Breathe. Ground. Feel: Somatic Exercises to Calm the Nervous System
Key Takeaways
Breathe consciously to create space, cultivate what you need, and release what you are ready to let go of.
Ground through your feet and reconnect with the earth, honouring the body that has carried you through your journey.
Listen to your heart and make space for love, compassion, connection, and the emotions you carry within.
Practice somatic awareness by noticing the body’s sensations, rhythms, and responses without judgement or the need to change them.
Bring breath, body, earth, and heart together as a practice of presence, self-awareness, and deeper connection with yourself.
Our body is constantly communicating with us—through the rhythm of our breath, the sensations in our feet, the beating of our heart, and the emotions we carry within. Yet, in the pace of everyday life, we often move through the day without pausing to listen.
So, what does it mean to pause and truly listen to the body? Pausing does not require stepping away from life or creating a long period of silence. It can begin with a few simple, conscious moments in which we slow down, turn our attention inward, and notice what is happening within us.
Somatic steps to help you pause and reset your nervous system:
We begin with the breath, creating space and releasing what we are ready to let go of. We then bring our awareness to the feet, grounding ourselves in the earth and honouring the journey that has carried us here. From that grounded place, we move toward the heart, making space for compassion, connection, and inner listening.
Breathe
Sit comfortably with an upright posture. Let your hands rest gently on your lap, palms facing upward. Bring your awareness to your breath. Notice the natural rhythm of your inhale and exhale. Feel your body supported by the space around you and allow your awareness to settle fully into the present moment.
Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose. As you inhale, imagine drawing in positive, nourishing energy. Exhale slowly through your mouth. As you breathe out, imagine releasing tension, emotional heaviness, and anything you no longer need to carry.
Continue at a comfortable pace. There is no need to force the breath. Simply breathe in what you wish to cultivate and breathe out what you are ready to release. Repeat the cycle as many times as feels comfortable. Now, with your breath settled, gently allow your awareness to travel downward.
Grounding with Mother Earth
Remove your shoes and place both feet comfortably and firmly on the floor or, if available, on bare earth. Gently bring your awareness all the way down to your feet—to the places where your body meets and is supported by the earth.
Our feet are often associated with fashion: pedicures, stilettos, pumps, sandals, and shoes. Yet beyond their appearance, our feet play an essential role in our lives. They support us, carry us, and accompany us through every step of our journey. Think about everything your feet have carried you through—moments of pleasure and pain, sunshine and rain, mountains and valleys.
Take three slow, comfortable breaths. With each breath, silently acknowledge your feet for carrying you through your life's journey.
Now use your thumbs to gently massage the arches and balls of your feet for about two minutes. Use comfortable, circular pressure and notice any areas of tension or sensitivity.
Slowly stand up and begin walking gently on the grass. Take one step with a deep breath in, followed by another step as you breathe out. Continue for as long as your body feels comfortable and then pause and relax.
Focusing on the Heartbeat
Now that you feel grounded and connected to the earth beneath you, gently allow your awareness to travel upward—to the centre of your body and the rhythm of your heart. Place your palm over your heart, pause for a moment, and simply listen.
What do you notice?
Perhaps your heartbeat feels steady, quick, soft, or strong. Perhaps you notice warmth, openness, tightness, or stillness. There is nothing you need to change. This is simply an invitation to become more aware of what is happening within you.
Our heartbeat responds to many aspects of our experience. Physical activity, emotions, stress, excitement, rest, and other factors can influence heart rate. Our emotional experiences can also seem to speak through the heart. A “sinking heart” may accompany grief, sadness, fear, or disappointment. A racing heart can arise with physical exertion, excitement, anticipation, or love.
In many spiritual traditions, the heart is associated with love, compassion, connection, and inner balance. In yogic traditions, the Heart Chakra, or Anahata, is traditionally associated with these qualities.
From this perspective, opening the heart is not about forcing anything open. It is about creating space—to receive love, to express love, to offer compassion, and to become more accepting of what we feel.
Take a few moments now to turn inward and listen. Visualize a gentle green light. Imagine a soft emerald-green light glowing gently at the centre of your chest. With each breath, allow it to become warmer and more radiant.
Breathe into the heart space.
Take a slow, comfortable breath in. Imagine drawing in peace, compassion, and loving energy. Allow the green light to brighten as you breathe in. As you exhale, imagine the light expanding gently through your chest, creating a sense of spaciousness and ease. Allow tension, grief, resentment, or emotional heaviness to soften naturally. There is nothing you need to force away.
