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Explore Shop →Your body has been talking all along. Here's how to start listening.
Seven somatic exercises you can do at home, in a few minutes, with no equipment. Plus an honest guide to when self-practice is enough, and when it isn't.
A lot of people searching for somatic therapy are really looking for a way to feel at home in their body again. Some of that work belongs with a therapist. A lot of it you can start yourself, tonight, on the lounge room floor.
Somatic exercises are practices that work with your nervous system through the body: breath, sensation, movement and attention. Instead of thinking your way calmer, you notice what's happening in your body and work with it directly. Most take a few minutes and need no equipment.
Here's why that matters. Most of the traffic between your body and your brain runs upward. Your heart, lungs and gut are constantly reporting in, and your brain builds your mood partly from those reports. That's why you can't always talk yourself out of a stressed state. The signal is coming from below. Somatic exercises change the signal.
Think of them the way you'd think of HeartMath or mindfulness: a skill you practise, not a treatment you receive. Somatic therapy is something different, and I'll be clear further down about when you need it.
Go slow. A few minutes is plenty. You're building trust with your body, and trust builds in small doses.
Stay inside your window. If an exercise starts to feel like too much, stop, open your eyes, feel your feet on the floor. Coming back is part of the practice, not a failure of it. If the idea of a window is new to you, Window of Tolerance explains it.
Notice, don't judge. Some days you'll feel a lot. Some days you'll feel almost nothing. Both are information.
Start with the first one for a week. Then add whichever of the others fits the moment you're in. Each takes between one and five minutes.
Best for: building the habit. Stop and ask three questions. Where's my breath: high or low, fast or slow, held? What's my body doing: jaw, shoulders, hands? What's the temperature of this moment: heat, heaviness, buzzing, numbness? Name it in a few words. "Tight chest, fast breath, shoulders up." Don't change anything yet. Naming it is the exercise.
Best for: when you're wound up. Put your attention on the area around your heart. Breathe in for about four, out for about six, and feel the breath rather than counting it perfectly. Two minutes. A longer exhale is one of the quickest ways to tell your nervous system it's safe to slow down.
Best for: when your head is running ahead of you. Stand or sit with your feet flat. Press them gently into the floor. Notice the pressure, the temperature, the texture of the ground. Rock slightly forward and back. When your attention wanders back up into your head, bring it down to your feet again.
Best for: anxiety, and coming back when you feel far away. Let your eyes move slowly around the room, without hurrying. Let them land on things that are pleasant or interesting. Name five things you can see and three you can hear. Your nervous system is built to scan for danger. Orienting lets it confirm, through your senses, that right now you're okay.
Best for: stress that has nowhere to go. Stand up and shake your hands, then your arms, then your legs, loosely, for a minute or two. Let it be a bit silly. Animals often shake after a scare. Whether we release anything in the same way is still debated, but plenty of people find a minute of shaking brings them back into their body fast.
Best for: when you feel shaky or alone with something. Put one hand on your chest and one on your belly, or wrap your arms around yourself. Feel the warmth and the weight. Breathe slowly into your hands. It sounds small. Your body reads touch as a signal of safety, even when the hands are your own.
Best for: going deeper. Think of something that's been on your mind, then ask, "How does this whole thing feel in my body right now?" Wait. Don't analyse. Let a word or image come if it wants to. Philosopher and psychologist Eugene Gendlin called this the felt sense, and it's the doorway into the identity work underneath.
Match the exercise to the state you're in. That's the bit most lists leave out.
If you're wired: racing thoughts, tight chest, can't sit still. Reach for the long exhale, shaking it out, or grounding through your feet. You're helping your body come down.
If you're flat: foggy, numb, far away. Reach for orienting, gentle movement, or self-holding. You're helping your body come back online, and slowing down further usually won't help.
For more ways to come back into balance, see Nervous System Reset Techniques. And if you'd rather be guided than read, the free Reset Your Nervous System meditation walks you through it.
"Your body isn't the problem you're trying to manage. It's the messenger you stopped listening to. These exercises are how you start the conversation again."
Self-practice is powerful. It also has limits, and I'd rather you know them up front.
Please work with a trauma-informed psychologist or counsellor, rather than on your own, if you notice any of these: flashbacks or memories that feel like they're happening now; long stretches of numbness, or feeling detached from your body or your surroundings; panic attacks; overwhelm that doesn't settle within a few minutes of stopping; or exercises that consistently leave you feeling worse, not better. A history of significant trauma is a reason to have support alongside you from the start. Your GP is a good first step.
What I offer is somatic practice and coaching, not therapy. I'm a HeartMath Certified Trainer & Coach, ACT Coach and IMMA Accredited Mindfulness Trainer. Blue Knot Foundation supports adults affected by complex trauma on 1300 657 380. If you're in crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency.
These exercises help you feel steadier in your body. That's the floor. But if the same situations keep knocking you off balance, there's usually a story underneath: an I Am statement your body has been bracing around for years.
Every one of those stories has a body signature, and The Body Keeps the Score: Key Ideas explains why insight alone rarely shifts it. The Self Blueprint is where the body work and the identity work come together.
Not sure where to start? The free Stage Assessment takes four minutes and shows you which of the eight stages to begin with.
What somatic actually means, and how your body and brain talk to each other.
Key ideas from the book in plain language, and what to do next.
The zone where you can think clearly under pressure, and how to widen it.
Practical ways to come back into balance when you've tipped out.
What are somatic exercises? Somatic exercises are practices that work with your nervous system through the body: breath, sensation, movement and attention. Instead of thinking your way calmer, you notice what's happening in your body and work with it directly. Most take a few minutes and need no equipment.
Do somatic exercises actually work? Some of the building blocks have good evidence. Slow breathing measurably shifts heart rate variability, and noticing body sensations (interoception) is linked with better emotional regulation. Research on specific somatic methods is still growing and mixed in quality. Treat them as practices to test for yourself, not as cures.
Can I do somatic exercises at home? Yes. Gentle practices like breathing, grounding, orienting and body scans are well suited to home practice. Start with a few minutes a day. If an exercise brings up flashbacks, panic or numbness, stop and work with a trauma-informed therapist instead.
Are somatic exercises good for anxiety? They can help many people with everyday anxiety, because anxiety lives in the body as much as the mind. Slow breathing with a longer exhale and orienting to your surroundings are good places to start. They are not a treatment for an anxiety disorder, so talk to your GP if anxiety is affecting your daily life.
What is somatic breathing? Somatic breathing means breathing with your attention on how the breath feels in your body, rather than counting or forcing it. A common form is slowing down and lengthening the exhale, which helps signal to your nervous system that it's safe to settle.
How often should I do somatic exercises? A few minutes once or twice a day beats a long session once a week. The real gains come from practising when you're calm, so the skill is there when you need it.
What's the difference between somatic exercises and somatic therapy? Somatic exercises are self-practice you can do on your own. Somatic therapy is clinical treatment from a trained therapist, often for trauma. Living with Intention offers somatic practice and coaching, not therapy.
Take the free 4-minute Stage Assessment to see where you are across the eight stages of the Self Blueprint, and where to actually start.