Have you ever wondered why your body reacts the way it does — tightening, withdrawing, or going into overdrive — even when you know you’re safe?

The answer lies in your nervous system.

Most of us were never taught how to understand or work with our body’s stress responses. We power through, push down, or try to think our way out of feeling anxious, shut down, or stuck — but the body always keeps the score.

When your nervous system is out of balance for too long, it affects everything:

• Your energy and sleep

• Your immune system

• Your digestion

• Even how safe you feel in relationships

Experts like Dr. Aimie Apigian (from The Biology of Trauma) share how chronic stress and stored trauma can actually dysregulate the immune system, leading to autoimmune conditions, chronic fatigue, and inflammation.

So if you’ve been dealing with exhaustion, tension, or chronic health issues, this might be the missing piece and your nervous system might be asking for support.

 The Four Common Stress Responses

You’ve probably heard of fight, flight, freeze, and fawn.
These are not character flaws — they’re biological survival patterns.

• Fight — when your body mobilizes energy to protect or push back

• Flight — when you feel the need to escape or avoid

• Freeze — when you feel shut down or stuck

• Fawn — when you people-please or over-accommodate to stay safe

None of these are “bad.” They’re all brilliant ways your body has tried to keep you safe. The goal isn’t to get rid of them — it’s to help your system learn that it’s safe enough to relax again.

Simple Somatic Practice: Orienting to Safety

Take one minute to do this right now:

1. Pause. Let your eyes slowly look around the space you’re in.

2. Name out loud (or silently) a few neutral or pleasant things you see — colors, textures, light, movement.

3. Notice if your breath softens even slightly.

4. Let your body register, “In this moment, I am safe.”

This simple “orienting” practice helps activate your vagus nerve, the bridge between your body and brain that signals safety.

Over time, these small, consistent practices help your nervous system find its natural balance — which can improve everything from your energy to your immune health.

Optional Audio Practice

Join me as I guide you through this short nervous system reset:
▶︎ Listen to the guided audio by clicking the button at the top of this blog post.

Healing begins when we learn to speak the language of the body — and the nervous system is how the body communicates.

When you learn how to regulate your nervous system, you stop fighting yourself and start coming home to yourself. Somatic yoga helps bridge the gap and establish better communication between your body, emotions, and mind. 

If you feel called to explore this more deeply with me, check out my offerings here.

To our collective healing,

Crystal