For two decades, I struggled to resolve my chronic digestive issues, hormonal imbalances, and episodes of anxiety and depression. Each year, I would embark on a mission to finally find a cure for my challenges by pursuing various tests. Unfortunately, these often led to unproductive conversations with different specialists and no lasting solutions. More often than not, I ended up feeling worse and more exhausted than before.

I dedicated countless hours to researching various interventions, which frequently left me feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities but without any clear direction. I tried numerous herbs, draining my bank account, only to find myself in a worse position than when I started. Ultimately, what transformed my health was a shift in my perspective on health and my body.

Ayurveda philosophy and somatic training helped me gain control over my health by following a diet and lifestyle that suited my specific mind-body type and allowing myself to process stuck emotions in my body.

I've come to realize that health is not a linear journey; it involves noticing the subtle cues our bodies send us. For example, the tingling sensation in my hands or the heaviness I feel when I wake up in the morning points to a blockage of some sort. Many of us are aware of these slight changes in our health, especially when our routines are disrupted or during major life transitions. We often become tired of feeling stuck in a health rut and try to get back on track by adjusting our routines and diets.

However, how can we determine when our physical issues stem from stuck emotions and unresolved trauma? For instance, when I felt overwhelmed at work, my menstrual cycle would become irregular, and my digestive issues would flare up. My mind was clearly more engaged in my physical manifestations, as I could never attain the relief I was seeking.

The more I tried to heal, the worse I felt. I began to change my mindset by observing how my body reacted to negative thoughts about my health and myself. I noticed that my symptoms often intensified when I attempted to push away these negative thoughts. After my first somatic (also known as embodiment or body-based therapy) session, I realized I had not allowed myself to fully grieve the challenges and loneliness that typically come with facing health issues that lack clear solutions. A significant theme emerged: the more I delved into my grief, the more layers I uncovered. With each session, I could feel the weight of grief lifting—whether it stemmed from my failed marriage or the disappointment of not having children when I wanted to. It was all there, waiting for me to acknowledge it and to affirm that it belonged.

I had spent many years in therapy, which helped me work through very intense times in my life, but why wasn’t this enough? It’s because the nervous system doesn’t speak a language. You can’t think your way out a dysregulated nervous system, often holding loads of past traumas and not knowing how to process them.

From a scientific standpoint, we know many bodily processes are affected or inhibited when our nervous system is dysregulated from chronic stress, conditioned thinking, and unprocessed trauma. It gets stuck in certain patterns of being, which can cause improper firing of hormones, decreased immune function, disruption to the digestive process and so, so much more. While we know this, it's hard to know how to regulate and move on. That's where somatic practices come in. We speak to the nervous system through action, movement, allowing, and acceptance of what we find when we go inward.

So, how do we go inward?

As a trained meditator (Transcendental Meditation) for five years now, I’ve witnessed the power of silence and slowing down and just being with the Self. Studies show practicing meditation daily can help bring coherence to hemispheres of the brain, stilling fluctuations of the mind. It greatly helped me to gain clarity in my life. It’s a way to tap into your natural rhythms and your inner knowing by focusing on a mantra, which reduces thoughts. This helped me to gain control over rumination as well as the anxiety and insomnia that comes with rumination. You can learn more at TM.org.

Yoga Nidra is also a fabulous way to reconnect inward and alleviate tension from the day.

A simple, yet profound somatic practice is the practice of following the breadcrumbs. The purpose of this practice is to notice what your body is holding in relation to something challenging you have going on in your life. Follow the steps below and see what comes up for you!

1. What issue/challenge is alive for you right now (i.e. I’m having fear around my performance at work or I want to have a better relationship with my daughter or I’m feeling really overwhelmed in life). There’s no right or wrong question or challenge to bring forth for this exercise—-go with whatever comes up first.

2. Find yourself in a comfortable seated position. Close your eyes or go into a soft gaze, whichever is comfortable for you. If you have someone available, you could ask them to read the next four steps to help you ground into your body better or you can read and then mentally do them independently.

3. Bring the focus of attention down to your feet and notice how your feet feel on the floor. What do you notice (how soft your socks are, the floor cold on your toes, etc)? (10 seconds)

4. Slowly, bring your awareness up your legs and notice how your butt and back are supported by what are you sitting on. What does this feel like? (10 seconds)

5. Begin to bring your attention to your breath, noticing the natural rise and fall (10 seconds)

6. Begin a body scan, starting at the top of the head, work your way down focusing on each body part and noticing what’s there (i.e. tension in neck, tingling in shoulder, burning in stomach, etc.).

7. Next, ask yourself: What is my body holding in relation to… fill this in with your challenge/intention for this session (i.e. What is my body holding in relation to me feeling stuck in a relationship).

8. Be curious about what comes up during your practice. You might experience an image, a color, an emotion, a sensation, or a desire to move. Allow whatever is present to exist without judgment, and simply observe what unfolds. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, open your eyes and reorient yourself to your surroundings. You can also support your inner experience by placing a hand over your heart, as the heart serves as a gateway to your nervous system.

Disclaimer: I’m not a licensed mental health counselor, but I do have over a decade of experience providing integrative rehabilitation services to individuals who suffer from a mental illness, alongside their psychiatrist. This blog discusses responses to everyday stress and is not intended as medical advice for individuals dealing with a mental illness, as many factors need to be considered when managing long-term mental health challenges.