Release Trauma and Chronic Stress from your body with
Breathwork & Somatics

Before your body can release stress or trauma… it needs one thing: safety. When your nervous system doesn’t feel safe, it won’t let go. It stays on high alert scanning for threats, keeping you wired, tense, and stuck in “hold it together” mode. In this video, I’ll guide you through a 3-minute grounding routine using an internal anchor — the memory of a person who makes you feel deeply safe. This is one of the fastest ways to settle your system, soften a triggered body, and reconnect to yourself. If you’ve been feeling constantly on edge, jumpy, or unable to fully drop into rest… this simple practice can begin to shift things. ✨ Join my free Body Release Workshop Experience the exact first step I use with my paying clients inside my 8 week Release Method Programme — the step that teaches your body how to release stored stress, not just cope with it. 👉 Save your free seat here: https://www.andrealakemanford.co.uk/bodyreleaseworkshop ⏱️ Time Stamps 0:00 – Why your body won’t release stress unless it feels safe 0:32 – External vs internal anchors explained 1:06 – Why an internal anchor (a person) works so fast 1:34 – Settle into your seat + lower gaze 1:45 – Gentle breath to prepare the body 2:02 – Find your “safe person” 2:35 – Visualising them: face, voice, scent, clothing 3:22 – Adding their name + how naming builds safety 3:50 – Imagining the embrace or hand-in-hand moment 4:18 – Why repetition trains your nervous system to respond 4:46 – Closing grounding breaths 5:00 – CTA: Join the free Body Release Workshop

If your shoulders feel heavy, tight, or tense — this short 3-minute routine will help you release built-up stress and emotional tension from your upper body. In this guided practice, I’ll show you: ✨ Gentle Qigong movements to open the shoulders and chest 💨 Breathwork to calm your nervous system 🌿 Simple stretches to release stored stress and trauma These movements are perfect if you spend long hours at a desk, feel tension from stress, or notice your shoulders creeping up to your ears by the end of the day. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly body-based stress-relief practices 💛 Want more? Join me on my Release Method Programme. One to one support to release stress & trauma from your body with breathwork and somatics https://www.andrealakemanford.co.uk/releasemethod

If your hips always feel tight or heavy it could be because you have stored tension and stress that needs releasing from them In this 10-minute hip release routine, I’ll guide you through breathwork and somatic movement to help your body let go of the stress and emotional tension it’s been holding onto. Our hips are one of the main places we store unprocessed emotions, stress, and old patterns. When life feels stuck or stagnant, releasing that tension can help you create space for new energy, clarity, and flow — both physically and emotionally. In this session, you’ll: 🌿 Balance your nervous system with alternate nostril breathing 💫 Gently open the hips to release stored tension and energy 🧘‍♀️ Learn how shaking and release are natural signs your body is letting go 💨 Finish with deep breaths to integrate and ground You can do this routine anytime, but I recommend first thing in the morning to reset your system for the day ahead. 👇 Try it now — and if you’d like more 10-minute breathwork and somatic reset routines, join me in The Release Method Online for a video like this each week https://www.andrealakemanford.co.uk/services-5/releasemethodonline 🕒 Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction: Releasing old stress through the hips 00:36 – Why we store tension and trauma in the hips 01:12 – Breathwork: Alternate nostril breathing to balance the nervous system 03:25 – Seated butterfly stretch for hip release 05:10 – Bridge pose: Activating tremors and somatic release 07:00 – Low lunge stretch for hip flexors 08:45 – Integrating with deep, grounding breaths 09:45 – Closing thoughts: Creating space for the new

If your body often feels tight or like it’s carrying tension you can’t explain it could be holding on to old stress or trauma. Talking about it helps the mind, but the body needs a physical way to release what’s trapped. This technique helps your body naturally begin to discharge tension. 👉 Place the soles of your feet together and gently raise your hips. Hold until you feel a slight tremor or shake in your hips or legs. Then, lower your hips, let your legs fall open, and breathe slowly in and out through your nose. This tremoring is your body’s built-in release system, animals are able to access this all the time, but we have lost that ability. This technique helps us reconnect ot it again. If you want to stop at any time, just stretch your legs out the shaking will stop immediately. (If you have a lot of trauma held in your body, please try this with a trained therapist or somatic practitioner first.) . Hit follow for more somatic breathwork techniques to safely release stored trauma & stress that your body has held for year. . #releasetrauma #releasestress #stressrelease #traumarelease

