Somatic Yoga: How to Regulate Your Nervous System and Feel Safe in Your Body
- Anya I
- 1 day ago
- 17 min read
Somatic Yoga: How to Regulate Your Nervous System and Feel Safe in Your Body
If you’re reading this, I have a feeling you might know the particular exhaustion of living in your head—the constant mental noise, the anxiety that hums beneath everything, that strange sensation of being physically present but somehow not here. Maybe you’ve been told to “just relax” or “get out of your head” and wondered, genuinely, what that even means. I’ve been there. For years, I lived there.
Somatic yoga became one of the most profound tools in my healing journey. It taught me how to pause, how to breathe in a way that actually signaled safety to my nervous system, and how to slowly—so slowly—come home to a body that had felt foreign for most of my life. This wasn’t about perfect poses or pushing through. It was about learning to listen.
In this article, I want to share what somatic yoga actually is (in real, human language), how it supports trauma healing and nervous system regulation, and five specific somatic yoga poses for releasing trauma that you can try today—with gentle breathwork woven throughout. Consider this a conversation between friends over tea. No pressure. Just presence.
Gentle note: This article is for educational and supportive purposes only and is not a substitute for medical or mental health care. If you are navigating trauma, chronic pain, or mental health challenges, please work with a qualified healthcare or mental health professional. Always listen to your body and move at your own pace.
Table of Contents
My Story: From Utterly “In My Head” to Slowly Feeling Safe in My Body
For years, I existed in a state of being chronically exhausted and wired at the same time, that particular kind of tired that no amount of sleep seems to touch. My body felt like a stranger. I was hypervigilant, always scanning for danger, yet simultaneously numb, like I was watching my life through frosted glass. When well-meaning people would tell me to “get out of your head,” I genuinely didn’t understand the instruction. How does one leave their head? Where else was there to go?
I built what I now recognize as false safetyoverworking, overthinking, staying busy enough that I didn’t have to feel. I was on medication for years, cycling through different prescriptions, hoping something would finally make me feel okay in my own skin. And then, one day, my psychiatrist said something that changed everything: “I don’t think meds will work for you.”
It was terrifying. And freeing.
That moment cracked something open and sent me on a long, winding journey into self-awareness. Therapy helped. Spiritual practice helped. But it was somatic yoga, the slow, sensation-focused, trauma sensitive yoga approach, that finally taught me what people meant by “getting out of your head.” It wasn’t about leaving. It was about arriving somewhere else: my body. For the first time ever in my early 30s.
Through this yoga practice, I learned how to pause without panicking. I learned to notice physical sensations, not to analyze them, but simply to feel them. I learned to breathe deeply in ways that whispered “you’re safe” to my entire body instead of screaming “emergency.” I started to understand what emotional tension felt like in my shoulders, my jaw, my hips. And slowly, I began to release stored trauma I didn’t even know I was carrying. And boy, did I have a lot to release.
Look, I’m still on this healing journey: I want to be honest about that. But now I have tools, and years of lived experience. Now I can check in with myself and find my way back to presence when I drift. I feel more rooted than I ever have, and I want that for you too.
What Is Somatic Yoga?
The word “somatic” comes from the Greek soma, meaning the living body as experienced from within. Somatic yoga, then, is a style of yoga that prioritizes your internal experience over external appearance. It’s less about what a pose looks like and more about what it feels like to be in your body while you’re in it.
This movement practice emphasizes:
Internal sensations over achieving a specific shape
Slow, mindful movement and micro-adjustments
Curiosity about how the nervous system responds
Body awareness as the primary goal
Traditional yoga, in its origins, was inherently somatic and spiritual: A path of uniting body, mind, and Spirit. But many modern Western yoga classes have shifted toward intensity, speed, and aesthetics. There’s nothing wrong with a vigorous flow, but for those of us with dysregulated nervous systems or stored tension from trauma, that kind of practice can actually be overwhelming rather than healing.
