Yoga has been many things in my life – exercise, discipline, refuge, teacher. It provided me with a safe place to befriend my body and start to feel some semblance of peace with non-doing. I would start a yoga class with a storm of thoughts and anxieties, and somehow by the end, they were quieted. Simply having permission to relax was a whole new concept.
But above all, yoga has been my medicine. The practice helped me heal not only my spine, but also the invisible wounds of trauma that shaped my body, mind, and soul. As my yoga practice evolved, it transformed from a physical routine into a tool for emotional and spiritual transformation.
These are the lessons I learned along the journey: lessons that may help you, too, find healing through your own practice.
Finding Trauma In The Body
I grew up carrying trauma that left deep imprints not only in my mind, but also in my body. As a teenager, scoliosis twisted my spine into an uneven curve, while the unspoken stresses of family life left me tight, anxious, and burdened with responsibility.
At first, yoga was simply exercise – a way to stretch and relieve pain. But underneath, I was searching for something bigger: a way to make peace with a body that felt broken, and a life that felt heavy.
Lesson 1: Listen to your body.
Pain and tension are not random; they are the body’s way of speaking. Begin by noticing where you feel contracted or unstable, and ask: What is my body trying to say?
Taking The First Steps
Yoga gave me physical relief. A hamstring stretch eased pressure on my lower back. Gentle backbends created space where there was tightness. I treated it like physical therapy, and it worked.
But soon I noticed something deeper. With each practice, my breath slowed, my nervous system softened, and I felt less of the constant need to control everything. Yoga was already teaching me more than anatomy, it was teaching me how to let go.
Lesson 2: Start with the body, but notice the breath.
Even if yoga begins as exercise, let the breath be your anchor. Healing begins in the union of body and breath.
Going Beyond The Physical
As my practice deepened, I began to see how it mirrored my life. On the mat, I pushed too hard, chasing perfection. Off the mat, I did the same – pleasing others, ignoring my own needs.
Yoga invited me to soften where I was rigid, and to strengthen where I was collapsing. This mirrored both my scoliosis and my emotional life. The lesson wasn’t to perfect myself, but to meet myself as I was.
Lesson 3: Let the mat be your mirror.
Notice your patterns in practice. Do you push too hard? Do you collapse without support? The mat is a safe place to practice new ways of being.
Finding Steadiness And Ease
When I began teaching, it wasn’t only about helping others; it was about reinforcing what I most needed to learn. Every time I guided a student to find steadiness and ease, I was reminding myself of the same truth.
Working with patients as a physical therapist, I saw clearly that back pain was never just about muscles and bones. It reflected how we carried ourselves in the world – too rigid, or too yielding. Yoga offered a way to restore balance.
Lesson 4: Teach what you need to learn.
Even informally, share your healing journey. Teaching, coaching, or even sharing what you’ve learned reinforces the lessons you most need to embody.
Silence, Space And Transformation
The deepest transformation for me came in the desert. Alone, surrounded by silence and sky, I let go of sequences and structure. I moved however my body wanted – sometimes flowing, sometimes still, sometimes simply lying on the ground and breathing.
In that wide, open space, I realized yoga was not about poses anymore. It was about freedom. It was about presence. It was about wholeness, even with scars, even with a crooked spine.
I would start my practice in Tadasana (mountain pose) and feel the weight of my feet on the ground. The earth below and the expansive desert before me were resources I could draw on. They helped me move from my overanalytical mind into my body, and into the present.
Lesson 5: Create space for free practice.
Once in a while, let go of structure. Move however your body wants. This is where yoga becomes not just healing, but liberating.
Healing Is About Living Fully
Today, yoga remains my anchor. My mantra is simple: Please let me know what my dharma (purpose) is and give me the strength to fulfill it.
Steadiness and ease. Strength and softness. Stability and freedom – these qualities are not just for postures, they are for life. Healing is not about erasing the past or perfecting the body. It is about living fully, as we are, and trusting the wisdom that emerges when we balance discipline with grace. It’s about going from traumatized to resilient, from rigidity to flow, from broken to whole. and living that story every day, on and off the mat.
Author Bio
Rachel Krentzman PT, C-IAYT, MBA is a practicing yoga and physical therapist and certified Hakomi psychotherapist. Born in Montreal to an Orthodox Jewish family, she experienced the trauma of her rabbi father’s arrest, shed her strict upbringing, and found herself. She specializes in personal healing through somatic, body-centered psychotherapy and yoga therapy. Afflicted with scoliosis and damaged discs, she created a powerful therapy that helps hundreds of students and patients around the world.
She now lives with her husband, son and two dogs in Israel. Her numerous books on yoga include Scoliosis, Yoga Therapy and the Art of Letting Go (2016). Her new book is As Is: A Memoir on Healing the Past Through Yoga. Learn more at happybackyoga.com.
