Slow Down and Calm Down: A 5-Minute Somatic Practice to Soothe Your Nervous System

When the world feels jarring or scary or out of control, the weight of it is carried by our nervous systems, hearts, and bodies. I think a lot of us are feeling that right now. The constant stream of hard things, the ongoing uncertainty, and the sense of having to stay alert all the time can make it hard to feel settled or safe, even when we’re doing our best to take care of ourselves. In this episode of Somatic Healing Meditations, I guide you through a gentle, body-centered meditation for inner safety and support, inviting you to slow down, turn inward, and listen to what’s actually happening in your nervous system and body … so you can respond to yourself with care rather than pushing through. This practice is a way of staying with yourself when things are truly hard. Of coming back into your body when everything feels overwhelming. Of noticing where you’re holding, where you’re tired, where something inside you is asking to be met, and choosing not to turn away from those places. When we listen inward like this, we begin to create real inner safety. We begin building a relationship with ourselves that can hold us through difficult times. You deserve real support, especially when life feels unsteady. This meditation is a way of offering yourself that support from the inside out. This episode is lovingly dedicated to the memory of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. In this episode: Why So Many of Us Are Exhausted Right Now Meditation for Inner Safety and Support Related: More Self-Compassion Exercises Ready to find your center, quiet your mind, and step off the roller coaster of stress and overwhelm? You’re invited to join me in Somatic Healing Hub! SHH is a beautiful, deeply supportive online community filled with the structure, support, and somatic practices to help you actually feel better in your body - and create real change in your life. Inside, you’ll get ad-free access to the Somatic Healing Meditations podcast! Each week, I guide multiple live somatic healing classes - calming, grounded practices to regulate your nervous system and reconnect with your inner world. There’s also monthly group coaching with me, heart-centered workshops, and an extensive library of powerful body-based resources to support your healing journey. Your nervous system. Your emotions. Your healing — lovingly supported. Learn more and enroll now! Connect with Karena: @helloinnerlight on Instagram, and YouTube Find ALL of the amazing Somatic Healing Meditations here Submit a question for the podcast: Your Healing, Your Questions Free mini-course: The Feel it to Heal it Mini-Course Get AD-FREE access to this podcast, plus live classes, workshops, and group coaching in Somatic Healing Hub Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There’s something deeply relieving about having a five-minute practice that can actually help your nervous system calm down. This short episode was created for those moments when your system feels a little keyed up, a little stressed, or just in need of a grounding pause. In this gentle somatic practice, you’ll be guided through soothing touch, slow, settling breathing, and simple somatic awareness. These are all very direct ways of giving your nervous system signals of safety and support, so it can begin to soften and come out of high alert. If you’ve been wanting something that’s truly small, truly doable, and still genuinely supportive, this five-minute practice is a beautiful place to begin. Press play and let your nervous system slow down and settle. Related: More Short Somatic Practices for Nervous System Regulation Learn more about Havening Techniques and the science behind them Havening Techniques is a registered trademark of Ronald Ruden, 15 East 91st Street, New York. www.havening.org Ready to find your center, quiet your mind, and step off the roller coaster of stress and overwhelm? You’re invited to join me in Somatic Healing Hub! SHH is a beautiful, deeply supportive online community filled with the structure, support, and somatic practices to help you actually feel better in your body - and create real change in your life. Inside, you’ll get ad-free access to the Somatic Healing Meditations podcast! Each week, I guide multiple live somatic healing classes - calming, grounded practices to regulate your nervous system and reconnect with your inner world. There’s also monthly group coaching with me, heart-centered workshops, and an extensive library of powerful body-based resources to support your healing journey. Your nervous system. Your emotions. Your healing — lovingly supported. Learn more and enroll now! Connect with Karena: @helloinnerlight on Instagram, and YouTube Find ALL of the amazing Somatic Healing Meditations here Submit a question for the podcast: Your Healing, Your Questions Free mini-course: The Feel it to Heal it Mini-Course Get AD-FREE access to this podcast, plus live classes, workshops, and group coaching in Somatic Healing Hub Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

