This article was originally published in the March print edition of The Bark, distributed at the University of Minnesota Duluth campus.

Inside the Lotus studio. Photo by Delaney Shipman

Rebecca James Alsum sits in an armchair, her purple winter jacket draped over her legs. Behind her is the Lotus Studio, a wide room with hardwood floors and floor to ceiling mirrors on one side and a row of windows on the other.

In addition to owning Svalja Yoga, Rebecca Alsum holds a BA in Sociology and is a Certified Sexologist and Sexual Wellness Coach. She is also a Certified Qigong Trainer. Photo courtesy of svalja.yoga

Alsum owns Svalja Yoga, a yoga studio that focuses on trauma-conscious practices. Trauma-conscious yoga has bloomed in popularity since its conception in 2002, and is also a focus of Ruby Engel, a UMD student with her group fitness certification. As day-to-day life becomes more fast-paced, trauma-conscious yoga emerges as an outlet for reconciling harsh truths.

Alsum has roots in Qigong- an energy and moving meditation practice, sister of Tai Chi- coming to the practice six years ago in an effort to heal from traumatic experiences in her past.

“I was diagnosed with complex PTSD and also had an autoimmune disease and was really, really sick at that time in my life and I was looking for something that was a modality, a practice where it could support my physical body, my heart body, my spirit body,” she said.

Alsum heard of Qigong through a friend and gave it a try for the first time at Aftenro, an assisted living community in Duluth.

She was the youngest person in the room, and incredibly nervous because she didn’t know what was going to happen.

“I was in a state where I couldn't close my eyes. It didn't feel safe enough to do that. And a new space with strangers and did not feel comfortable,” she said. But she decided to stay.

The space was welcoming and the guide was kind, reminding the group that it was a heart practice and that they were there to connect to the love within them. It created a soft environment, and Alsum was able to participate in the practice.

When it was over, she felt that something had shifted inside her.

“I remember leaving and just thinking that something felt different inside of me after doing the practice. And I didn't understand it. I didn't know exactly what it was, but something in me shifted a little bit and I was able to have a little bit of hope, a little bit of heart connection,” she said. “It had a sweetness to it.”

Alsum continued to practice Qigong and later found this sweetness at Svalja Yoga Studio.

The studio is located on First Ave., right next to The Flame nightclub. They have two studios, the Rose Studio and the Lotus Studio. The street entrances are two nooks in the building’s face with glass doors. The left door opens into the Rose Studio, where you’re greeted by a small entrance space with a couple couches, rugs, tall green plants and orange salt lamps. Beyond is a wide open room with high ceilings and hardwood floors, which creak when you walk across them. In the way back are wood cubbies and extra yoga mats and blocks.

The right door opens to a staircase with an ornate wood door at the top, and through that door is a reception area with a desk and shelves with yogi goods for sale. To the right is the bathroom. To the left is a cozy living space with a couch, armchairs, and a coffee table. Behind the living area is the Lotus studio, a large open room- bigger than the Rose Studio- with crystals and plants resting sporadically throughout the space, and a gong sitting in the back corner.

Both studios are bright but welcoming, worn but speckless.

Alsum has taught Qigong and earned her trauma-conscious certificate through Svalja over the last six years, under the guidance of Kyle Heyesen, the former owner. Then, last June, Alsum purchased the studio from Kyle.

“I purchased in June and worked with Kyle for many months before that, for training, for integrating, for her to pass on various things,” she said. “Now I'm kind of in this zone of like, what does it mean for me to hold the things so that all these other amazing practitioners and teachers can come in and do their expertise and share their wisdom and heart and all of this.”

Heysen started the studio with the intention of creating a space that was for everyone and anyone, all bodies, all walks, you know, life experiences and all economic levels, according to Alsum. This is how she runs the studio now, as well, seeing it as a sort of “container” for guides and instructors of all different practices, including yoga, Qigong, dance, meditation, zen meditation, breathwork, pilates and HIIT.

“I view it as this space where all of us are coming in with our offerings and identities and everyone is just coming into it,” Alsum said. “It’s almost as if it is mine and it's not mine. Like it is mine and it also just exists for the community and the community needs.”

This variety allows participants to find which practice works best for them.

In addition to her yoga training, Alsum holds a BA in Sociology and is a certified sexologist and sexual wellness coach. She previously worked in community advocacy and supported people who were in crisis, experiencing homelessness and survivors of sexual assault. Her experience in social work informs how she approaches yoga as a method of healing.

“Here's a space where you can discover healing for yourself. You get to discover your own path to healing and maybe it takes trying out a few different things, but then you have the opportunity to land on what's best for you.”

