5 Somatic Practices to Calm Your Nervous System in Under 10 Minutes

Write your awesome label here.

In This Article

  • Why These Practices Work When Other Things Don't
  • 1. The Physiological Sigh (90 seconds)
  • 2. The Feet-on-the-Floor Grounding (2 minutes)
  • 3. The Humming Reset (2 minutes)
  • 4. The Shake and Discharge (3 minutes)
  • 5. The Full Reset Sequence (5 minutes)
  • How to Make These Work for You
Feel free to jump around — click any section above to go directly there.

5 Somatic Practices to Calm Your Nervous System in Under 10 Minutes

It's 1:47 p.m. and you have back-to-back meetings for the next three hours.

Your shoulders are somewhere near your ears. There's a low hum of anxiety that has been running since this morning. You snapped at someone in the last meeting — not badly, yet enough that you noticed. Your chest feels tight, your mind feels cluttered, and you have around ten minutes before the next call starts.

You don't need a yoga mat. You don't need a meditation app. You don't need to close your eyes and breathe deeply in a way that would make your colleagues raise their eyebrows.

You need something that works  — right now. In the few minutes you actually have.

The following somatic practices were specifically selected for moments like this. Each one works directly with your nervous system — sending physiological signals that interrupt the stress response and create a genuine shift toward calm. Some take ninety seconds.

Some take five minutes. All of them are available to you right now, wherever you are.

Why These Practices Work When Other Things Don't

Telling yourself to calm down doesn't always work. Thinking positive thoughts doesn't always work. Even understanding why you're stressed — as useful as that insight is — doesn't always work in the moment when your nervous system is fully activated.

That's because stress is a physiological state, not a cognitive one. It lives in your body — in your stress hormones, your muscle tension, your breath pattern, your heart rate. And physiological states require physiological interventions.

These practices work through bottom-up processing—they bypass the thinking mind to speak directly to your nervous system through the body’s physical pathways. They use breath, movement, sensation, and grounding to send specific signals that your nervous system is wired to respond to — signals that say, at a level below conscious thought: the threat has passed. It is safe to settle.

Each practice activates your parasympathetic nervous system — the branch responsible for calm, rest, and recovery — through a different physiological pathway. Which means that even if one doesn't land for you today, another one will.

Practice 1 — The Physiological Sigh (90 seconds)

This technique was identified and named by neuroscientists Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Jack Feldman at Stanford University, whose research demonstrated it as one of the most efficient breathing patterns for rapidly reducing physiological stress.
Best for: Any moment of acute stress — a difficult email, a tense conversation, the moment before a high-stakes meeting. Invisible, immediate, and extraordinarily effective.

Why this practice: The physiological sigh is the fastest nervous system reset available to you — and it's one your body already knows how to do. You've probably done it involuntarily after a moment of relief or release — that double inhale followed by a long exhale. Researchers at Stanford have identified it as the most efficient breathing pattern for rapidly reducing stress and restoring calm. Here you're simply doing it deliberately.

What it does: The double inhale fully inflates the lungs — including the small air sacs that partially collapse under stress — and the long exhale activates the vagus nerve and parasympathetic nervous system more powerfully than a single inhale can. It lowers heart rate, reduces cortisol, and creates a measurable shift in physiological state in under two breath cycles.

Wherever you are:
  • Take one normal inhale through your nose.
  • At the top of that inhale, take one more short sniff — topping up the lungs completely.
  • Exhale slowly and completely through your mouth — as long and full as you can make it.
  • Repeat two to three times.
What to expect: A genuine, immediate shift — a slight slowing of your heart rate, a softening somewhere in your chest or shoulders, a quality of something releasing that was held. This is your vagus nerve responding to exactly the signal it needed. Two or three repetitions is enough to create a real physiological change.

Practice 2 — The Feet-on-the-Floor Grounding (2 minutes)

Best for: During meetings, at your desk, in any moment when your nervous system is activated and you need to stay present and functional without anyone around you knowing you're doing anything at all.

Why this practice: When stress activates your nervous system, your attention gets pulled out of your body and into your thoughts — replaying, anticipating, catastrophizing. Grounding interrupts that pull by bringing your awareness back into your physical body in the present moment — which is the only place genuine regulation is possible. This practice is completely invisible and works in under two minutes.

What it does: Physical pressure through the soles of the feet activates sensory receptors that anchor your nervous system in the present moment, interrupting the stress response before it fully takes hold. Combined with a single extended exhale, it creates just enough regulation to keep your thinking brain online and your responses genuinely chosen rather than reactive.