In somatic yoga:
Traditional Yoga Focus | Somatic Yoga Focus |
External alignment | Internal sensation |
Holding poses for strength | Moving slowly to release muscular tension |
Achievement and progress | Curiosity and presence |
Following the teacher exactly | Listening to your own body |
There is no “perfect pose” in somatic yoga. The goal is to feel and listen, not to perform. Rest is valid. Fidgeting is valid. Stopping altogether is valid. Your body knows what it needs and somatic practices simply teach you how to hear it again. As a certified yoga teacher who completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training, my approach to somatic yoga is rooted in both formal training and lived experience. Everything I share here has been shaped by years of personal practice, study, and working gently with the nervous system.
This approach fits beautifully within The Season of Anya’s ethos: witchy spiritual yoga and other healing modalities mixed with nervous system awareness as a form of everyday ritual and self-healing. When we tend to our bodies with this kind of presence, we’re practicing a quiet form of magick.
How Trauma Shows Up in the Body and Nervous System
When we experience overwhelming stress or trauma, our nervous system doesn’t just file it away and move on. The body remembers. It develops protective patterns which are ways of bracing, tensing, and guarding ourselves and our energy. These methods were once necessary for survival but can become chronic when the danger has passed and you want to learn how to simply be.
You might know the basics: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn responses. These are our nervous system’s automatic reactions to threat. The problem is that chronic emotional stress can keep us locked in survival mode long after the original event is over. We stay in fight or flight mode, always scanning, always braced. Or we slip into freeze—that numb, disconnected, “not really here” feeling.
Common physical symptoms of stored emotions and unprocessed trauma include:
Tight hips, shoulders, and jaw
Shallow breathing or breath-holding patterns
Digestive issues and chronic fatigue
Difficulty sleeping or restlessness
Feeling numb or dissociated from your entire body
Chronic pain without clear physical cause
I want to be clear about something: trauma isn’t literally stored in a single muscle like a file in a cabinet. It’s more accurate to say that trauma expresses through physical tension patterns, altered breathing, and a nervous system stuck in hypervigilance or shutdown. Our bodies develop protective postures. For example, I realized I wasn’t allowing myself to soften or be expressive in my body. I moved through the world in a guarded, braced way, shoulders tight, chest closed, breath shallow, as if staying contained and in my masculine energy, was the safest option. We create tension in the hip flexors from chronic clenching. We hold our breath. We armor the core muscles against feeling.
If any of this sounds familiar, please know: these responses were once protective. They helped you survive something. Somatic yoga offers a gentle way to slowly teach the body that it can soften, that it’s safe enough now to begin releasing tension and stored stress. This isn’t about forcing anything. It’s about building a new relationship with your body—one breath, one gentle movement at a time.
By the way, if holding back your feminine energy resonates, you can learn more about how I worked with my own feminine energy as part of this healing process here.
Why Somatic Yoga Is So Supportive for Trauma Healing
What makes somatic yoga so effective for trauma recovery? It comes down to how the practice works with, rather than against, the nervous system.
Here’s why this approach supports emotional healing:
It offers a structured, gentle way to feel sensations without overwhelm. Somatic yoga exercises invite you to notice subtle shifts in your body, temperature changes, tingling, heaviness, without demanding dramatic releases or intense experiences.
Slow movement plus breath activates the parasympathetic nervous system. When we move gently and breathe deeply with extended exhales, we signal “rest and digest” to the brain. This helps shift out of chronic survival mode and into a state where healing is possible.
Emotional energy can move without forcing. Grief, anger, fear—these emotions live in the body. Trauma informed yoga allows them to surface and release gradually, in their own time, rather than forcing cathartic experiences that can feel destabilizing.
It builds agency. In somatic movement, you choose when to move, when to rest, when to stop. For trauma survivors who often felt powerless, this sense of choice is profoundly regulating.
