone is walking into a ​class carrying. I don’t need to know in order to make my classes more trauma-informed, & neither do you.

Let me start by saying that a trauma-informed approach doesn’t mean we will be able to completely eliminate every possible trigger, nor should it. It does mean teaching ​with more intention & attention towards creating a safe & supportive environment.

Here are a few things I do in my studio & gym yoga classes to make them trauma-informed:

1. One of the first things I tell my students as we get ready to practice is that the most important thing I or any teacher can teach them is how to listen to & honor their ​bodies. I am there as a guide, as someone that knows the postures & can talk to them about what I’ve learned through my trainings, but they are the authority over their ​own bodies. Only they know what it feels like to be in that body, & my training does not supersede that.
   
2. I let students know it’s okay to take breaks, to skip postures (especially chatarunga, haha!), & to modify postures for their bodies. I let students know that just because ​they walked into class doesn’t mean they’re stuck there. If they feel the need to leave for any reason, that is absolutely okay. I’ve only had one person take me up on ​leaving, though; it was a Mommy & Me class, & the child was ready to go get snacks. But you would be surprised to learn how many people need permission to take ​breaks or leave if that’s what they want or need for themselves. I also pause in the middle of flow classes for water breaks, because I know some people won’t let ​themselves do so without being told it’s okay.
   
3. I get consent before placing my hands on anyone. I rarely do hands-on adjustments in the postures & focus on using my words to clarify the cues. However, I offer ​hands-on touch with the essential oil during savasana, & I have cards I pass out that people can flip to yes or no according to their preference. I know some teachers ​will tell students to lay with hands in a certain position to indicate whether or not they would like to receive hands-on touch, but the reason I like using the cards is that it ​allows the student to place their bodies in the position that is most comfortable for them.
   
4. I prioritize a student’s internal experience over external appearance. I talk to students about allowing their practice to be an opportunity to be curious about what they ​notice in their bodies, to observe what sensations are present & how the mind reacts to those sensations. I invite them to lean into befriending their bodies & showing ​up with compassion, kindness, gentleness for themselves.
   
5. I adapt to what I see in front of me. I often only have a general idea of what we might do in class, but I rarely plan out an entire sequence anymore. I started this after ​working in the cancer center shortly after coming out of my first yoga teacher training. I never knew what the energy levels of the students would be or what else they ​would have going on with their bodies. So, when I would show up to teach, we could do anything from Yoga Nidra to restorative or yin to chair yoga or a gentle flow or ​any combination of these. This was such a wonderful learning opportunity for me to be fully present with who was in the room rather than focus on getting my sequence ​exactly right.
   

More than anything, being trauma-informed is about the energy you bring into the room. How do you show up for your students? Now, not every teacher will be for every ​student. I am not some people’s cup of tea. But the students that do connect with me have shared that they feel seen by me. They feel that I genuinely care about them & ​their experience. They trust me to guide them & support them in their practice. Trust is how we create safety, & safety is the key to trauma recovery.

For yoga teachers, fitness instructors, wellness coaches, ​mental health professionals, educators, & anyone else ​interested in better understanding:

• What trauma is
• The physiological responses to trauma
• How to create a more trauma informed space
• Sequencing a practice for the nervous system
• Compassion fatigue, how to recognize it & support ​yourself
• Coregulation & the importance of connection
• & more.

This will be a weekend-long training, staying two nights at ​Lotus Ranch Retreat in Wimberly, TX with meals included. ​Cost is $525 for the training, room, & meals. (24 CEUs for ​yoga teachers.)

Please feel free to connect for a payment plan.

Testimonials