Somatic Yoga Therapy in San Diego
Somatic Yoga at Our Mental Health Treatment Center
At Monima Wellness Center, somatic yoga therapy integrates mind-body healing approaches within our comprehensive Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) programs. This specialized approach combines the wisdom of yoga with somatic awareness and trauma-informed practices, helping women and female-identifying individuals reconnect with their bodies as a source of strength and healing.
Somatic yoga therapy recognizes that trauma, anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges are stored not only in the mind but also in the body. Through gentle movement, breathwork, and mindful awareness, this approach helps release tension, regulate the nervous system, and rebuild a positive relationship with your physical self.
What Is Somatic Yoga?
Somatic yoga therapy combines traditional yoga practices with somatic experiencing principles and trauma-informed movement. Unlike traditional yoga classes focused on achievement or specific poses, somatic yoga emphasizes internal awareness, nervous system regulation, and healing through gentle, mindful movement.
This approach recognizes that many women and female-identifying individuals have complicated relationships with their bodies due to trauma, societal pressures, or mental health challenges. Somatic yoga therapy creates a safe space to explore movement and breath without judgment, focusing on what feels healing rather than what looks perfect.
Core elements of somatic yoga therapy include:
Trauma-Informed Movement prioritizes safety and choice, allowing you to modify or opt out of any movement that doesn’t feel right while exploring gentle ways to reconnect with your body’s wisdom.
Nervous System Regulation uses specific breathing techniques, restorative poses, and mindful movement to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and healing.
Embodied Awareness develops the ability to notice internal sensations, emotions, and needs through movement and stillness, rebuilding trust in your body’s signals and wisdom.
Research demonstrates that trauma-informed yoga significantly improves PTSD symptoms, anxiety, depression, and overall well-being, particularly when integrated with comprehensive mental health treatment.
Ready to Start Your Journey?
Contact us today at 858-500-1542 to begin crafting your path to recovery.
Levels of Care
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
The Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) at Monima is individualized for women and offers part-time, intentional, and comprehensive treatment for challenges related to mental health and trauma recovery.
IOP is designed specifically for women ready for level of support above traditional once-per-week therapy, or as a stepping stone between a full-time recovery program — such as PHP or residential treatment — and returning to their daily routines full-time.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
The Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) at Monima provides treatment for women seeking a comprehensive and full-time mental health treatment program that fosters lasting mental, physical, and spiritual wellness.
PHP is the highest level of care available at Monima, intentionally designed for women that are ready for a step above basic therapy, psychiatric support, or IOP. Most clients take a leave of absence from work, school, or their daily routines to fully immerse themselves in healing.
Outpatient
Program
(OP)
Monima Wellness offers an outpatient program (OP) to provide continued mental health support while integrating into their daily lives. This program is available to those who have completed our PHP or IOP. Sometimes referred to as aftercare, the OP emphasizes maintaining and building upon the progress achieved in previous phases, allowing clients to begin balancing their recovery with work, education, or family responsibilities.
The Monima Difference: Integrated Mind-Body Healing
What sets Monima’s approach to somatic yoga therapy apart is our integration of this practice within comprehensive mental health treatment, ensuring that body-based healing supports your broader recovery goals.
Trauma-Informed, Gender-Specific Approach
Our somatic yoga sessions are delivered by individuals trained in both yoga therapy and trauma-informed care. The all-female clinical environment creates safety for women and female-identifying individuals to explore their relationship with their bodies without the additional stress of mixed-gender settings.
Integration Within Comprehensive Treatment
Personalized to Your Healing Journey
Your somatic yoga and trauma healing experience are tailored to your specific mental health needs and trauma history. Whether you’re working through PTSD, attachment issues, or other challenges, the practices are adapted to support your individual healing process.
Holistic Mind-Body-Spirit Integration
Somatic yoga therapy works synergistically with our other holistic modalities, including breathwork, acupuncture, and somatic experiencing, creating a comprehensive approach to mind-body healing.
How Somatic Yoga Therapy Integrates Into Your Treatment
Within our comprehensive programs, somatic yoga therapy becomes a valuable component that addresses the physical manifestations of mental health challenges and trauma stored in the body.
Group Sessions with Therapeutic Focus
Participate in small group somatic yoga sessions specifically designed for women and female-identifying individuals in mental health recovery. These sessions focus on nervous system regulation, trauma release, and building positive body awareness rather than physical achievement.
Individual Application and Integration
Work with your individual clinician to understand how somatic yoga practices can support your specific treatment goals, whether that’s managing anxiety, processing trauma, or developing emotional regulation skills.
Skill Development for Daily Life
Learn simple somatic yoga techniques that you can use outside of formal sessions to manage anxiety, ground yourself during emotional distress, or reconnect with your body when feeling disconnected or overwhelmed.
