The Body Speaks: Releasing Stress Through Awareness and Movement
Stress isn’t just something you feel—it’s something your body holds. The tightness in your shoulders, the clenching of your jaw, the heaviness in your chest—these are all messages your body is trying to send.
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, in The Body Keeps the Score, famously explains how trauma and stress become stored in the body. These unresolved experiences can leave an imprint on our nervous system, musculature, and fascia—the connective tissue that supports every part of us. Over time, this unresolved tension can manifest as chronic pain, stiffness, or that lingering sense of unease.
At Slow Medicine Company, we’ve designed the Body Language Yoga + Therapy Series to help you decode these signals and begin the process of release, blending the science of the mind-body connection with the transformative power of movement and mindfulness.
How Stress Gets Stored in the Body
When you experience stress, your nervous system activates, preparing your body to fight, flee, or freeze. While this response is crucial for survival, chronic stress leaves behind physical imprints when we don’t fully process it.
These imprints show up as:
Tightness in the shoulders and neck (burdens carried too long).
A clenched jaw (unspoken emotions).
Tension in the hips (unprocessed fear or anxiety).
Shallow breathing (living in survival mode).
This is why stress isn’t just a mental experience—it’s stored in your fascia and nervous system, waiting for an opportunity to release.
The Intersection of Stress and Emotion
Your body holds emotions that have gone unexpressed—grief in your chest, fear in your hips, resentment in your diaphragm. Simply “getting over it” doesn’t work because your body remembers what your mind might try to forget.
In our series, we use psychoeducation to teach participants how the nervous system works and why your body holds onto stress. Understanding this connection is the first step in breaking free from these patterns.
How to Release Stress from the Body
The process of release begins with awareness. When you notice tension in your body, you’re opening the door to healing. Practices like yoga, breathwork, and restorative movement are designed to gently guide your body out of survival mode and into a state of calm.
Here’s what we focus on in the Body Language Series:
Targeting Key Areas of Tension: Gentle yoga poses for the shoulders, hips, and diaphragm.
Calming the Nervous System: Breathwork techniques to signal safety to your body.
Creating Space for Stillness: Restorative practices that allow deep release and healing.
Inspired by approaches like myofascial unwinding, we work with the body’s natural ability to let go of what it no longer needs, creating space for balance and ease.
The Power of a Safe, Supportive Space
Healing isn’t something we have to do alone. Stress and trauma often isolate us, which is why community plays such an important role in the process of release.
In this series, you’ll be guided by a registered social worker and supported by a small group of like-minded individuals. Together, we create an environment of safety, trust, and shared growth.
Your Body Knows the Way
The most important takeaway? Your body already knows how to heal—it just needs the right conditions to begin. Through gentle awareness, mindful movement, and understanding your body’s cues, you can release the stress that’s been holding you back and reclaim your sense of ease.
Are you ready to listen to your body’s wisdom?
Join us for the Body Language [Yoga + Therapy Series] and take the first step toward healing, balance, and resilience.
Reserve your spot today and reconnect with your body’s innate ability to heal.
