How Yoga Helps Heal Survivors of Narcissistic Abuse - Our Online Yoga Therapist!
- Narc & Co
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Why an ancient practice is one of the most effective nervous-system tools for Narcissistic Abuse Trauma recovery.
Healing After Narcissistic Abuse Is a Nervous-System Journey
Survivors of narcissistic abuse often arrive in therapy asking the same question:
“Why do I understand what happened, but my body still feels unsafe?”
This is because narcissistic abuse is not only psychological - it is relational trauma that reshapes the nervous system.
Chronic gaslighting, emotional unpredictability, control, and boundary violations train the body to remain in survival mode. Even after the abuse ends, the nervous system continues to scan for danger. This can show up as anxiety, dissociation, chronic tension, emotional numbness, fatigue, or difficulty trusting oneself.
At Narc & Co, psychotherapy addresses the cognitive and relational layers of healing. Yoga complements this work by addressing what trauma leaves behind in the body, breath, fascia, and nervous system.
Narcissistic Abuse Through the Lens of Polyvagal Theory
According to Polyvagal Theory (Dr. Stephen Porges), the nervous system operates through three primary states:
Ventral vagal (safety & connection): calm, grounded, socially engaged
Sympathetic (fight/flight): anxiety, hypervigilance, panic, anger
Dorsal vagal (freeze/shutdown): numbness, collapse, dissociation
Narcissistic abuse repeatedly forces survivors out of ventral vagal safety and into fight, flight, or freeze - often cycling between all three.
Because the abuse happens within a relationship, the nervous system may associate connection itself with danger. Healing therefore requires restoring safety at a physiological level, not just through insight.
Yoga is uniquely designed for exactly this purpose.
Yoga: The Original Somatic Therapy
Many modern trauma approaches - somatic therapy, fascia release, TRE (Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises), breathwork, vagus nerve stimulation - are now widely used in trauma recovery.
These are not new discoveries. They are modern interpretations of ancient yoga!
Traditional yoga was never designed as fitness. It was a system for regulating the nervous system, balancing the mind, and restoring internal harmony.
Fascia, Stored Trauma, and Yogic Movement
Trauma is stored not only in memory but in the fascia—the connective tissue that surrounds muscles, organs, and nerves.
Under chronic stress, fascia tightens and becomes dehydrated, contributing to:
Chronic pain
Restricted movement
A constant sense of bracing or holding
Slow, mindful yoga postures hydrate fascia, restore elasticity, and allow long-held tension to unwind safely.
Ancient yogis understood this intuitively. Sustained postures (āsana) were designed to prepare the body to sit calmly - not by force, but by releasing stored resistance.
TRE, Shaking, and the Wisdom of the Body
TRE exercises are based on the body’s natural ability to discharge stress through gentle tremoring.
This, too, is not new.
In yoga, spontaneous movement, subtle shaking, and energy release are understood as signs of prāṇa (life force) rebalancing. When the nervous system feels safe, the body completes stress cycles on its own. Yoga creates the conditions for this to happen - without forcing release.
Breathwork: Direct Communication with the Nervous System
Breathing patterns directly influence vagal tone.
Trauma often leads to shallow, restricted breathing. Yogic prāṇāyāma restores balance by:
Lengthening the exhale (activating parasympathetic response)
Creating rhythmic predictability
Improving oxygen–carbon dioxide balance
Practices such as slow nasal breathing, coherent breathing, and gentle breath retention stimulate the vagus nerve, signalling safety to the brain.
Modern neuroscience now confirms what yoga taught thousands of years ago: the breath is the bridge between body and mind.
Sound, Vibration, and Mental Regulation
Yogic traditions understood that sound regulates consciousness.
Chanting, humming, and mantra repetition create vibrations in the throat, chest, and skull—areas rich in vagal nerve pathways.
From a modern perspective, these vibrations:
Reduce rumination
Calm limbic reactivity
Increase feelings of safety and presence
From an ancient perspective, sound (nāda) was considered a direct path to mental stillness.
This is especially helpful for survivors experiencing intrusive thoughts or emotional overwhelm.
Rebuilding Boundaries and Agency Through Yoga
Narcissistic abuse deeply damages autonomy.
Trauma-informed yoga restores it by emphasizing:
Choice over performance
Permission-based language
Respect for physical and emotional boundaries
Each time a survivor chooses to rest, modify, or stop, the nervous system learns a new truth:
“I am safe to listen to myself now.”
Why Yoga and Psychotherapy Work Best Together
At Narc & Co, yoga is not offered as an alternative to psychotherapy - but as a powerful ally.
Psychotherapy helps survivors understand, process, and reframe the trauma.Yoga helps the body release what the mind alone cannot.
Together, they support full-spectrum healing.
A Gentle Invitation to Continue Your Healing
If you are reading this and something in your body softened, even slightly, that matters.
Healing from narcissistic abuse does not happen through force or pressure. It happens through safe, repeated experiences of regulation. Yoga, when offered with trauma awareness and deep respect for your nervous system, can become one of those experiences.
At Narc & Co, yoga is thoughtfully integrated into psychotherapy mentoring to support survivors at both the psychological and physiological levels.
I’m Vanya, a yoga teacher and yoga therapist specialising in trauma-informed, nervous-system–based practices for survivors of narcissistic abuse. My work is slow, gentle, and grounded in both ancient yogic wisdom and modern trauma science.
You will never be asked to push, perform, or override your body. Instead, we work with:
Breath to calm and regulate the nervous system
Gentle movement to release stored tension and trauma from the fascia
Restorative practices to rebuild safety and trust within yourself
Sound, vibration, and stillness to quiet the mind and restore balance
Yoga here is not about flexibility or achievement. It is about coming back into relationship with yourself - at your own pace.
If you feel curious, open, or simply tired of carrying everything alone, you are warmly invited to explore yoga as part of your healing journey with Narc & Co.
There is no rush. No expectation. Only support.
A Message to Survivors
Your nervous system adapted to survive something difficult.
Yoga helps it remember safety.
This ancient practice, now supported by modern neuroscience, offers a gentle, embodied path back to balance, self-trust, and inner stability. Healing is not about forcing release.
It is about creating safety - again and again - until the body believes it.
About the Author
Vanya is a trauma-informed yoga therapist and teacher, specialising in nervous-system regulation for survivors of narcissistic abuse. Her work integrates ancient yogic practices -breath, movement, sound, and rest - with modern trauma science, including Polyvagal Theory and somatic healing approaches.
Vanya’s approach is gentle, permission-based, and deeply respectful of each person’s pace. She works alongside psychotherapy to help survivors restore safety in the body, rebuild self-trust, and reconnect with themselves after relational trauma.
At Narc & Co, Vanya supports clients through yoga practices designed not for performance, but for healing.
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