b'TRAUMAINFORMED EXERCISE A San Diegobased yoga instructor has begun using tension and trauma releasing exercise (TRE), based in the mindbody connection, to marry exercise and fitness with traumainformed practices. TRE is designed to help release patterns of stress that adherents believe are held in the muscles and the connective tissue surrounding them. Traumainformed practices recognize and address the effects a person suffers from past traumatic experiences such as sexual abuse, domestic violence, war, disasters, and child neglect. The resulting chronic stress can cause muscles to remain tight and in a constant state of guardedness. The TRE technique (in the process of becoming a therapy) has about 300 trainers and 600 providers around the country. (Find a directory of TRE providers around the world at TraumaPrevention.com.) According to the American Psychological Association, any regular exercise can be restorative, reduce stress, and improve mental health. Trauma survivors can regain their sense of power from physical goals, because they can translate that ability to overcome other obstacles in their lives. Since the weight room of a gym can be intimidating, a traumainformed gym should take into account lighting, noise control, music, and wall imagery, with an eye toward inclusion and creating a safe space. CHANGING FOSTER CARE Tori Hope Peterson grew up in the foster care system as a biracial child with a mentally ill mother. In Fostered: One Womans Powerful Story of Finding Faith and Family through Foster Care (B&H Books), Peterson says she did not overcome her circumstances, but Christ did. Peterson today is a foster, adoptive, and biological mom, and uses her platform as a trackandfield AllAmerican and Mrs. Universe 2021 to pursue her passion for fostercare reform, adoption advocacy, and help for vulnerable populations. If you want to learn more about the fostercare system, dwell in the reality of your own spiritual adoption, and/or better understand Gods love for the orphan and widow, this book is for you. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG 51'