Add Row 
Add 
Somatic exercises help people find calm by regulating the nervous system through simple breath and movement. Many people think anxiety is just a mental problem, but it often begins in the body, where stress patterns get stuck. By gently restoring rhythm between activation and relaxation, these practices support emotional balance in a way that thinking alone cannot.
When Calm Feels Out of Reach, Your Body Still Knows the Way Back
There are moments when your mind insists everything is fine, but your body tells a different story. Your shoulders stay tight. Your jaw clenches without warning. Your breathing turns shallow before you even realize it’s happening. You try to relax, but nothing shifts.
If you’ve ever wondered why anxiety feels so physical, the answer lives in your nervous system.
Somatic exercises—gentle, body-based movements—are gaining attention because they help regulate stress from the bottom up. Instead of trying to think your way into calm, you move your way there. One simple practice known as “The Robin” offers a surprisingly effective reset, especially for those who feel stuck in anxiety, shutdown, or lingering stress patterns.
To understand why it works, we have to look at how the body responds to stress in the first place.
In 'Tap into a deep sense of safety with this somatic exercise- The Robin w. Dr. Arielle Schwartz,' the conversation touches on innovative practices that can alleviate anxiety and trauma, prompting this exploration of how such techniques can empower individuals in Sacramento.
What Happens When Your Nervous System Gets Stuck in Survival Mode
Anxiety and trauma aren’t just emotional experiences. They are biological states.
Dr. Arielle Schwartz, PhD, a clinical psychologist and trauma specialist known for her work in complex PTSD, trauma-informed yoga, and nervous system healing, explains that when stress becomes chronic, the autonomic nervous system can become rigid.
“We feel unsafe if we're stuck in sympathetic activation—vigilance, irritability, restlessness, anxiety, panic. And we feel unsafe if we're stuck in the parasympathetic nervous system—shut down, heavy, more depressed, more despair, more collapse.”
In everyday terms, your system can become locked in high alert or deep withdrawal.
High alert feels like being wired all the time. Your muscles stay tense. Your thoughts race. Even small stressors feel amplified. Withdrawal feels different but just as heavy. Energy drops. Motivation fades. You may feel foggy, distant, or emotionally flat.
Neither state means something is wrong with you. These are protective patterns your body learned to survive difficult moments. The real measure of nervous system health isn’t whether you ever feel stressed or low. It’s whether you can move out of those states once the danger has passed. That flexibility is what somatic practices are designed to restore.
Your Breath Is Already Talking to Your Brain — Here’s What It’s Saying
One of the most direct ways to influence your nervous system is through breathing.
Dr. Stephen Porges, PhD, neuroscientist and developer of polyvagal theory, has spent decades studying how the vagus nerve connects body and brain.
“The vagus nerve is a bi-directional communication pathway between body and brain. When the body feels safe, the brain follows.”
Polyvagal theory has become highly influential in trauma-informed therapy. While certain aspects of the theory continue to be explored and debated within neuroscience, the broader understanding that body states influence emotional regulation is well supported.
Here’s the practical takeaway: breath changes physiology. Every inhale gently activates your system. Every exhale softens it. When breathing becomes erratic or shallow, it can reinforce anxiety. But when you breathe in a steady rhythm—about four to six seconds in and four to six seconds out—you help restore balance.
Research shows that paced breathing improves heart rate variability, a measurable indicator of nervous system flexibility. Flexibility means your body can respond to stress and then return to calm more efficiently. It’s simple. But it’s powerful.
The Posture of Anxiety (And the Shape of Safety)
Your posture also mirrors your internal state. Think about the last time you felt overwhelmed. Chances are your shoulders rounded forward and your chin lowered. That curling shape is protective. It’s something the body does during stress, grief, or emotional overload.
On the opposite end, lifting your chest and widening your gaze signals alertness. That posture can feel energizing—but exhausting if held constantly. Healthy regulation isn’t about choosing one posture over the other. It’s about being able to move fluidly between them. Chronic stress often disrupts that flow. Somatic exercises gently bring it back by pairing posture with breath in a rhythmic, intentional way.
A Simple Movement Called “The Robin” That Can Reset Your System in Minutes
“The Robin” combines breath and posture into one rhythmic sequence.
Here’s how it works:
Place your hands on your shoulders.
Take a slow inhale as you lift your chest, open your elbows, and raise your chin slightly.
Take a steady exhale as you curl inward, elbows drawing together and chin tucking down.
Repeat this movement slowly for five breaths.
If you notice tension—often between the shoulder blades or across the upper back—pause there for two or three extra breaths.