So many of us have tried to “fix” our inner dialogue by replacing thoughts or forcing ourselves to be more positive. But when the inner voice is critical or relentless, it’s usually because something inside is hurting or under strain. The words are just the part we hear … but the tone and feeling state come from much deeper places within. In this episode of Somatic Healing Meditations, I guide you through a gentle somatic meditation that helps you turn toward the feelings underneath your inner dialogue. You’ll be invited to bring compassionate awareness to the sensations and emotions in your body, and to begin meeting the parts within that need support and understanding. When these deeper feelings are seen and cared for, the inner world often begins to soften on its own. Your inner voice changes when your inner world is cared for. If you’re ready for your inner dialogue to feel a little less harsh and a little more supportive, come listen now. In this episode Befriend your inner voice instead of fighting it Somatic Meditation to Soften Your Inner Dialogue Read more about the somatic approach to quieting your inner voice Related: More Somatic Emotional Processing Meditations Ready to find your center, quiet your mind, and step off the roller coaster of stress and overwhelm? You’re invited to join me in Somatic Healing Hub! SHH is a beautiful, deeply supportive online community filled with the structure, support, and somatic practices to help you actually feel better in your body - and create real change in your life. Inside, you’ll get ad-free access to the Somatic Healing Meditations podcast! Each week, I guide multiple live somatic healing classes - calming, grounded practices to regulate your nervous system and reconnect with your inner world. There’s also monthly group coaching with me, heart-centered workshops, and an extensive library of powerful body-based resources to support your healing journey. Your nervous system. Your emotions. Your healing — lovingly supported. Learn more and enroll now! Connect with Karena: @helloinnerlight on Instagram, and YouTube Find ALL of the amazing Somatic Healing Meditations here Submit a question for the podcast: Your Healing, Your Questions Free mini-course: The Feel it to Heal it Mini-Course Get AD-FREE access to this podcast, plus live classes, workshops, and group coaching in Somatic Healing Hub Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

What if the reason your healing feels stuck isn’t that you’re doing it wrong… but that your system doesn’t yet feel safe enough to really feel? So many of us don’t just have emotions, we have feelings about our feelings. We might be afraid of our shame, ashamed of our fear, or judge ourselves as weak for feeling anxious or angry. Over time, this ties our inner world in knots and creates tension, self-judgment, and a quiet fear of our own emotions. Instead of our emotions moving through us and releasing, they get held at a distance. We don’t feel them deeply enough to truly heal. In this somatic meditation, you’ll gently cultivate cues of safety in your body and practice meeting your feelings in a grounded, supported way, so your system can learn emotional safety and emotions can finally move, complete, and resolve. Press play now and begin meeting your feelings with more safety and support. In this episode: Why emotional safety is the foundation of healing Somatic Meditation to Create Emotional Safety in Your Body Read more about the somatic approach to emotional safety Related: More Somatic Emotional Processing Meditations Learn more about Havening Techniques and the science behind them Havening Techniques is a registered trademark of Ronald Ruden, 15 East 91st Street, New York. www.havening.org Last chance to enroll! Enrollment is closing for Rooted + Resilient, my six-month small-group program for deep somatic healing. If you’ve spent years trying to change your patterns through mindset work or therapy but still feel stuck in the same emotional loops, this is the space where things finally shift. Rooted + Resilient is the best way to work with me because we go to the level that truly matters: the subconscious and somatic roots that shape everything you feel, fear, and believe. As those layers dissolve, you naturally begin to move through life with more confidence, ease, and inner steadiness. If you’re longing for real change, the kind that your body can actually feel, I’d love for you to join me: https://learn.helloinnerlight.com/GrQ1265 Connect with Karena: @helloinnerlight on Instagram, and YouTube Find ALL of the amazing Somatic Healing Meditations here Submit a question for the podcast: Your Healing, Your Questions Free mini-course: The Feel it to Heal it Mini-Course ENROLLING NOW! Rooted + Resilient 6 month program Get AD-FREE access to this podcast, plus live classes, workshops, and group coaching in Somatic Healing Hub Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s a really common (albeit frustrating!) thing to find yourself stuck in the same old patterns, even when you’re deeply aware of