Addressing common fears:
Maybe you’re worried about losing control if emotions surface during practice. Or you’re afraid of doing poses “wrong.” Let me reassure you: in this approach, micro-movements and pauses aren’t just allowed, they’re encouraged. There’s no teacher watching to correct your form. This is a place to feel nurtured and supported, not to be hard on yourself. Your only job is to notice, to breathe, and to honor your own pace. When you allow yourself to fully soften in these postures, you may begin to notice tension releasing in a different way. It’s not just a physical stretch, but a subtle shift in how energy moves through your body. Sometimes the release feels like a warm wave of energy moving through you, as if it’s gently returning to the earth.
From a spiritual perspective, I see somatic yoga as a living ritual of re-entering the body. When we care for our nervous system with this kind of tenderness, we’re honoring Spirit through our physical form. The body isn’t something to transcend or escape, it’s sacred.
Preparing Your Space and Your Heart for Somatic Practice
Before you begin, let’s create a safe space, both physically and emotionally. This isn’t about perfection; it’s about setting yourself up to feel held.
Physical space suggestions:
Dim or soft natural lighting (harsh overhead lights can feel activating)
A yoga mat or thick blanket on the floor
A cushion or bolster for support
A cozy layer, a sweater, socks, or a blanket to cover yourself
If you practice witchcraft or seasonal ritual, consider grounding scents like lavender, cedar, or mugwort, or light a simple candle
Emotional and energetic safety cues:
Practice when you won’t be interrupted
Let someone you trust know you’re practicing, if that feels supportive
Have a journal or glass of water nearby for afterward
Consider what time of day feels safest in your body
Gentle guidelines to hold:
Move slowly and stop anytime you feel overwhelmed or in pain
Keep your breath easy—no forcing, no pushing for physical relaxation
It’s okay if nothing “dramatic” happens; the magic is in subtle shifts
You can always return to a simple restorative pose like lying flat with hands on your belly
My book Embracing the Sacred Flow offers deeper guidance on combining somatic practice, spiritual living, and nervous system healing for those who want a slower, more embodied path of self-connection.
Think of this preparation as a nurturing check-in from a friend, not a strict rulebook. You know yourself best. Trust that.
Top 5 Somatic Yoga Poses for Releasing Trauma (With Gentle Breathwork)
What follows is a simple, beginner-friendly sequence of five yoga poses designed to support emotional release and nervous system regulation. No yoga experience is needed. You can do one or two poses, or all five—whatever feels right for your energy and capacity today.
As you practice, stay curious. Notice subtle shifts: changes in temperature, tingling, heaviness, or unexpected release. Allow emotions—tears, frustration, even numbness—to be present without needing to change them. This is emotional processing in its most organic form.
Each pose includes:
Simple instructions
Suggested timing (5-10 slow breaths or 1-3 minutes)
A light breathwork pattern to support your nervous system
1. Child’s Pose (Balasana): Remembering What It Feels Like to Be Held
Child’s pose is one of the most deeply restorative yoga poses. With the body folding inward and the head supported, it invites a sense of surrender, containment, and rest.
How to enter:
Come to kneeling, big toes together, knees wide or close together (whatever feels more comfortable)
Sit your hips back toward your heels
Walk your hands forward and let your forehead rest on the mat, a pillow, or your stacked fists
Arms can extend forward or rest alongside your body
Why this supports trauma release: Child’s pose offers a gentle flexion that feels like curling inward for protection. It stretches the lower back and surrounding muscles of the hips, where many people store fear and stored stress. The position of the forehead touching something (the mat, a pillow) can be deeply grounding.
Breathwork cue: Inhale through your nose for a count of 4. Exhale through your mouth like a soft sigh for a count of 6. As you exhale, imagine the breath washing down your spine and pooling into your hips, promoting relaxation throughout your lower body.
Options for safety:
Place a bolster or stack of blankets under your chest or hips for additional support
Rest your forehead on stacked fists, or bolster if the floor feels too far away
Keep knees closer together if wide knees strain your inner thighs
Stay for 5-10 slow breaths and remember that your inhale should be as long as your exhale. When you’re ready to come up, move slowly—sudden transitions can cause dizziness or emotional whiplash.
