If you feel on edge, anxious, or like you can’t slow down, your nervous system may be in a state of hypervigilance. A supportive way to tend to your nervous system is through mindful movement, and today explores yoga for hypervigilance to calm an overactive nervous system.
Hypervigilance is when your nervous system remains in a state of high alert, constantly scanning for danger even when you’re physically safe. If you feel restless, easily startled, tense in your body, or like you can never fully relax, this is your nervous system trying to protect you. While it may feel like something is wrong, this is just a response within your body, and you can signal inner safety with supportive practices.
This class explores gentle grounding, slow movement to release trapped energy, and restful poses that signal safety to your nervous system. We’ll end with a few moments of grounding to close the practice and help you feel more calm and settled in your body and mind.
If you’d like to explore a gentle class that honors your sensitive nervous system and supports hypervigilance with slow, intentional movement, I welcome you to learn more about this class.
What is Hypervigilance?
Hypervigilance is a common response to trauma, especially for sexual trauma survivors. When we experience trauma, our nervous system learns to stay on high alert to keep us safe. Over time, we may remain in this state, leaving us always feeling on edge, anxious, or like we can’t fully relax (even if we know that we’re safe.)
Signs of hypervigilance can include feeling easily startled, difficulty sleeping, being on high alert for danger, chronic tension in your body, restlessness, or feeling like productivity is safer than rest.
Gentle, trauma-informed movement is one of the most supportive ways to begin calming an overactive nervous system. This class honors these feelings, giving you gentle movement to release this active energy then moments of rest to signal regulation.
What to Expect in This Practice
This is a trauma-informed yoga practice, which means everything I offer is optional and an invitation. You’re always welcome to move at your own pace, pause, rest, or skip anything that doesn’t feel right for your body, nervous system, or energy levels.
This class is supportive for all experience levels and stays low to the ground with no standing postures. There are no props are required for this class. If you crave fidgeting during any part of this practice, that is completely welcome.
We’ll explore:
- Seated Grounding and Body Taps (0:30) We’ll begin seated, arriving in your body and your space. We’ll start with gentle grounding to shift your awareness into the present moment. If self touch feels comfortable, we’ll explore gentle body taps to ground into your body and begin calming your nervous system.
- Gentle Movement to Release Hypervigilance (7:00) Hypervigilance is best supported with gentle movement before rest. Jumping straight into stillness when your nervous system is activated can feel frustrating instead of calming. We’ll explore gentle seated movements to release trapped energy and restlessness from your body before exploring more restful poses.
- Poses for Nervous System Support (12:00) We’ll move into restful poses like seated forward fold, child’s pose, crocodile pose, and supine butterfly to signal safety to your nervous system. Each pose provides time and space for your body to be held and supported.
- Grounding and Closing (21:20) We’ll close with a few more moments to grounding to settle into your body and the present moment before ending.
Who This Class Is For
This class may be supportive if you:
- Feel on edge, anxious, or like you can’t fully relax
- Feel restlessness
- Have chronic tension
- Are a trauma survivor with a sensitive or overactive nervous system
- Would like to honor hypervigilance instead of pushing through it
- Prefer slow, low-to-the-ground classes with no standing postures
Trauma Informed Yoga for Hypervigilance to Calm an Overactive Nervous System (Free Class)
Calming hypervigilance is not about making your nervous system to relax, but about meeting yourself where you are, honoring the messages from your body, then giving yourself gentle support. Even noticing how you’re feeling is enough for your body to begin feeling seen and supported.
No props are required for this class and this is supportive for all experience levels. There are no standing postures in this practice.
If you’d like to tend to your nervous system, release restless energy from your body, and explore gentle movement that honors hypervigilance, I welcome you to join me below!
This class is also available inside the Embody and Bloom membership, where you’ll find a growing library of trauma-informed yoga, somatic healing, and nervous system support for sexual trauma healing.