them and genuinely want to respond differently. In this episode of Somatic Healing Meditations, we explore why these patterns exist in the first place and why they’re not signs that something is wrong with you. From a somatic healing perspective, many of our most stubborn old patterns formed as self-protective responses long ago and are held in the body and subconscious, which is why insight alone doesn’t always lead to change. This compassionate, body-based meditation is designed to help you slow down and meet a part of you that’s been carrying an old pattern. You’ll be guided to connect with the deeper roots of this pattern that have been held beneath the surface, creating the conditions for those responses to begin to loosen. If you’ve been cycling through the same emotional reactions and wondering why they haven’t shifted yet, this practice offers a grounded, supportive way to start releasing old patterns from the inside out. Set aside a few quiet minutes, get comfortable, and join me for this somatic meditation to understand and begin to release old patterns. In this episode: You Make Sense: Understanding the Roots of Your Old Patterns Somatic Meditation to Understand & Release Old Patterns (using Regenerating Images in Memory) Related: Try more somatic emotional processing meditations! Read more about breaking your old patterns here Last chance to enroll! Enrollment is closing for Rooted + Resilient, my six-month small-group program for deep somatic healing. If you’ve spent years trying to change your patterns through mindset work or therapy but still feel stuck in the same emotional loops, this is the space where things finally shift. Rooted + Resilient is the best way to work with me because we go to the level that truly matters: the subconscious and somatic roots that shape everything you feel, fear, and believe. As those layers dissolve, you naturally begin to move through life with more confidence, ease, and inner steadiness. If you’re longing for real change, the kind that your body can actually feel, I’d love for you to join me: https://learn.helloinnerlight.com/GrQ1265 Connect with Karena: @helloinnerlight on Instagram, and YouTube Find ALL of the amazing Somatic Healing Meditations here Submit a question for the podcast: Your Healing, Your Questions Free mini-course: The Feel it to Heal it Mini-Course ENROLLING NOW! Rooted + Resilient 6 month program Get AD-FREE access to this podcast, plus live classes, workshops, and group coaching in Somatic Healing Hub Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If holiday stress and triggers are leaving you feeling tense, reactive, or emotionally worn down, this episode is here to support you. This time of year has a way of activating old patterns in the body and psyche, especially around family, belonging, and unmet needs. Even when we understand ourselves deeply, the holidays can still be a tender and challenging time. This episode of Somatic Healing Meditations is a somatic meditation for relief and healing when you’re triggered. It’s an embodied invitation to meet yourself with compassion right where you are, offering insight, grounding, and a chance to soften instead of pushing through. Using gentle somatic awareness and Havening Techniques, this practice helps your system feel safer and more supported, bringing warmth and care to the parts of you that are hurting. Press play to give your body a break from holiday stress and meet your triggers with compassion instead of self-judgment. In this episode: Meeting Holiday Triggers with Compassion Somatic Meditation for Relief and Healing How to Do Self-Havening Soothing Your Nervous System Getting a Felt Sense of Your Trigger Meeting Your Trigger with Compassion and Deep Understanding Learn more about Havening Techniques and the science behind them Related: More Somatic Emotional Processing Meditations Learn more about a somatic healing approach to holiday triggers here Havening Techniques is a registered trademark of Ronald Ruden, 15 East 91st Street, New York. www.havening.org FREE TRAINING: The Secret Wisdom of Your Triggers Join me for a powerful 75-minute free training where I’ll teach you a new, compassionate paradigm of emotional healing - one that helps you begin to understand your triggers in a deeper, more integrated way. You’ll learn how your triggers are connected to the subconscious mind, gain insight into the emotional patterns that shape your life, and explore the three biggest mistakes that keep so many of us stuck and spinning. Watch now: https://helloinnerlight.com/tswoyt Somatic Healing Hub gift certificates are now available for the holiday season! Somatic Healing Hub is a beautiful and deeply supportive online community with the structure, support, and somatic practices people need to feel better in their bodies and begin creating real change in their lives. It’s designed to help people regulate their nervous system, release built-up stress, and create a sense of peace from within. Many members describe feeling more grounded, less overwhelmed, and able to move through their days