Repeat the Heart Mantra
Breathing in love, I release anger.
Breathing in forgiveness, I release resentment.
Breathing in joy, I release sadness.
Breathing in compassion, I release pride.
Breathing in connection, I release separation.
My heart is open.I am safe within myself.
I give and receive love with ease.
I allow compassion to flow through me.
From Awareness to Integration: Bringing It All Together
Take one final slow breath in.
Feel the breath moving through you.
Notice your feet grounded beneath you.
Notice your heart at the centre of your awareness.
Notice the quiet space you have created within yourself.
You began with the breath, releasing what you were ready to let go of. You connected with your feet, grounding yourself in the earth and honouring the journey that brought you here.
Closing reflection
In somatic practice, we learn to listen not only to our thoughts and emotions, but also to the sensations through which we experience them in the body. Notice the subtle language of your body—the quality of your breath, the rhythm of your heartbeat, the weight of your body, and any areas of tension, softness, warmth, movement, or stillness.
Rather than immediately naming, analysing, or changing what you feel, stay with the sensation for a few moments. Notice where it is. Notice its quality. Notice whether it shifts as you bring your attention to it.
Our emotional experiences can be accompanied by changes in the body—changes in breathing, muscle tension, posture, heartbeat, and other sensations. Somatic awareness invites us to become familiar with these signals and to develop a more attentive relationship with our inner experience.
There is no need to force a release or create a particular feeling.
The practice is simply to notice, remain present, and allow yourself to listen. Take a moment now to sense your whole body. Notice what has changed, however subtly, since you began. Simply acknowledge what is here.
How can I support you?
In my work with somatic healing and art therapy, I offer a space to slow down, connect with your body, and explore emotions through both embodied awareness and creative expression. These practices can help you access experiences that may be difficult to put into words and develop a deeper connection with yourself. If you feel called to explore this work, DM me to book a session.
FAQ
1. What is grounding in somatic practice, and how can it help you feel more connected to your body?
Grounding is a somatic practice that brings your attention to the physical sensations of being supported by the earth. Focusing on your feet, their contact with the floor or ground, and the sensations created through standing or walking can help shift attention away from constant mental activity and toward present-moment bodily awareness. In this practice, grounding also becomes an opportunity to acknowledge the feet for supporting and carrying you through different experiences in life.
2. How does somatic awareness help you listen to what your body is communicating?
Somatic awareness involves noticing sensations such as tension, warmth, pressure, softness, movement, stillness, or changes in breathing without immediately judging or trying to change them. Rather than analysing an experience intellectually, somatic work encourages you to observe how it is being experienced in the body. With practice, this can help you develop a more attentive relationship with your physical and emotional experience.
3. How can breathwork be used as a practice of presence and emotional awareness?
Breathwork in this practice begins with simply noticing the natural rhythm of the inhale and exhale. Slow, comfortable breathing can help bring your attention into the present moment while creating space to notice what is happening within you. The practice uses the breath as an anchor: inhaling with an intention to cultivate qualities such as peace or nourishment, and exhaling while imagining the softening or release of tension and emotional heaviness.
4. What is the Heart Chakra, and how is it incorporated into this practice?
In yogic traditions, the Heart Chakra, or Anahata, is traditionally associated with love, compassion, connection, and inner balance. The heart-centred practice in this blog uses awareness of the heartbeat, the sensations around the chest, visualisation of a gentle green light, and heart-focused breathing. Rather than trying to force an emotional change, the practice creates space to acknowledge feelings and cultivate qualities such as compassion, forgiveness, love, and connection.
5. How can you combine breathwork, grounding, somatic awareness, and heart-centred practice into one routine?
The practices can be brought together as a gradual movement of awareness through the body. Begin with breathwork to settle your attention and notice your natural breathing rhythm. Move into grounding by feeling your feet and their connection with the floor or earth. From this grounded state, bring awareness toward the heart, noticing your heartbeat and sensations around the chest. Finally, pause with the whole body and observe what is present without needing to analyse, change, or force a particular outcome.
Author Bio
Monica Kapur is an Art Therapist based in Delhi and working globally online. She specializes in helping individuals overcome anxiety, stress, trauma, and emotional blocks through Art Therapy, somatic practices, and neurographica. Passionate about mental health, she writes to inspire readers to pause, reflect, and reshape their lives with greater clarity and compassion.
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