14/05/2026
We often talk about nervous system regulation as something to 'do' - but I believe that it is more accurate to understand it as something the body re-learns through experience.
When we’re in prolonged sympathetic activation, it’s not just that we feel stressed, it becomes harder to shift states at all.
Rest doesn’t always feel accessible. Slowing down doesn’t always register as safe. Even when life looks calm on the outside, the internal system can still feel 'on'. This is what people often describe as feeling wired.
In my classes, I see this often.
People arrive and find it difficult to focus.
In restorative yoga, it can feel surprisingly hard to actually rest the body. In meditation, when things become still, the mind can feel louder, not quieter.
And then there are other times - where something shifts.
The same practice, the same space, but the nervous system begins to downshift, and you really feel it. People often comment afterwards; "I didn’t realise how much I needed that.”
We are not trying to force calm - we are trying to create enough safety for the body to re-learn what it feels like to not be in activation.
Once we have experienced what it feels like to not be in a constant state of activation, something becomes clearer.
We begin to notice what actually supports regulation in daily life.
Practices like restorative yoga, breathwork, or Ashtanga Yoga really help in this but also time outside, walks in the park, being in nature, how we pace our days, what we consume, our relationships etc.
Often it starts with a simple reflection - "I didn’t realise how long I’ve been holding myself in this state.”