What is Breathing Room?

Breathing Room provides yoga therapeutic, clinical mental health and holistic health services worldwide to individuals and communities. Breathing Room provides accessible and personalized individual yoga therapy sessions and trauma informed trainings to communities and organizations looking to deepen their understanding of how trauma impacts and a mind-body approach to healing trauma.

Breathing Room is a dream that started out of my home basement studio in 2014 and has now has bloomed from off of the yoga mat and out into the world to share.

Breathing Room was started by Ruth Krug who holds a Master in Social Work (MSW), is also a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and is a Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher & Trainer + a Holistic Yoga Therapist. She is a Mental Health Therapist, a Restorative Justice Facilitator, a Medical Social Worker and a Writer + Author on healing and mindful embodiment.

Ruth travels around the world and is based out of Fort Collins, Colorado. She has been teaching trauma informed yoga for over 10 years. She also works as a social worker in community health to bridge the gap in bringing holistic health care to every body.

What is Trauma Sensitive Yoga?

Trauma-sensitive yoga is a holistic approach to yoga practice that emphasizes safety, choice, and empowerment for individuals who have experienced trauma. It recognizes that trauma can be held in the body and that traditional yoga practices may not always be suitable for everyone, especially those with a history of trauma.

In trauma-sensitive yoga, instructors create a supportive environment where students are encouraged to make choices about their practice, including whether to participate in certain poses, how to modify poses, and whether to opt out of physical touch adjustments. The focus is on cultivating a sense of agency and control, empowering individuals to listen to their bodies and make choices that feel safe and comfortable for them.

Classes typically incorporate gentle movements, breathing exercises, and mindfulness techniques to help students develop greater self-awareness, regulate their nervous system, and build resilience. There is a strong emphasis on creating a sense of safety and predictability in the practice environment, with instructors providing clear instructions and offering modifications as needed.

Trauma-sensitive yoga is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and instructors are trained to adapt their teaching methods to meet the diverse needs of their students. It is often used as a complementary therapy alongside other forms of trauma treatment, such as therapy and medication, to support healing and recovery.

Overall, trauma-sensitive yoga aims to create a compassionate and non-judgmental space where individuals can reconnect with their bodies, build self-esteem, and learn tools for managing symptoms of trauma-related stress.

Yoga has been an ancient and holistic practice of healing for thousands of years. Research has proven that yoga has been shown to be adjunctive mental health intervention, reducing symptoms of PTSD and other mental health issues, particularly for individuals who are non-responsive to cognitive-based psychotherapies (talk therapy). This research has come out of Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TSY) which is an empirically validated, clinical intervention for complex trauma or chronic, treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Check out my Embodied Offerings!

Yoga Therapy

Yoga Therapy is a holistic, individualized approach to healing that blends traditional yoga practices with therapeutic techniques to address physical, emotional, and mental health concerns. Whether you’re dealing with chronic pain, stress, anxiety, trauma, or simply seeking to deepen your mind-body connection, Yoga Therapy offers a personalized path toward healing and balance.

Internal Family Systems

In IFS therapy, we work together to identify these parts and help you develop a compassionate, healing relationship with them. By accessing your core Self—your inner wisdom, compassion, and creativity—we bring these parts into harmony, allowing you to reconnect with your true essence. As we work through these parts, we help release the emotional blockages, negative beliefs, and protective behaviors that may be keeping you from living the life you desire.

Sacred Space

If you’re looking for a trauma-informed energy practitioner and group ceremony facilitator, you’re in the right place. Ruth holds her Reiki Master certification and has also studied and trained in facilitating sacred healing ceremonies in Central America. Whether you’re seeking to release stuck, heavy energy or navigate significant life transitions, Reiki and ceremony can help. Ruth offers both one-on-one sessions and group ceremonies, specializing in healing rituals for grief, trauma, personal transformation, and reconnecting with your heart and soul. Let go of what no longer serves you and step into a space of renewal and healing.

Discover your breathing room.

“Your body is your first home. Breathing in, I arrive in my body. Breathing out, I am home.”

Thich Nhat Hanh, a Mindfulness Meditation Zen Master & Teacher