News — somatic exercise

Have you noticed that your face is puffy when you wake up or you have bags under your eyes, no matter how much sleep or self-care you get? From puffiness to bags to fine lines, these are actually the signs of “cortisol face.” High cortisol levels, triggered by prolonged stress, can silently change your appearance, affecting everything from your skin's texture to facial fat distribution. You may think it’s just aging, but it can be your body’s response to long-term stress. Face before and after releasing excess cortisol: Cortisol face shares symptoms with other stress-related conditions like fatigue, mood swings, and sleep disturbances. When your...

A dysregulated nervous system underlies multiple common health problems, including mental health issues, autoimmune disorders, and thyroid conditions. Additionally, a dysregulated nervous system exacerbates the symptoms of many illnesses — this list ranges from ADHD and depression to hashimoto's and graves' disease. Your nervous system is designed to react to threats and stressors in short bursts. But when you're exposed to ongoing stress, they become chronically activated. And this chronic activation will result in dysregulation, where your body's stress response systems fail to properly go from 'on' to 'off'.  Typically, stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are meant to be released and then quickly...

Past trauma isn't just an emotional burden — it manifests physically too. And the health and wellness industry is only just beginning to unravel the profound connection between the psychological experiences and the physiological responses of trauma. And how that connection impacts multiple aspects of your life. Unresolved trauma triggers the release of continuous stress hormones (like cortisol) into your body — which keeps your nervous system in constant preparation for a threat. And unfortunately, that leads to increased fat storage, especially around the midsection. Your Body's Stress Response There's a biological response that happens in your body when you undergo something...

If you've noticed a hump forming at the base of your neck between the shoulder blades, you're not alone! This accumulation of fat is known as a neck hump, and it causes discomfort as well as self-consciousness for anyone affected by it. It's important to know though, that having a neck hump is not your fault. While there are multiple causes of why you would form a neck hump, one often overlooked cause is due to elevated cortisol levels. Cortisol, the hormone produced in your body in response to stress, can lead to fat accumulation in multiple areas of the body — including...

If you've ever experienced stress, anxiety, or trauma in your life, you may have turned to traditional methods of healing like taking certain prescribed medication or going to talk therapy to alleviate your symptoms. But have you ever tried somatic exercises? What are somatic exercises? Somatic exercise is a form of body-centered therapy involving gentle movements that target the body's central nervous system. This kind of somatic therapy focuses on unlocking sensations and releasing repressed emotions and physical experiences by encouraging and utilizing the innate connection between the mind and body. Essentially, somatic exercises are repetitions of simple movements that can provide...