Supporting Other Therapeutic Work
Use somatic yoga therapy to prepare for or integrate other therapeutic modalities. For example, gentle movement and breathwork can help regulate your nervous system before EMDR sessions or provide grounding after intensive trauma processing work.
Who Benefits from Somatic Yoga Therapy?
Our somatic yoga therapy is designed for women and female-identifying individuals enrolled in our programs who want to include body-based healing in their comprehensive treatment approach.
This integrative modality is particularly beneficial for those experiencing:
Trauma stored in the body, including chronic tension, hypervigilance, or disconnection from physical sensations
Anxiety and panic that manifests physically through tight breathing, muscle tension, or nervous system dysregulation
Depression and disconnection that creates feelings of numbness, heaviness, or disconnection from the physical self
Eating disorders or body image issues that have created complicated relationships with the body and movement
Chronic pain or psychosomatic symptoms that may be connected to emotional or psychological distress
Difficulty with emotional regulation where physical practices can support nervous system balance
History of physical or sexual trauma requiring gentle, choice-based approaches to reconnecting with the body
Sleep difficulties or nervous system dysregulation that benefits from relaxation and grounding practices
Evidence-Based Elements of Somatic Yoga Therapy
Our somatic yoga therapy integrates multiple evidence-based practices that support mental health recovery and nervous system healing.
Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Principles
Our approach follows trauma-sensitive yoga guidelines, emphasizing choice, non-judgmental awareness, and the understanding that you are the expert on your own body. Every practice is offered as an invitation rather than an instruction.
Havening Technique Integration
Throughout your time at Monima Wellness, our clinicians may integrate Havening Technique, a psychosensory therapy that uses gentle touch combined with visualization and eye movements to help process trauma and reduce emotional distress. This technique complements somatic yoga by providing additional tools for nervous system regulation.
Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Awareness
Drawing from the Feldenkrais Method, our approach to somatic healing incorporates gentle movement explorations that help retrain nervous system patterns and develop greater body awareness. This method can enhance the somatic yoga experience by focusing on how you move rather than what you achieve.
Polyvagal Theory Application
Practices are designed to support healthy vagal tone and nervous system regulation, helping you move from states of fight-or-flight or freeze into calm, connected states that support healing and growth.
Mindfulness-Based Practices
Incorporate present-moment awareness and non-judgmental observation that supports the mindfulness skills learned in other aspects of your treatment program, including Mindfulness Self-Compassion practices that cultivate kindness toward yourself through embodied experience.
Research shows that trauma-sensitive yoga interventions lead to significant improvements in PTSD symptoms, emotional regulation, and overall psychological well-being.
The Healing Power of Embodied Awareness
Somatic yoga therapy helps you rediscover your body as a source of wisdom, strength, and healing rather than something to be controlled, judged, or feared.
Rebuilding Body Trust
Learn to listen to your body’s signals and trust its wisdom about what feels safe, healing, and nourishing. This skill supports all areas of recovery, from recognizing emotional needs to setting healthy boundaries.
Nervous System Regulation
Develop practical tools for calming your nervous system when overwhelmed, energizing yourself when depressed, or finding balance when experiencing emotional intensity.
Releasing Stored Tension
Gentle movement and breathwork help release chronic tension patterns that may be holding trauma, stress, or unexpressed emotions, creating space for new experiences and healing.
Cultivating Self-Compassion
Practice treating your body with kindness and acceptance, developing a more compassionate internal dialogue that supports overall mental health recovery.
How Somatic Yoga Can Support Your Broader Recovery Journey
Somatic yoga therapy at Monima is designed to enhance and support your other therapeutic work rather than replace it, creating a comprehensive approach to healing that addresses mind, body, and spirit.
Preparing for Therapeutic Work
Use gentle movement and breathing practices to regulate your nervous system before challenging therapeutic sessions, creating optimal conditions for healing and integration.
Processing and Integration
After intensive therapy sessions, somatic yoga practices can help integrate new insights and release any tension or activation that arose during processing work.
Building Resilience
Regular somatic yoga practice builds physical and emotional resilience, giving you tools to navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and stability.
Creating Positive Associations
For those with trauma histories, somatic yoga therapy helps create new, positive associations with your body and movement, replacing fear or disconnection with safety and empowerment.
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Reclaim Your Inner Strength
Somatic yoga therapy offers a gentle, powerful path to healing that honors your body’s innate wisdom and capacity for recovery. Through mindful movement, breath awareness, and nervous system regulation, you can rebuild a positive, trusting relationship with your physical self while supporting your broader mental health recovery.
This body-based approach complements and enhances other therapeutic modalities, creating a comprehensive healing experience that addresses the full spectrum of your human experience – mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual.