Sitting or standing wherever you are:
  • Press both feet firmly and deliberately into the floor beneath you.
  • Feel the solid ground — stable, present, real.
  • Take one slow breath and extend the exhale slightly longer than the inhale.
  • Scan slowly from your feet upward — your legs, your hips, your lower back, your shoulders.
  • Silently acknowledge: I am here. I am grounded. I can handle this.
  • Return your attention to whatever you were doing.
  • Repeat as needed.
What to expect: A subtle but real steadying — a sense of being more present in the room, more connected to your own center, more able to respond from a regulated place rather than from the activated edge of your nervous system. Over time this practice becomes a natural reflex — your body reaching for it automatically in moments of rising stress.

Practice 3 — The Humming Reset (2 minutes)

The use of humming and vocalization for vagal activation is rooted in the Polyvagal Theory research of Dr. Stephen Porges, which identified the vagus nerve as the primary pathway of the body's social and safety response system.
Best for: After a draining conversation or meeting, when you feel mentally foggy or emotionally flat, or any time you need a fast nervous system reset and have a moment of privacy — your car, a closed office, a quiet bathroom.

Why this practice: Of all the accessible somatic tools available, humming produces one of the most direct and well-documented effects on the vagus nerve — your body's primary regulation pathway. It works faster than most breath-based practices and produces a quality of internal settling that is distinctive and immediately recognizable once you've experienced it. The privacy requirement is its only limitation — and for many people it becomes their most reliable go-to reset.

What it does: The vibration created by humming directly stimulates the vagus nerve through the throat and chest, triggering an immediate parasympathetic response. It lowers heart rate, reduces cortisol, and creates a genuine shift in your physiological state in under two minutes — faster than almost any other tool available to you outside of a formal practice setting.

In a moment of privacy:
  • Take a slow breath in.
  • On the exhale, hum — a low, steady sound for the full length of your breath.
  • Feel the vibration in your chest and throat.
  • Let each hum be a little fuller and more resonant than the last.
  • Repeat six to eight times.
What to expect: A noticeable shift within the first two or three repetitions — a softening in your chest, a quieting of mental noise, a sense of something genuinely settling. This is your vagus nerve responding. It may feel slightly unusual the first time. Do it anyway — your nervous system will respond before your skepticism has finished forming an opinion.

Practice 4 — The Shake and Discharge (3 minutes)

The use of shaking for stress and tension discharge is rooted in the somatic work of Dr. Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing, and Dr. David Berceli, developer of Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE).
Best for: After a particularly stressful meeting or conversation, at the end of a high-demand work block, or any time you feel the accumulated tension of stress sitting in your body and needing somewhere to go. Best done with a moment of privacy.

Note: If at any point the sensation of shaking feels overwhelming or produces a sudden surge of intense emotion, simply stop, press your feet firmly into the floor, and return your focus to your breath. Your safety is the priority.

Why this practice: Stress mobilizes your body physically — stress hormones, muscle tension, and nervous system activation all prepare you for physical action that in a modern professional context rarely happens. That mobilization stays in your body as stored tension until it's physically discharged. Shaking is one of the most direct and physiologically accurate ways to complete that discharge — and three minutes is enough to produce a genuine shift.

What it does: Full body shaking mobilizes stored stress hormones and tension held in the muscles and connective tissue — helping your nervous system complete the stress response it activated. It works with your body's own natural discharge mechanism and may produce a physiological release that breath-based practices alone can't fully replicate when tension is significant.

If it is safe for you to do so:
  • Stand with your feet hip-width apart and let your knees soften.
  • Begin gently bouncing — letting the movement travel up through your legs, your hips, your torso.
  • Let your arms hang loosely and begin shaking your hands, then your arms, letting the movement become fuller as it feels natural.
  • Keep it loose, easy, and without agenda — this is discharge, not exercise.
  • Continue for sixty to ninety seconds.
  • End by pressing both feet firmly into the floor and taking three slow complete breaths.
What to expect: Warmth moving through your body. A spontaneous deeper breath. A surprising sense of lightness as stored activation begins to release. Over time this becomes one of the most reliably effective practices in your toolkit — particularly for the kind of significant activation that smaller practices don't fully address.

Practice 5 — The Full Reset Sequence (5 minutes)

Best for: End of workday transition, after a particularly demanding day, or any time you want a complete nervous system reset rather than a targeted intervention. This practice combines the most effective elements of the previous four into a single five-minute sequence.

Why this practice: Each of the previous four practices targets a specific aspect of stress regulation — breath, grounding, vagal activation, physical discharge. This sequence combines all four into a flowing five-minute reset that addresses the stress response comprehensively — discharging what has accumulated, grounding what has been activated, and restoring the parasympathetic access that chronic stress impairs.

