Learning to Speak the Language of the Nervous System: Somatics

Learn how to regulate your nervous system through simple somatic practices like mindful walking, breathwork, and music. Explore signs of dysregulation, why regulation matters, and how to reconnect with yourself by learning the language of your body.

If you’ve been following along, you'll remember that in our last blog we explored how the nervous system is the foundation of our health — the place where safety, connection, and regulation begin.

Today, we’re building on that foundation.

Because once we understand what our nervous system is doing, the next step is learning how to speak its language.

Too often, we try to think our way out of dysregulation — using logic to talk ourselves into calm. But the nervous system doesn’t speak in words; it speaks in sensations. To come back to baseline, we have to feel our way there. Read on to find out how!

Signs You May Be Stuck in Dysregulation

Our nervous systems are designed to protect us, and they do a very good job at this. But, when stress, trauma, or chronic overwhelm goes unprocessed, our system can get “stuck” in survival mode. Which means, we're chronically dysregulated — and don't know any different.

When we’re dysregulated, it’s not always obvious — it can look like anxiety, irritability, or shutdown. It might feel like constant rushing, looping thoughts, or a sense of being detached from yourself. Sometimes, dysregulation hides behind perfectionism, people-pleasing, or the inability to rest without guilt. It can even show up as physical symptoms, like tension, fatigue, headaches, or digestive issues.

You may relate to some of the above, but still not be sure if you're actually stuck in dysregulation, or just experiencing it as a passive state. If you are stuck, here are some typical signs:

You have a hard time falling or staying asleep.
Stillness feels uncomfortable — you always need to be doing.
You rely on substances like caffeine, alcohol, or cannabis to relax or feel present.
Your body feels tense, your chest tight, or your thoughts scattered.

Whatever it looks like for you, regulation begins with awareness — noticing what’s happening in your body without judgment, and then gently choosing to reconnect.

And, it's important to note, that regulation isn’t about being calm all the time — it’s about being able to move through your states fluidly. To feel safe enough to rest, present enough to connect, and grounded enough to respond to life instead of reacting to it.

To get there, we have to learn to communicate with our body in a way it understands. And that is where "somatics" comes in. Soma is the Greek word for body, and somatics is the language of said body.

Why Regulation Matters

When we regulate, we’re not just calming down from an anxious state, or exciting a depressed state— we’re reconnecting to ourselves. We’re giving our bodies a signal of safety.

Regulation brings us back into presence, a state where we can have a lot more agency, autonomy, and awareness governing our thoughts, behaviours, and decisions. There is a lot of power in that.

And this process isn’t about forcing any one state — it’s about re-patterning.

You don't need to gaslight yourself into believing that whatever you're feeling makes no sense, or keep trying to "push through" every moment. Those are just different ways to unfeel. Instead, we need to learn to take some of those moments where we think we should push through, to pause. To feel with curiosity and compassion, versus criticism and comparison.

Learning to feel what our nervous system is communicating to us, and respond in a way that it can understand, makes way for genuine transformation in our lives.

Learning to Speak Somatics

Somatic practices help us reconnect to the wisdom of our bodies — the sensations, rhythms, and signals that tell us where we are and what we need.

By engaging the body directly, we start to reestablish safety and presence.

And the good news? You don’t need fancy tools or hours of practice to begin.

Here are three simple ways to start speaking somatics — through movement, breath, and music.

Why Movement?

Intentional and connected movement offers the opportunity to move out of our heads and into our bodies. When we’re stuck in our heads — which, let’s be honest, is where most of us live these days — we’re not living in the present moment. We’re ruminating on a past mistake, or planning the next ten steps of our day.

In other words, we’re “mentally time-travelling.”

Mental time travel often comes with some level of dysregulation or disconnection from our bodies — and that means we’re missing out on quite a lot. Getting back into the body not only supports our nervous system, but it helps us to experience our lives with more power, clarity, and presence.

We experience whatever and wherever our minds take us — which means, if we want to experience the here and now, we need to actually be here, now.

This walking exercise helps us do exactly that.

Exercise: The 10-Minute Re-Connection Walk

Set a timer for 5 minutes and start it as you leave the house.
Put your phone away — in your pocket or bag.
Pay attention to your surroundings and what your senses are taking in:
- What do you see? A blue sky, grass, buildings?
- What do you feel? The sun, rain, pavement?
- What do you hear? Wind, birds, traffic, voices?
- Do you smell or taste anything?
When the timer goes off, stop it and turn around. Keep your phone tucked away and continue noticing your senses as you walk back.
When you get home, thank yourself — and gently resume your day.