To further create this safe space, all of the practices and guides at Svalja are trauma-conscious.

“A trauma-conscious studio or a trauma-conscious instructor or teacher, they have a certain lens where they're offering things like invitational language, where they're creating a space where people have choice,” Alsum said.

This concept is also reflected in the name Svalja, which means “to swallow” in Swedish, because “life is hard to swallow sometimes,” Alsum said. “And so, what does it mean for us to find healing with our own wounds?”

Though the practice of yoga dates back 5000 years to northern India, trauma-conscious yoga is relatively new. It originated in 2002, when David Emerson, a yoga teacher dedicated to working with people who had experienced trauma, approached Bessel van der Kolk, a psychiatrist and author of “The Body Keeps the Score,” to propose a partnership that would explore the idea of yoga as a treatment for trauma recovery.

The two went on to organize a pilot study in 2003, which showed yoga to be an effective means of trauma recovery and resolution of PTSD symptoms.

Once supported by research and evidence, trauma-conscious yoga gained traction and popularity.

Movement is good for stress and trauma release, but doing too much too soon can overwhelm students, so instead of commanding students to move a certain way like many classes do, trauma-conscious teachers give options for positions and support students in choosing their practice.

For some people who have experienced trauma, certain yoga poses or cues from instructors can trigger their trauma response and create an unstable experience for them. Trauma conscious instructors are aware of poses or cues that trigger trauma and avoid them or handle them with care.

A common example of a triggering posture are hip-opening postures, especially for women and female-identifying individuals. Trauma conscious instructors know that hip-opening postures can be triggering, and may avoid them or approach them with empathy.

The keys to a trauma-conscious yoga practice are encouraging mindfulness in participants, creating a safe space and being aware of triggering postures. It's also been shown to reduce PTSD symptoms.

The power of this can be seen in Alsum’s experience. When she came to Qigong, she didn’t feel safe enough to close her eyes and loud sounds were challenging. A welcoming and trauma conscious environment aided her healing and gave her a new way to wellness.

Another yogi who sees social work and yoga as going hand in hand is Engel, a Social Work student at UMD. In addition to her group fitness certification, Engel is working towards her yoga certification, with the future goal of combining her social work with movement to help others heal and process trauma.

Ruby Engel has her group fitness certification and is working towards her yoga training. Photo courtesy of Ruby Engel.

“When we look at mindfulness and ways that we can nourish ourselves, movement is definitely one of them,” Engel said. “It has its therapeutic ways to set someone up for success, to regulate themselves, and that paired with other ways of mindfulness or therapies can be really beneficial for people who have experienced trauma, for people who are looking to better themselves.”

“I like to be able to kind of empower people not only within their bodies but within their mind.”

The first ever yoga class that Engel attended was a core power hot fusion yoga class with her mom, where they cranked up the heat to around 102 degrees.

It was so overwhelming that she just sat on her mat and cried.

“It was the point of like, you're pushing your body a lot physically in the physical heat. I think I was going through something hard at the time. And it's just like this release, because crying is a release as well. So it was very emotional,” Engel said.

Despite the overwhelming nature of the session, Engel felt a transformation occur.
“I was like, I need to invest more in myself because it was such a transformative experience,” she said.

Since then, Engel has scaled back her practice and learned what works for her. Now, she teaches three yoga classes a week, taking a trauma-informed approach. For Engel, that means acknowledging that traditional yoga is not always a one-size-fits-all practice.

In her classes, Engel works off the energy of her students and adjusts the practice as needed.

“I'm able to look out at the group, see what we're needing, and in my mind being able to add in those different poses that would then help with those parts of tension in the body,” Engel said.

A trauma conscious practice is relevant today because Engel has noticed many people are living in a place of disconnection.

“People will get up and leave your classes when you get into your mindfulness practice,” Engel said. “They feel like it does not benefit them. But really, those people that get up and leave are some of the people that can benefit from it the most.”

Alsum seems to agree. She believes that by finding a safe space to practice wellness, we can heal and be more present.

“When you experience stress, chronic stress or something like that or trauma, it lives in your body. And so we have to engage practices where we're utilizing the body to be able to move that trauma, move those wounds out and heal through them,” Alsum said.

“We can find some really deep healing for ourselves individually. Then we are more connected to ourselves. We have a greater sense of purpose. We are more creative human beings, we have more imagination, we have healthier relationships, all these things. We soften. It's like we soften towards ourselves and we soften towards others, and we don't have that hard shell on us all the time.”

In Search of Softness