with greater ease. When someone you care about is stressed or carrying more than they let on, the most generous gift you can give is something that helps soothe their stress and nourish their nervous system. https://helloinnerlight.com/gift Connect with Karena: @helloinnerlight on Instagram, and YouTube Find ALL of the amazing Somatic Healing Meditations here Submit a question for the podcast: Your Healing, Your Questions Free mini-course: The Feel it to Heal it Mini-Course ENROLLING NOW! Rooted + Resilient 6-month program Get AD-FREE access to this podcast, plus live classes, workshops, and group coaching in Somatic Healing Hub Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you’ve ever tried to “change your mindset,” only to find yourself stuck in the same patterns over and over again, this episode of Somatic Healing Meditations will help you understand why. The truth is, your thoughts aren’t the problem … they’re symptoms of deeper layers living in your body and nervous system. In this episode, you’ll learn why mindset work alone often falls flat, and how nervous system state, unprocessed emotions, and old conditioning shape your thoughts and mindset long before you’re aware of them. When you begin to work with the body instead of fighting with your thoughts, everything starts to make more sense. I’ll also guide you through a somatic meditation that helps you explore the roots of a mindset issue you’ve been struggling with. Through nervous system regulation and a gentle somatic emotional healing process, you’ll be guided to connect with the deeper emotional and subconscious material underneath the pattern. If you’re tired of trying to think your way into feeling better, this practice offers a compassionate, body-centered path toward real change. Episode timing: The Fallacy of "Changing Your Mindset" Somatic Meditation for Real Change (using Regenerating Images in Memory) Related: Try more somatic emotional processing meditations! Exciting Announcement! Applications are now open for Rooted + Resilient, my six-month small-group program for deep somatic healing. If you’ve spent years trying to change your patterns through mindset work or therapy but still feel stuck in the same emotional loops, this is the space where things finally shift. Rooted + Resilient is the best way to work with me because we go to the level that truly matters: the subconscious and somatic roots that shape everything you feel, fear, and believe. As those layers dissolve, you naturally begin to move through life with more confidence, ease, and inner steadiness. If you’re longing for real change, the kind that your body can actually feel, I’d love for you to apply: https://learn.helloinnerlight.com/GrQ1265 Connect with Karena: @helloinnerlight on Instagram and YouTube Find ALL of the amazing Somatic Healing Meditations here Submit a question for the podcast: Your Healing, Your Questions Free mini-course: The Feel it to Heal it Mini-Course ENROLLING NOW! Rooted + Resilient 6-month program Get AD-FREE access to this podcast, plus live classes, workshops, and group coaching in Somatic Healing Hub Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today’s meditation is a simple and soothing invitation to relax into your heart and calm your nervous system. In this gentle heart-centered breathing practice, you’ll be guided to slow down, to soften, and to reconnect with the steady, compassionate presence of your own heart in a deeply calming way. It’s a lovely, body-centered way to drop out of your head and shift your nervous system state. If you’re craving a moment of grounding or a gentle way to soften and reconnect, this practice can help your whole system settle. Perfect for: nervous system calm, reconnecting with your body, heart coherence, heart-centered breathing, and somatic breathwork. In this episode: Why Connecting With Your Heart is So Calming Heart-Centered Breathing Practice for Nervous System Calm Related: More Deep Relaxation Meditations Somatic Healing Hub gift certificates are now available for the holiday season! Somatic Healing Hub is a beautiful and deeply supportive online community with the structure, support, and somatic practices people need to feel better in their bodies and begin creating real change in their lives. It’s designed to help people regulate their nervous system, release built-up stress, and create a sense of peace from within. Many members describe feeling more grounded, less overwhelmed, and able to move through their days with greater ease. When someone you care about is stressed or carrying more than they let on, the most generous gift you can give is something that helps soothe their stress and nourish their nervous system. https://helloinnerlight.com/gift Connect with Karena: @helloinnerlight on Instagram, and YouTube Find ALL of the amazing Somatic Healing Meditations here Submit a question for the podcast: Your Healing, Your Questions Free mini-course: The Feel it to Heal it Mini-Course ENROLLING NOW! Rooted + Resilient 6 month program Get AD-FREE access to this podcast, plus live classes, workshops, and group coaching in Somatic Healing Hub Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

