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Finding Safety in the Pause: Gentle Yoga for Nervous System Regulation

Around Northern VA, The In-Between Guide

woman in child's pose on a yoga mat with her cat watching doing gentle yoga for nervous system regulation

Three weeks ago, I said yes to something that felt both inconvenient and necessary: a six-week “Restore Your Brain” restorative yoga series on Sunday mornings in The Plains, Virginia. I didn’t know it at the time, but that yes led me straight to gentle yoga for nervous system regulation. And to the reminder that safety, not effort, is often what our bodies are asking for.

That’s how I met Katlyn Hill, yoga instructor and founder of Balanced Brain Yoga. I arrived at my first class over-prepared, with mat, clothes, and expectations in hand. I quickly learned that all I needed was comfort and a willingness to be still. I left lighter, quieter, and unexpectedly emotional in the best way.

How Gentle Yoga for Nervous System Regulation Creates Safety

That first class wasn’t about flexibility or breath work mastery. It was about safety.

Tears came quietly while I rested in child’s pose, supported by a bolster. It felt like my body finally exhaled after holding tension for far too long. The tears were information: I had been carrying more than I realized, and my nervous system finally felt safe enough to let go.

In the weeks that followed, layered with snow days, heavy headlines, and the general hum of motherhood, I knew I wanted to invite Katlyn to share her perspective here. What follows is her wisdom as a mom, brain cancer survivor, and yoga instructor on why “just relax” doesn’t work, and what does.

woman in child's pose on a yoga mat with her cat watching doing gentle yoga for nervous system regulation

Guest Words: Katlyn Hill of Balanced Brain Yoga

You know when you’re overstimulated and you’ve asked your child to chill — nicely — like fifty-eleven times, and no one is listening?
You know when your voice gets deeper. Louder.
When you become…unrecognizable?
I call this version of myself the creature.
Truly. She is.
I don’t know her well, but she shows up when she’s needed. Usually not for long. And when she leaves… she leaves me absolutely wrecked.
I hate how she makes me feel.
You know what’s not helpful after the creature exits the building?
“Just relax.”
Hard pass.
My body feels completely out of sorts. I get tingly. My face is flushed. My throat hurts. My brain feels like it’s on fire. And somehow the advice is still: try harder to calm down.
Why “Just Relax” Never Works
Most stress advice asks moms to do more:
  • meditate longer
  • fix your sleep
  • work out harder
  • calm down faster
I tried it all.
I meditated.
>I rolled around on the floor.
>I tracked my sleep.
>I worked out.
>I even tried more caffeine to numb things out (spoiler alert: I’m caffeine sensitive, it’s not ideal).
After years of trial and error, I finally learned what actually works:
Safety.
Not effort.
>Not discipline.
>Not pushing through.
Safety in the brain and body.
And the good news? Safety can be created in very small, very human ways.
Gentle Ways to Come Back to Calm
(No extra time required)
You don’t need a full zen yoga practice.
>You don’t need to manage one more thing.
You need a pause.
A moment to stop and come back to yourself. There is safety built into the pause, and it can shift the nervous system almost instantly.
Temperature helps:
Cold and heat bring you back to the present fast.
  • Place a cool cloth over your eyes or forehead
  • Hold something cold in your hands
  • Turn on a heating pad and lie down
  • Open the fridge and just…stand there for a second
Supportive postures (nothing to achieve):
  • Child’s Pose: forehead supported, hips heavy
  • Legs Up the Wall: let gravity do the work
One breath counts:
  • One hand on your chest, one on your belly
  • Inhale slowly through your nose
  • Exhale like you’re fogging a mirror
Snacks (yes, really):
  • Nerds Clusters: I call these power-ups and I have them on me at all times
  • Dove chocolate (because obviously)
Strong taste = present moment.
Science + snacks.
That’s enough. Truly.
There’s no need to do all of this. We don’t have time and that’s okay. Any one of these is enough. Safety can live in small moments. A breath, a posture, a pause — even in the middle of real life.
Safety breeds rest.
There is always time for that kind of rest. It just looks smaller than we expect.
a black and white photo of a young boy wearing grey, sitting and staring out a big window.

Small Pauses That Support Gentle Yoga for Nervous System Regulation

What I love most about Katlyn’s approach is how achievable it is. No hour-long routines. No pressure to fix yourself. Just small, human pauses that signal safety to the brain and body.

Temperature, supportive postures, a single breath, or even a strong taste can bring you back into the present moment. These practices aren’t about productivity, they’re about regulation. And they’re available to you even in the middle of real life.

If there’s one thing I hope you take from this, it’s this: gentle yoga for nervous system regulation doesn’t have to look big to be effective. Safety can live in a breath, a pause, or a moment of rest, and that kind of rest is always worth making space for.

And if you want to keep exploring, here are a few more blogs that support pauses or building towards comfort in the pause.

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