What it does: The sequential combination of physical discharge, grounding, vagal breath, and self-compassion creates a complete nervous system reset — moving through each physiological layer of the stress response in turn and leaving your system genuinely more regulated than when you began. It is the most comprehensive five-minute nervous system intervention available without professional support.

Find five minutes — ideally at a transition point in your day:
  • Minute 1 — Discharge: If it is safe for you to do so, stand and shake loosely for sixty seconds — hands, arms, whole body. Keep it easy and without agenda.
  • Minute 2 — Ground: Press both feet into the floor. Scan slowly from your feet upward. Take three slow breaths — longer exhales than inhales. Feel the ground beneath you.
  • Minutes 3 and 4 — Vagal Breath: Sit comfortably with one hand on your heart. Inhale for four counts, exhale for eight. Repeat eight times. Let your shoulders drop and your jaw soften with each exhale.
  • Minute 5 — Arrive: Place both hands on your heart. Take one slow breath. Offer yourself one honest, compassionate sentence: I navigated today. I am allowed to rest now. This moment is mine.
What to expect: A genuine, comprehensive shift in your physiological state — a quality of having actually arrived somewhere rather than just paused briefly. Over time used consistently at day's end, this sequence may become one of the most reliable anchors in your nervous system care practice — creating a clear physiological boundary between the demands of your day and the restoration of your evening.

How to Make These Work for You

Knowing five somatic practices and actually reaching for them in the moments you need them are two different things. Here's what makes the difference:
  • Match the practice to the moment. The Physiological Sigh is for acute stress in real time — invisible, immediate, repeatable. The Feet-on-the-Floor Grounding is for any moment when you need to stay present and functional. The Humming Reset is for private moments of genuine decompression. The Shake and Discharge is for significant accumulated tension. The Full Reset Sequence is for comprehensive end-of-day restoration. Knowing which tool fits which moment removes the decision-making from a moment when your nervous system is already activated.
  • Start with one. Choose the practice that feels most accessible — the one with the lowest barrier of entry for your specific life and schedule. Use only that one for a full week before adding another. Consistency with one practice will always outperform sporadic use of five.
  • Lower the bar. One physiological sigh counts. Thirty seconds of grounding counts. Twenty seconds of humming counts. The goal is not a perfect practice — it is a consistent signal to your nervous system that regulation is available. Even the smallest consistent signal builds capacity over time.
  • Notice what shifts. After a week of consistent use, pause and honestly assess — is anything different? The shifts from somatic practice are often subtle at first. A slightly less activated afternoon. A marginally faster recovery after a difficult conversation. A small but real improvement in how present you feel at the end of the day. These small shifts are significant. They are your nervous system responding. They compound.

Sources & Further Reading:

Dr. Stephen Porges — The Polyvagal Theory
Dr. Peter Levine — Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma
Dr. David Berceli — The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process
 Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Jack Feldman — research on the physiological sigh and breathing for stress reduction

Disclaimer:

The information shared in this blog is intended for educational purposes only and reflects general information about burnout, stress, and nervous system regulation. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. The signs and symptoms described here may have other causes. If you are experiencing burnout or any of the symptoms associated with it, please consult a qualified healthcare provider before drawing conclusions about your health. Somatic wellness is a powerful complement to medical and mental health care — not a replacement for it. Your health deserves the full attention of qualified professionals who can assess your individual situation.
Jennifer Orli is a Certified Trauma-Informed Somatic Practitioner, Certified Corporate Wellness Specialist, and the Founder & Lead Practitioner of Orli Wellness. After 15 years as a CEO — and living the burnout cycle she now helps others heal — she completed over ten certifications in somatic and nervous system-based healing and created the 3-Step Orli Neuro-Somatic Methodology. Through her signature programs, SomaRelease™ and SomaExecutive™, she supports high-achieving professionals and organizations in moving from chronic stress and survival mode into calm, embodied self-leadership. She's based in West Palm Beach, FL, and works with clients internationally.
Learn more about Jennifer and Orli Wellness →

Experience Somatic Wellness

Attend a one-hour masterclass or three-day workshop that provides
practical tools and meaningful transformation.
Sign up today

Your weekly exhale, delivered.

You're high-achieving, capable, and probably a little tired of running on empty.

Orli Weekly is your weekly nervous system reset — delivered in three simple steps: Notice, Ground, and Release.

Short. Grounded. Yours to use the moment you read it.

Join professionals who are learning to lead from a calmer, clearer place.
No spam. No overwhelm. Just one weekly reset — straight to your inbox.

More from The Knowledge Hub

Created with