2. Somatic Cat-Cow (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana): Gently Waking Up the Spine
Cat cow pose is a familiar flow, but we’re going to approach it somatically—slower, more intuitive, with plenty of room to wander.
How to set up:
Come to hands and knees (pad your knees with a blanket if needed)
Wrists under shoulders, knees under hips
Spread your fingers wide, feel the ground beneath your palms
Traditional movement:
Inhale to arch your spine (Cow): belly drops, chest lifts, tail reaches up
Exhale to round your spine (Cat): press the ground away, draw your belly in, tuck your chin
Somatic adaptation: Move slower than you think you need to. Make tiny, organic movements—circle your hips, wiggle your shoulders, sway side to side. Pause anywhere that feels “sticky” or restricted and simply breathe there. This isn’t a performance; it’s a conversation with your spine.
Breathwork pattern: Inhale for 4 counts as your heart opens in Cow. Exhale for 4-6 counts as your spine rounds in Cat. Let the breath lead the movement rather than the other way around.
Benefits for trauma healing: This gentle movement mobilizes a spine that may have been frozen or braced for years. It connects movement and breath, helping to release stored emotions that live in the upper body and back. Many people feel emotional energy begin to move here—sometimes as warmth, sometimes as tears, sometimes as nothing at all. All responses are valid.
3. Somatic Pigeon or Reclined Figure Four: Meeting the Hips With Compassion
The hips hold so much. This is where the psoas muscle lives—often called the “muscle of the soul” because of its deep involvement in fight-or-flight responses. Pigeon pose can be intense, so I’m offering two options based on what feels safe for your body today.
Option A: Reclined Figure Four (gentler, great for sensitive knees or lower backs)
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor
Cross your right ankle over your left thigh, creating a “4” shape
Option to interlace fingers behind your left thigh and gently draw legs toward your chest
Keep your head on the ground; relax your shoulders
Option B: Classic Pigeon Pose (for those comfortable kneeling)
From hands and knees, bring your right knee forward behind your right wrist
Extend your left leg long behind you
Square your hips as best you can and fold forward over your front leg
Rest on forearms, a bolster, or all the way down
Why this helps release stored trauma: The hip flexors and surrounding muscles are deeply involved in the body’s threat response. We brace here, clench here, hold here. This position invites gentle opening without forcing a deep stretch that could feel unsafe.
Breathwork cue: Inhale and notice where tension lives in your hip or low back. Exhale with a soft “haaa” sound through your mouth, imagining a little more space opening around the tension with each breath. This promotes emotional blockages to gently dissolve.
Take 5-8 slow breaths on each side. If emotions feel too intense, back off. You can always return to this pose another day.
4. Moving Bridge (Setu Bandhasana): Bridging Mind, Body, and Heart
Bridge pose opens the front body—the chest, heart, and throat—areas that often collapse with anxiety, depression, or chronic guardedness. We’ll practice this as a moving, somatic exercise rather than a static hold.
How to set up:
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet hip-width apart
Place feet close enough that you can almost touch your heels with your fingertips
Arms rest by your sides, palms down
The movement:
Inhale to slowly roll your spine up, one vertebra at a time, into a gentle bridge
Exhale to slowly roll back down, feeling each part of your back meet the mat
Why this supports emotional release: This rhythmic, predictable movement re-patterns the nervous system. It’s not about how high you lift—it’s about the quality of attention you bring to each roll. The opening through chest and throat can support the release of pent up emotions that got stuck when you couldn’t speak or express.
Breathing pattern: 4-count inhale as you lift your hips. 6-count exhale as you lower down. With each exhale, imagine releasing any “static” from your heart and throat—old grief, unexpressed words, protective armor you no longer need.
Repeat 6-10 rounds. If your heart rate climbs or emotions swell, rest fully between movements. This is a full body stretch that asks for gentleness.
5. Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani): Letting the Nervous System Exhale
This is perhaps the most deeply restorative pose in yoga, and also one of my favorites! Legs up the wall pose is a true gift for an exhausted, overstimulated nervous system because it's easy and accessible to all. Sometimes called “corpse pose’s gentler sibling,” it offers many of the calming benefits of an inversion without requiring strength, effort, or strain. It's especially great after a long, stressful day of work.
How to set up:
Sit sideways next to a wall
Gently swing your legs up as your back comes down to the floor
Adjust your distance from the wall for comfort—legs can be straight or slightly bent
Support your head with a small pillow; place a cushion under your hips if that feels good
Let your arms rest wherever is comfortable—by your sides, on your belly, or wide like a T
How this calms the system: Reversing the usual pull of gravity in the legs supports circulation and venous return. This is deeply soothing for anxiety, restlessness, and that “wired but tired” feeling. It’s the physical equivalent of your nervous system taking a long, slow exhale.
Gentle breath guidance: Try coherent breathing: inhale for 5-6 seconds, exhale for 5-6 seconds. Breathe only to about 70% of your lung capacity so it feels soft and sustainable. There’s no need to breathe deeply if that feels forced—just easy, natural breaths.
Stay for 3-10 minutes. You can bend your knees or step feet down to the wall anytime you need to. Notice even tiny shifts—heavier limbs, a softer jaw, slightly quieter thoughts. These are signs your parasympathetic nervous system is coming online.
Weaving Breath
work Into Your Somatic Yoga Practice
Breath is the bridge between body and mind connection. It’s also one of the most accessible tools we have for regulating the nervous system. When we breathe slowly and gently—especially with longer exhales—we signal to the brain: “I’m safe enough right now.”
Three beginner-friendly breath practices:
Breath Practice | How to Do It | Best For |
Coherent Breathing | Inhale 5-6 seconds, exhale 5-6 seconds | General calming, before sleep |
Extended Exhale | Inhale 4 counts, exhale 6-8 counts | Acute anxiety, racing thoughts |
Soft Sighs | Inhale naturally, exhale through mouth with audible “ahh” | Quick release, shoulder tension |
Layering breath into daily life:
You don’t need to be on a yoga mat to practice. Try a few slow breaths while washing dishes. One minute of coherent breathing before sleep. A hand on your heart or belly with three conscious breaths as a mini somatic check-in throughout the day.
Think of breathwork as a small, powerful ritual of modern magick—gently altering your state without bypassing what you’re feeling. You’re not trying to make hard emotions disappear. You’re creating enough safety in your body to feel them, which is often the first step in releasing tension and stored stress.
If this way of working with the body and Spirit resonates, I explore it more deeply in my book, Embracing Sacred Flow. It weaves together spiritual yoga, nervous-system-aware practices, and reflective guidance for those seeking a slower, more intuitive path of healing and self-connection.
Somatic Yoga, and Flowing with the Lunar Cycles
If you’ve found your way to The Season of Anya, you likely feel the pull of the seasons, the Moon, and the natural rhythms that govern all living things. Somatic yoga fits beautifully into this path.
Moving with your body’s inner seasons—periods of tension, softness, grief, joy—mirrors the Wheel of the Year and nature’s cycles. Just as the Earth moves through death and rebirth, so do we. Our bodies have their own winters and springs. Somatic practice teaches us to honor that rhythm rather than fight it.
Ideas for ritualizing your somatic practice:
Light a candle or incense to mark the beginning and end of practice as sacred time
Place a crystal, tarot card, or seasonal object (autumn leaf, spring flower) near your mat to anchor intention
Whisper a simple intention before you begin: “I allow myself to feel 5% safer in my body today”
Close practice by placing both hands on your heart and offering gratitude to your body for showing up
Integrating somatic yoga with moon rituals:
During a Full Moon, try gentle hip openers to support emotional release
During a Dark or New Moon, choose restorative poses and breathwork for rest and reset
Track how your body feels at different lunar phases—you may notice subtle shifts in what you need
This isn’t about adding more to your practice. It’s about recognizing that caring for your nervous system is spiritual practice. When you tend to your body with reverence, you’re tending to Spirit.
