Teaching from Presence:
Trauma-Supportive Yoga Foundations
Hosted by Yoga Roots Petoskey
July 19, 2026
For teachers committed to practicing
with depth, care, and responsibility.
Join Haven School of Yoga founder Jessie Horness, MA, LPC, E-RYT 200, for a full-day seminar exploring
what it means to teach yoga in ways that are genuinely trauma-supportive, relational, and rooted in the tradition itself.
We’ll begin the first half of the day with the foundations of trauma-supportive teaching. Rather than layering Western psychological frameworks onto yoga, we take a decolonized approach grounded in the philosophy, practice, and language of yoga itself. From there, we’ll explore trauma recovery as a process and develop practical skills for integrating trauma-supportive principles directly into your teaching. Through discussion, self-inquiry, and experiential exercises, teachers will build applicable tools for creating more supportive yoga experiences for their students.
In the second half of the day, we turn toward the deeper self-development work required to hold trauma-supportive space with integrity. We’ll explore how power operates within teacher–student relationships, why awareness of these dynamics matters, and how teachers can cultivate environments rooted in trust, consent, and relational safety. Together, we’ll consider what it means to become “a safe person to feel unsafe around”—someone who can remain present with students’ vulnerability without rushing to control, minimize, or fix their experience. Topics will include working with power dynamics, supporting student consent, and cultivating practices of self-resourcing for both teachers and students. Participants will leave with both practical tools and deeper insight into the inner work that trauma-supportive teaching requires.
This offering is hosted by Yoga Roots Petoskey in Petoskey, MI on July 19, 2026.
Teachers looking to deepen their teaching practice are invited to join us for the full seminar (12–6 PM), or engage with the foundational first half of the day as a standalone session (12–2:30 PM).
Participants are eligible for six Yoga Alliance CEUs for the full seminar, or 2.5 CEUs for the first session only.
Holding this space:
About Jessie Horness
Haven founder and lead facilitator Jessie Horness, MA, LPC, E-RYT 200, brings together her background in yoga and mental health to offer trainings grounded in both traditional yogic study and clinical understanding. As both an experienced yoga teacher and practicing psychotherapist, she works at the intersection of embodied practice, psychological insight, and relational awareness, offering depth and nuance to how we understand healing-centered teaching.
Jessie has been practicing Ashtanga yoga for over 15 years and has studied with Angela Jamison for the past decade. She also previously studied and assisted under R. Saraswati Jois, whose influence continues to inform her commitment to tradition, integrity, and disciplined practice.
Her teaching is direct, reflective, and often laced with humor, holding space for both rigor and humanity. She is committed to ongoing practice, honest inquiry, and supporting teachers in developing clarity, confidence, and discernment in how they hold space for others.