It’s subtle, and that’s intentional. As you move, you may notice areas of tightness or resistance. Instead of pushing through, you breathe into those spaces. Sometimes there’s a quiet release. Sometimes just a small sense of softening.
You’re not forcing calm. You’re restoring rhythm.
It’s important to say clearly: somatic exercises like this are supportive tools. They do not replace therapy for significant trauma. But they can complement professional care and help build everyday resilience.
Why Small, Repeated Practices Rewire the Brain Over Time
Many people wonder whether something this simple can truly make a difference. The answer lies in repetition.
Dr. Rick Hanson, PhD, neuropsychologist and researcher in neuroplasticity, explains that the brain naturally holds onto negative experiences more strongly than positive ones.
“The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones.”
That bias once helped humans survive danger. Today, it can keep us scanning for threat even when we’re safe. Practices like The Robin gently shift attention toward cues of safety. Each time you pause, breathe, and notice that you are “safe enough” in the present moment, you strengthen neural pathways associated with regulation.
Neuroplasticity does not happen overnight. It happens through steady repetition. Think of it like strength training. One session doesn’t build muscle, but consistent sessions reshape the body over time. The same principle applies to the brain.
From Hypervigilance to Connection
The goal of somatic practice isn’t to eliminate stress completely. It’s to increase flexibility. Flexibility means you can rise to meet a challenge and then settle once it passes. It means you can rest when safe and engage socially without feeling guarded.
When regulated, your voice sounds steadier. Your gaze softens. Your reactions feel proportionate. You experience a sense of presence rather than reactivity. That’s what nervous system health looks like—not perfection, but adaptability.
What a Two-Minute Reset Looks Like in Real Life
Picture this: you’ve been sitting at your computer for hours. Your neck aches. An email lands in your inbox, and for some reason it feels heavier than it should. You’re not in crisis, but your body feels tight and reactive.
Instead of pushing through, you pause and try The Robin:
Place your hands gently on your shoulders.
Take a slow inhale as you lift your chest and open your elbows.
Take a steady exhale as you curl inward.
Repeat for five slow breaths.
Stay with any tension you notice and breathe into it for a few extra rounds.
After just a minute or two, subtle shifts begin to happen. Your jaw softens. Your breathing deepens. The edge fades. Nothing external has changed, but internally your system has moved from reaction toward regulation. That small shift is the beginning of resilience.
Compassion Is Not Optional — It’s Essential
There is no perfect way to practice these movements, and that matters. Many people notice their thinking brain jump in with questions like, “Am I doing this correctly?” That inner commentary is normal. The mind wants measurable progress. But nervous system healing isn’t about performance—it’s about presence.
When you redirect your attention back to sensation instead of judgment, you shift from self-criticism to curiosity. The nervous system responds to tone. If you approach yourself with frustration, the body often tightens. If you approach yourself with patience and compassion, it softens. Self-compassion is not sentimental—it is regulatory. It signals safety.
A Balanced Perspective on Healing
Somatic exercises can support nervous system flexibility, stress resilience, and body awareness, but they are not miracle cures. They do not erase trauma, and they do not replace professional mental health care for those who need deeper therapeutic support. What they offer instead is accessibility.
They give you a practical way to influence your state in real time. When practiced consistently, these movements build awareness and responsiveness. For individuals working with therapists, somatic practices can reinforce and deepen clinical work. For others navigating everyday stress, they provide a steady anchor. Small, repeated actions shape baseline patterns over time.
Coming Home to Your Body in a World That Keeps You on Edge
Modern life rarely invites us to slow down. Notifications, deadlines, and constant stimulation keep the nervous system slightly activated throughout the day. It becomes easy to live from the neck up, disconnected from the signals your body is sending.
Somatic exercises offer a way back. They invite you to notice your breath, your posture, and the subtle sensations that reveal how you’re actually doing beneath the surface. Over time, these small pauses accumulate. They make calm feel familiar. They make regulation feel possible.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in anxiety or heavy in shutdown, your nervous system is not broken. It is protective. With repeated, compassionate practice, you can teach it something new: that this moment is safe enough, that your body can soften, and that calm is something you can cultivate from within.
Explore thoughtful perspectives on mental well-being, emotional health, and everyday resilience in Mind Matters, or discover more wellness and lifestyle stories on Sacramento Living Well.
---
Authored by the Sacramento Living Well Editorial Team — a publication of DSA Digital Media, dedicated to highlighting wellness, local living, and inspiring community stories throughout Greater Sacramento.
Write A Comment