Why breath?

Breath connects all the branches — or states — of our nervous system. And, it’s unique in that it’s one of the only autonomic (automatic) bodily functions that we also have voluntary control over.

Your body automatically breathes to keep you alive — but you can also intentionally change your breath to influence the state of your nervous system.

Picture this: You’re driving and someone suddenly swerves into your lane. In an instant, your heart races, your muscles tense, and your breathing quickens — you didn’t choose that response; your body did.

When we’re upregulated, our breathing picks up, preparing us to fight or flee.
When we’re downregulated, it slows, preparing us to freeze or fawn.

This happens to us, but we can also use it for us. Tools like breathwork give us a huge leg up in regulating the states of our nervous system, in more informed, autonomous ways.

Exercise: The 2-Minute Repatterning Breathwork

A few things before getting started:

Choose a calming sound or chime for your timer.
The first round of breath is quicker: In for 3 seconds, out for 3 seconds.
The second round is slower: In for 4 seconds, out for 6 seconds.
Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth or nose — whatever feels right.
Focus on depth of breath, rather than speed, letting the air move easily to your belly.
Stop if you feel dizzy or unwell — there are many other tools to support your system!

Now, let’s begin:

Set your timer for 1 minute.
When the timer starts, start your first round of breath (3 in / 3 out).
When the timer goes off, restart it and begin your second round of breath (4 in / 6 out).
When finished, stop the timer; your breathwork is done.
Shake out your arms and hands, notice how you feel, and gently continue your day.

Why Music?

Music is like medicine for our nervous systems. The rhythms, tones, and vibrations of sound reach places words can’t — helping us slow our breath, soften our tension, and reconnect with our emotions safely.

Just as movement grounds us in the body, and breath anchors us in the present, music helps us feel — and release what’s been held inside.

Music can soothe us when words fall short, by bypassing the mind to reach the body.

Picture this: You’re sitting in your car and a song comes on that you haven’t heard in years. It stops you mid-thought, and within seconds your shoulders drop, your chest softens, and the words flow through you. Your body remembers.

When we’re upregulated, whether with excitement or anxiety, we tend to crave rhythm — fast beats and energy to match our state.
When we’re downregulated, whether in calmness or shutdown, we seek softness — slow melodies and gentle tones that soothe.

Just like breath, music meets us where we are — but it can also guide us where we want to go.

That’s the power of using music to regulate.

Exercise: The 3-Minute Music Meditation

Pick one of your favourite songs — something you connect to.
*Choose an upbeat, rhythmic song if you want to come up.
*Choose a calm, soothing song if you want to come down.
Put your headphones in, if needed, start the song and place your phone face down.
Close your eyes if it feels safe, and be present with the song — listen to its beat, its instruments, its lyrics (if it has any).
If your body wants to move or make a sound, let it. You might sway, hum, dance, or sing along. Go for it.
If your thoughts wander, just notice and return to the music, gently and without judgment.
When the song ends, take a deep breath, shake back into the moment, thank yourself, and move gently back into your day.

A Gentle Reminder

It’s okay if being present feels hard.

For many of us, stillness can feel unsettling or foreign. These practices are not about doing them “right” — they’re about creating moments of connection, and slowly building safety in your own body.

The more we listen to our nervous system, and the more fluent we become in speaking its language — through breath, movement, and rhythm — the easier it becomes to return home to ourselves.

What's Next?

In our next blog, we’ll explore mindfulness and what it really means to practice non-judgment. Because, when judgment is all we’ve known, it can feel impossible to let go of. But, with time, awareness, and compassion, we can slowly begin to learn another way of being and relating to ourselves

If you’re ready to learn how to regulate your nervous system, reconnect with your body, and explore holistic healing that feels safe and empowering — we’d love to support you.

At The Nourished Collaborative, we offer 1:1 counselling, nutrition therapy, and group programs designed to help you move from survival mode into a deeper sense of calm, connection, and self-trust.

Book a free connect call today to see how we can support your journey — visit www.thenourishedco.com, and follow us on social media (@nourishedcollaborative) for more!