There’s something really healing about slowing down enough to feel your body again. This week’s love and gratitude body scan meditation offers a gentle way to soothe your nervous system and reconnect with yourself in a warm, comforting way. In this episode of Somatic Healing Meditations, you'll be guided to bring gentle awareness to each part of the body, bringing in feelings of love and gratitude that help everything soften. These warm emotional states create subtle cues of safety, helping your tension to let go and encouraging your whole body to relax. This practice gives you a quiet place to let love and gratitude settle into your body in a way that feels real and nourishing. It’s also a wonderful way to unwind before bed, offering the kind of gentle support that helps you drift into deep, restful sleep. Perfect for: nervous system regulation, grounding before sleep, easing tension, reconnecting with your body, deep sleep meditation, and deepening interoception Episode timing: 00:00 - Why Body Scan Meditations Support Healing 04:51 - Love and Gratitude Body Scan Meditation Related: Deep Relaxation Meditations More Somatic Sleep Meditations Somatic Healing Hub gift certificates are now available for the holiday season! Somatic Healing Hub is a beautiful and deeply supportive online community with the structure, support, and somatic practices people need to feel better in their bodies and begin creating real change in their lives. It’s designed to help people regulate their nervous system, release built-up stress, and create a sense of peace from within. Many members describe feeling more grounded, less overwhelmed, and able to move through their days with greater ease. When someone you care about is stressed or carrying more than they let on, the most generous gift you can give is something that helps soothe their stress and nourish their nervous system. https://helloinnerlight.com/gift Connect with Karena: @helloinnerlight on Instagram, and YouTube Find ALL of the amazing Somatic Healing Meditations here Submit a question for the podcast: Your Healing, Your Questions Free mini-course: The Feel it to Heal it Mini-Course ENROLLING NOW! Rooted + Resilient 6-month program Get AD-FREE access to this podcast, plus live classes, workshops, and group coaching in Somatic Healing Hub Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stress settles into the body in ways we feel but rarely know how to release. When you’re overwhelmed or stretched thin, you deserve tools that bring real relief. This guided somatic meditation offers a gentle, body-centered way to de-stress your nervous system and feel more relaxed again. In this episode of Somatic Healing Meditations, we use self-havening, a touch-based somatic practice shown to calm the parts of the brain that activate during stress. This gentle touch supports your body in shifting out of high alert, which can help you regulate your nervous system and unwind the stress you’ve been carrying. This practice can help your system soften, settle your thoughts, and reconnect you with your inner world in a kinder way. It’s especially helpful when you’re overwhelmed, overstimulated, or longing for a moment to feel safe inside your own body again. Take this time to slow down, listen inward, and let your system unwind at a pace that feels right for you. In this episode: How Self-Havening De-Stresses Your Nervous System Guided Somatic Meditation to De-Stress Your Nervous System Related: somatic meditations to regulate your nervous system Read more about somatic ways to de-stress Learn more about Havening Techniques and the science behind them Havening Techniques is a registered trademark of Ronald Ruden, 15 East 91st Street, New York. www.havening.org Somatic Healing Hub gift certificates are now available for the holiday season! Somatic Healing Hub is a beautiful and deeply supportive online community with the structure, support, and somatic practices people need to feel better in their bodies and begin creating real change in their lives. It’s designed to help people regulate their nervous system, release built-up stress, and create a sense of peace from within. Many members describe feeling more grounded, less overwhelmed, and able to move through their days with greater ease. When someone you care about is stressed or carrying more than they let on, the most generous gift you can give is something that helps soothe their stress and nourish their nervous system. https://helloinnerlight.com/gift https://helloinnerlight.com/somatic-healing-hub Connect with Karena: @helloinnerlight on Instagram, and YouTube Find ALL of the amazing Somatic Healing Meditations here Submit a question for the podcast: Your Healing, Your Questions Free mini-course: The Feel it to Heal it Mini-Course ENROLLING NOW! Rooted + Resilient 6 month program Get AD-FREE access to this podcast, plus live classes, workshops, and group coaching in Somatic Healing Hub Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.