Somatic Yoga for Stress Relief: A Nervous System Reset
Do you ever feel stuck in “fight‑or‑flight”? That chronic tension, shallow breathing, and overall sense of overwhelm? Somatic yoga—a slow, mindful embodiment practice—can help reset your nervous system and bring you back home to yourself.
🌱 What Somatic Yoga Does for Your Nervous System
Somatic yoga blends traditional postures with somatic movement therapy - focused on interoception and proprioception - to increase mind-body awareness and ease stress. Research shows it reduces cortisol, lowers chronic pain, and supports trauma recovery by encouraging gentle, internal-focused movement. (waterfallyogallc.com+4Verywell Health+4Health+4)
A growing body of science, including small randomized trials, demonstrates that somatic practices guide the body out of sympathetic activation and into the calming parasympathetic state, helping us feel deeply safe and grounded. (News-MedicalHenry Ford Health)
🧘 Somatic Yoga Poses That Support Reset
Child’s Pose (Balasana): With slow, conscious breathing, this pose activates the parasympathetic system, signaling rest and restore.(The Times of India)
Cat–Cow Flow (Marjaryasana–Bitilasana): This gentle spinal articulation encourages embodiment, releases tension, and enhances body awareness, which is ideal for calming anxious energy. (The Times of IndiaVerywell Health)
Legs-Up-the-Wall (Viparita Karani): A restorative inversion that promotes circulation, soothes red flagged trauma responses, and helps lower stress hormone levels. (The Times of India)
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana): Holding with mindful breath, this pose helps regulate breathing, soothe the nervous system, and align posture. (The Times of India)
🌿 Lifestyle Tips for Embodied Nervous System Care
Breathwork: Practice a calm 1:2 inhale‑exhale breath (e.g. inhale for 3, exhale for 6) to slow heart rate and reset your physiology.
Slow walks in nature or grounding movement: Somatic stretching, mindful walking, dance, or Qi Gong encourage embodiment and energy reflow.
Digital detox & rituals: Set screen-free pauses; drink tea, journal, and/or listen to ambient nature sounds. These rituals help shift the nervous system from stress to the present moment.
🌵 Coming Soon: Rooted in Zen Wellness Yoga Retreat in Joshua Tree (2026)
We’re so excited to host our first Rooted in Zen Wellness Yoga Retreat in 2026. Inspired by desert stillness, gentle movement, and daily grounding practices. Check out the photo gallery on our website showing the sunsets, yoga platforms, and desert energy we’ll tap into together. Imagine morning sunrise flows beneath the Joshua trees… it’s going to be a reset like no other.
🎥 Want to try it now?
Head over to our YouTube channel to watch “Somatic Yoga for Stress Relief: A Nervous System Reset” - a guided tutorial led by Alyssa Kristine that walks you through these poses and tips in practice.
In closing:
Somatic yoga isn’t just about stretching, it’s about bringing awareness back into your body, releasing stored stress, and cultivating presence. And as your nervous system learns to settle, your whole life begins to rebalance.
Feel supported, grounded, and rejuvenated.
Namaste