When to Seek Extra Support: Therapy, Trauma-Informed Yoga, and Community
Somatic yoga is powerful, but it’s not a replacement for professional mental health support, especially if you’re navigating:
PTSD or complex trauma
Severe depression or anxiety
Thoughts of self-harm
Dissociation that feels frightening or destabilizing
If heavy emotions are surfacing during practice—or if you’re finding it difficult to ground afterward—please consider reaching out to a mental health professional who understands the body-mind connection. Trauma-informed therapists can offer containment and support that a yoga practice alone cannot provide.
Consider exploring:
Trauma-informed yoga classes (many are available online now, explicitly welcoming to beginners)
Somatic experiencing therapy or EMDR for deeper understanding of trauma patterns
A trusted yoga teacher who specializes in trauma sensitive yoga approaches
And please: honor your own pace. It’s okay to pause a practice if it feels like too much. It’s okay to talk to a therapist about what’s coming up on the mat. It’s okay if your healing process looks slow, quiet, and nonlinear—because that’s often exactly what real healing looks like.
Community matters too. Practicing with others—even virtually—can be profoundly regulating for the nervous system. Which brings me to something I’m excited to share in the conclusion.
A Gentle Invitation: Continuing Your Somatic & Spiritual Journey With Me
Here’s what I want you to carry with you: you don’t have to force your body to heal. Small, consistent somatic practices — a few minutes of child’s pose, slow breaths on the floor, a gentle cat-cow — can quietly rebuild safety and trust from the inside out. You don’t need dramatic breakthroughs; the subtle shifts are where the real work lives.
I’ve moved from living mostly in my head to feeling more at home in my body. This journey doesn’t end, but I now have tools I can return to when I drift. Caring for your nervous system is part of the inner work, creating the safety needed for deeper reflection — including shadow work — to unfold without overwhelm .
I’ll be sharing more witchy, trauma-sensitive yoga flows on my YouTube channel (twice a month), along with ongoing reflections through my newsletter, as we grow the community. You are not broken. You are not too late. And you don’t have to do this alone.
If this practice resonated with you and you’re feeling called to continue this work, Embracing the Sacred Flow was created as a companion for this exact journey — blending somatic yoga, spiritual reflection, and nervous system awareness to help you feel more at home in your body and your life.
About the Author: Anya is a certified yoga teacher and spiritual writer focused on somatic yoga, nervous system healing, and embodied spiritual practice. She is the founder of The Season of Anya and the author of Embracing the Sacred Flow.
⸻ ✧ ⸻
✧ The Journey Continues ✧
Join the community and subscribe to my free newsletter for seasonal reflections, rituals, and grounded spiritual practices shared in rhythm with the year —
✧ Support This Space ✧ If you’d like to support the ongoing costs of running this blog, you’re welcome to leave a tip via Buy Me a Coffee or explore my Etsy Shop for intentional merch and ritual pieces.
⸻ ✧ ⸻
Somatic Yoga to Regulate Nervous System FAQ:
Can somatic yoga help regulate the nervous system?
Yes. Somatic yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system through slow movement and breath, helping the body shift out of fight-or-flight.
How often should I practice somatic yoga?
Consistency matters more than length. Even 10–20 minutes a few times a week supports nervous system healing.
Is somatic yoga safe for trauma recovery?
It’s generally trauma-sensitive, but deeper trauma work is best supported by trauma-informed teachers or therapists.
What makes somatic yoga different from regular yoga?
Somatic yoga focuses on internal sensation and nervous system regulation rather than alignment or performance.
Can beginners practice somatic yoga?
Yes. It’s accessible, slow-paced, and designed to meet you where you are.
Comments