Feel like you didn't have a release in your somatic exercise course!?
Read this! ⬇️
Not having the release you so badly craved (and deserved!) while committing yourself to somatic exercises can feel frustrating, confusing, and discouraging.
But rest assured that you're absolutely not alone.
The sweet spot of experiencing a release generally occurs between week three and week four of consistently doing your somatic exercises. However, it's also completely normal for people toexperience a release in as little as three days of doing somatic exercisesand even up tothree months of doing somatic exercises.
So if you're someone who hasn't experienced the release yet, and you've finished the entirety of your course, know that you're not doing anything wrong.Our nervous systems are designed to protect us. So it could be the case that yours needs to build more safety in order to let go and release trauma.💖
However, it's also important to know that there areexternal factors that can actually block a release — and this could be why you haven't experienced a release as well!
So before we fill you in on your next steps to have a release, here are a few things that can block a release (and what you definitely want to avoid doing before you try to experience your release):
1. Not being consistent with the course. 🗓
These courses are meant to be followed in the way that they're laid out, which means being as consistent as possible!Trauma release doesnot happen overnight (as you know if you're reading this!!), and your body needs to go through a very particular somatic healing process in order to have a release. This is why consistency is so critical!
If you happen to miss a day or two (or even up to three days), you'll want to repeat the first video and then you can pick up where you left off.
However, if you miss more than 4 days in a row, you'll want to start the course over again from the beginning.
Butdoing all 30 days in a rowis what's optimal!
2. Doing high intensity workouts while doing the course. 🏋️♀️
If you're doing a somatic exercise course while also doing high intensity workouts (running, weight lifting, cardio, etc.), it's going to be much harder to have a release.
This is because high intensity workouts put your body in a biological stress response, which immediately raises your cortisol. So even thoughhigh intensity workoutscan be good for your health, when you're trying to release your trauma andlower your cortisol levels, you'll want to avoid these specific workouts altogether.
While completing your course, you can do low intensity workouts like walking, swimming, light weight lifting, pilates, and seated cycling.
3. Immediately doingstrenuous activity after your daily somatics. 📦
Allow your body to rest and recover after you've done your daily somatic exercises. Doing any strenuous activity for the first 15 minutes after you've done your exercises will put your body back in a stress response and will effectively reverse what those exercises just did for your healing journey!
4. Being uncomfortable while doing the exercises. 👖
It's critical to make sure you're allowing yourself to be the most comfortable you can be when releasing trauma. While other workouts and exercises will tell you to "push yourself", do the opposite when doing these exercises. You'll want to carry out these movements in the laziest, least ambitious way possible. So try doing the exercises in bed, while wearing loose clothing, and in a spacewhere you're able to relax and find peace. (So if you have kids running around, you might want to wait untilthey're in bed to do your daily somatics!!)
5. Thinking about having the release *too* much. 💭
We know this one's hard!!! But thinking *too* much about having the release is going to make it harder to actually have the release!
If you're too focused onhaving a release then you're not allowing your brain to actually settle down and find any sort of peace and calm that it needs to have said release. So even though this one is easier said than done, try to release your mind first.
6. Doing the exercises while you have a major stressor in your life. 😓
It's hard to quantify what a 'major stressor' entails but we suggest avoiding anything that's out of the ordinary when completing your course — this could include something like a big move or starting a new job.
While you're releasing trauma, you're regulating your nervous system (which also regulates your cortisol levels). Anything that keeps your cortisol levels high (like a big stressor in your life) will make trauma release increasingly harder. If you have a major stressor in your life right now, simply take a break and return to the course after that stressor has passed.
7. Using the exercises as the only aspect of your healing and trauma release journey. 🛁
While we know these somatic exercises will lead you on your healing and trauma release journey, we also know that you need to fully commit to this journey in order to be successful. So doing a course can't be theonly thing you're doing in order to feel that release.
While doing your course, make sure you're also able to make changes in your life that decreases stress and increases overall wellness and healing. This provides you the best path and environment possible to experience a release in.
Once you take all of this into consideration, here are your next options for actually experiencing the release that you DESERVE!
1.Start by repeating these days from your course in order.
- Full Body Relaxation (Day 2)
- Trauma Release(Day 18)
- Release Your Jaw Tension (Day 19-20)
- Psoas Release & Integration (Day 21-22)
- Emotional Release (Day 22-23)
- Trauma Release Round 2 (Day 24-25)
2. Then dothis 20-minute full body relaxation video for 4 days in a row.
This full-body relaxation video will further push your nervous system to feel safe enough to have a trauma release. Make sure you're following all the tips above while doing these 4 days.
3. If your body still hasn't had a release, your nervous system might be one that takes a bit longer to feel safe. If that's the case, you can do one of two things — but that will depend on if your body is either in fight or flight mode or if it's in freeze mode.
If you followed all the recommended guidelines and still didn't have a release in your 30-day course (plus the additional recommended videos above), then it could be very possible that your nervous system is actually infreeze mode rather than fight or flight mode.
If your body is actually in freeze mode, rather than just having a release in your hips (which is where the cortisol release will come from), you'll want a release from your dorsal vagal nerve.
Your dorsal vagal nerve runs all the way from the brain stem to the base of the pelvis, which means you'll need to do somatic exercises for your jaw and shoulders as well!
If you're not sure if you're in fight or flight mode vs freeze mode, you can take our quizand find out!!
Once you know which state your nervous system is currently in, then you have two options!
Fight or Flight Mode: You should start your hips course from the beginning (while making sure to take into account all of the tips mentioned above!).
Freeze Mode: You'll want to elevate your somatic exercise experience to the Full Body Release Bundleso you can getout of freeze mode and experience a full-body release rather than just a hip release.
(use code 'upgradetobundle' at checkout for discounted access!)
We hope this helps in your healing journey. 💖
