Practices

Physiological Sigh

Two quick inhales through the nose, then one long exhale through the mouth. The double inhale opens the lungs. The long exhale signals the system to settle. Use it when the body is holding charge and needs a clear off-ramp.

Voo Breath

Take an easy, full breath, and on the exhale make the sound “voo”, as if it is coming from your belly. Let the sound and the breath go all the way out, and then wait for the next breath to come in on its own, filling your belly and your chest. You aren't aiming for a note. You're sensing for a vibration in your belly.

Dr. Peter Levine teaches this as a way to offer the gut a new signal. He describes the gut as a second brain, the enteric nervous system, and he notes that the vagus nerve carries far more messages from the gut up to the brain than the other way. In his teaching, vibrating the voo in the belly sends a message upward that says (mostly) all is good. He uses it when the gut is caught in an alarm loop, so a shut-down or overstimulated system has something else to register. Dr. Levine uses the foghorn as an image to anchor the voo breath: a sound through the murk, guiding a ship toward land.

Movement to Discharge

Shake, stomp, or move the arms and legs with intention. Let the energy that wants to move, move. Stop when the body feels complete. The system is looking for a way to finish what it started.

Wall Push

Stand facing a wall and place both palms against it at shoulder height. Press into the wall with a force that feels manageable. Hold for a few breaths, then slowly release. The push gives the fight response a safe place to complete. Stop if the shoulders or wrists feel strained.

Feet Press

Sit or stand with your feet flat on the floor. Press one foot down, then the other, alternating slowly. You aren't lifting the feet. You're meeting the floor. The push can help complete flight energy that didn't get to run. Stop if the hips or knees feel strained.

Palms Press

Bring your palms together in front of your chest and press them into each other. Hold for a few breaths, then slowly release. The contained push gives the system a place to meet its own force without needing anything outside of you.

Cold Wrists

Run cold water over the wrists for 20–30 seconds. The temperature shift is a clear signal that can interrupt activation. The body notices the change before the mind does.

Orienting

Let the eyes move slowly around the space. Notice what is here. Name three things you see. The eyes report safety to the system. The body is asking: is this place okay right now?

Rocking

Sit or stand and rock gently from side to side, or forward and back. The movement is small. You're not trying to go anywhere. The rhythm can help a shut-down system feel that it is still here. Stop when the rocking feels complete.

Soft Contact

Notice where your body meets the chair, the floor, or the surface beneath you. Let your attention rest there for a few breaths. The contact is already happening. You're just noticing it. A shut-down system can register this without needing to do more.

Warmth

Hold a warm cup, or wrap yourself in a blanket. Let the warmth meet your hands or your body. The temperature is a gentle signal. You don't have to do anything with it. The body can notice the warmth before the mind needs to understand it.

Small Movement

Wiggle your fingers and toes slowly. The movement is small enough that a shut-down system can meet it. You're not trying to wake the whole body. You're offering a little motion where the system can tolerate it. Stop when it feels complete.

Humming

On an exhale, hum for a few seconds, then stop. You're listening for a vibration in your throat or your chest, not for a note. The longer exhale is the part that can give your body a little more room. Calm may not arrive in the first hum, and the practice hasn't failed if it doesn't. If your throat is sore, you can hum more softly, or you can leave it for today.

Gentle Presence

Sit or lie down. Place a hand on the heart. Stay with the contact for a few breaths. Nothing needs to change. You are already here.

Here Now

Sit with your feet flat on the floor and your hands resting on your thighs. Inhale and say "here," silently or aloud, lifting your toes and raising your hands with palms turning up. Exhale and say "now," turning your palms down and letting your toes settle. Pause, and notice what has shifted. Do as many rounds as you need to feel grounded or present. Use it when you feel scattered, or as the doorway into any other practice. (This is an ancient Vedic practice that I have altered to support the modern mind and lifestyle.)

Sovereignty Anchor

There is an old eastern saying that says the longest distance in the world is from the head to the heart. I created this practice in order to help bridge that gap. Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your head, and take a few deep, slow breaths. The hand on your heart connects you to intuition and knowing. The hand on your head connects you to the cognitive mind. They both matter, and this is where sovereignty lives. Then ask yourself, quietly and without editing, what you can allow yourself to receive today. Notice your body's first answer, before your mind tries to edit it.

Heel Drops

Have a chair beside you for balance. Rise onto your toes only as far as is easy, and let your heels come down to the floor at a force that feels manageable for you. Begin with five, and then let your body tell you when to stop. If standing isn't available, you can do this exercise while seated.

Dr. Peter Levine describes the energy at the base of the spine as survival energy. When a system prepares to run and the run doesn't happen, that charge can gather through the legs, the pelvis, and the base of the spine, and it takes effort to keep it held. He uses a slinky to demonstrate this. Ordinary life is the spring moving freely. Threat compresses it. If it releases all at once, it can be too much, so you let a little go. You may feel a wave of peace and/or you may feel more grounded. You may also feel that wave through your legs, or a little more room at the base of your spine. Stop if you feel unsteady, or if the impact bothers your joints.

Butterfly Hug

Cross the arms and rest the hands on the opposite shoulders. Tap slowly, left then right. The rhythm is bilateral and settling. The system is receiving a steady left-right signal.

Gargling

Take a small mouthful of water and gargle for a few seconds, then stop. You're using the muscles at the back of your throat, and then you're letting them rest. You aren't trying to gargle for long, and you aren't trying to do it well. You may feel those muscles working before you feel any ease, and you may feel nothing change. If your throat is sore, leave this one for today.

Self-Hold

Place one hand on your heart and wrap the other arm across your chest. Hold yourself with a pressure that feels containing. Stay for a few breaths. The contact is a boundary you are giving yourself. Nothing needs to change.

Co-Regulation

Reach for a person, a pet, or a voice that feels safe. Eye contact, tone of voice, and presence are cues the system can borrow. You don't have to regulate alone.

The Head Tilt

Only if your neck is comfortable with it. Sitting, let the head tip slightly back, as if you were looking at a high shelf, without strain. Hold only until you notice a yawn, a swallow, or a sigh, then return to neutral. If you have a neck injury, or any reason not to tip the head, leave this out. The eyes can do the work. Look gently to one side until a swallow or a sigh, then the other side. Stop at the first sign of strain.