A story: Last year in one of my Purity Culture Dropout™ Divorce Support Groups, I met an incredible woman named Shauna. She shared with us how she's healing her own religious trauma and relationship with her body through yin yoga- first as a student, and then as an instructor. I invited Shauna to lead our group through one of her classes, and it was just incredible.

Shauna tailored her class to the experience of a religious trauma survivor, and it felt like a warm hug. I was struck by her gentle way of saying exactly what we all needed to hear, and how much love I felt during her class. I knew that her magic had to be shared more widely.

On May 31, Shauna and I are partnering together to offer you a yin class specifically tailored to the experience of purity culture survivors.

If you've never done yoga, that's ok! If you are thinking of yoga as an athletic practice, that is NOT what yin is. This is not an exercise class. It is a meditative practice designed to cultivate mindfulness, calm the nervous system, and reduce stress. It all takes place sitting or lying. We'll be lying on the ground with pillows and leaning into gentle poses. (You can leave your camera on or be off camera the whole time.)

This class is accessible to all abilities.

Here's what you can expect, description provided by Shauna:

A slow, restorative practice designed with gentle healing in mind. Long, supported holds invite you to settle into your body without demand or performance. No pushing, no pressure, no “right way.”

For those of us unlearning the idea that our bodies are problems to be fixed or controlled, this is a quiet invitation to simply be in your body, perhaps for the first time in a long time. We will breathe, stretch and rest together as we resist the messages that our bodies are objects to be used or constantly producing.

Props are encouraged, modifications based on your own body’s needs are invited, and rest is a completely valid choice for the entire class. You are welcome just as you are.

Erica Smith is a sexuality educator and creator of the Purity Culture Dropout™ Program. Erica specializes in providing shame-free, affirming, queer inclusive, comprehensive, and evidence-based sex education to people who grew up in purity culture and high control religion. She is honored to partner with Shauna to bring in the somatic piece that many of her clients are missing in their healing.

Shauna Marigold is a 200-hour Yoga Alliance certified instructor with a passion for creating safe, nurturing spaces for healing and self-discovery. Shauna brings a grounded, trauma-informed presence to her teaching as well as a warm real-life humanity to everything she does, making her a natural fit for this deeply intentional somatic work. Having been raised in a high control religion herself, Shauna brings lived experience and deep personal understanding to this space. She knows firsthand the complexity of untangling faith, bodily autonomy, connection to oneself, and identity and is committed to walking alongside students in that process with compassion and care. A forever student, she believes that healing is an ongoing, ever-unfolding journey. Shauna is honored to co-lead this religious trauma-informed somatic class alongside sex educator Erica Smith, holding space for students to reconnect with their bodies, their breath, and themselves.

If you feel like you have trouble being present in your body or listening to your own inner wisdom because of purity culture messaging, this class is for you.

Also: the Purity Culture and Masculinity Groups for Men started and I LOVE THESE GUYS SO MUCH already. We're having rich conversations; here's a sample of something we read and discussed, if you're interested.

As always, hit reply to this email if there's anything you want to chat or ask questions about!

xo

E