Teeth grinding is a really common sign of your body holding on to stress. In this video, I’ll show you 3 simple ways to release tension from your jaw before bed and reduce tooth grinding and jaw pain These are practical, science-backed techniques you can use right now to calm your stress response and stop nighttime jaw tension naturally, without medication or mouthguards. ✨ Want more short, science-backed somatic and breath techniques to release tension and stress from your body? Join me in Breathe2Heal— my Substack space where you’ll get one quick relaxation practice each week: 👉 https://andrealakemanford.substack.com/subscribe #jawpain #teethgrinding #releasestress

Struggle to relax even when you finally get a moment to yourself? In this video, I’ll show you a simple mindfulness exercise you can do while making a cup of tea (or coffee). No sitting cross-legged for half an hour, just an everyday practice you can turn into a reset for your mind and nervous system. When stress builds up, your brain learns to stay on high alert always looking for the “next thing.” That’s why it can feel impossible to sit still or focus on one task. But neuroscience shows you can retrain your brain to come back to the present moment again and again. ✨ All it takes is one mindful cup of tea. Follow along with me in this guided practice to: ✅ Break the habit of multitasking on autopilot ✅ Calm your racing thoughts ✅ Re-train your nervous system to focus on one thing at a time No meditation cushion required, just your kettle! ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 Welcome — mindfulness without the meditation cushion 0:20 Grab your kettle and join me in the kitchen 0:39 Starting the mindful tea ritual 0:56 The one rule: no scrolling while the kettle boils 1:17 Using your senses to stay present 1:57 Preparing the tea mindfully 2:45 Watching and listening as the kettle boils 3:09 Pouring and staying with the moment 3:36 Letting the tea brew — and resisting distraction 3:56 Anchoring yourself while you wait 4:21 Why mindful tea builds focus and calm 👋 Hi, I’m Andrea — a qualified breathwork & somatics coach. I help people release stress, recover from burnout, and reset their nervous system with simple practices you can weave into daily life. 👉 Want more short, practical videos like this? Subscribe to my Substack Breathe2Heal here: https://andrealakemanford.substack.com/subscribe

Most of us never stop to notice how we’re actually breathing. We rush through the day on autopilot — shallow breaths, tense shoulders — without realising that simply paying attention to our breath can tell us so much about our nervous system state. Fast and shallow = stressed and anxious, deep and slow = calm and regulated. This practice is about curiosity, not control. By gently noticing where your breath goes, chest, belly, or diaphragm, you give your body a chance to release and your nervous system a chance to shift towards calm. It’s simple, it’s quick, and it works wherever you are: at your desk, on the sofa, or before bed. If you’d like the full guided video plus access to a whole library of relaxation techniques just like this, join me inside Breathe2Heal for only £7/month. ✨ Tap the link to start today. https://andrealakemanford.substack.com/subscribe #nervoussystemregulation #calm

So many of us collapse into bed exhausted only to find our brain won’t switch off. You lie there replaying the day, thinking about tomorrow, wishing your body would just rest. Here’s one of the greatest sleep hacks you’ll ever use: extend your exhale. When you make your out-breath longer than your in-breath, you flip your nervous system into “rest and digest” mode. It’s a simple switch that tells your body it’s safe to drift into sleep. Try this: 🌙 Inhale through your nose for 5 🌙 Exhale through your nose for 7 🌙 Repeat for 5–10 minutes 🌙 Notice signs your body is shifting into rest (yawning, tummy gurgles, saliva in your mouth) If your mind is still busy, add a gentle visualisation: imagine placing each thought onto a little boat, watching it drift down a river as you exhale. Want more natural, science-backed ways to calm stress and sleep better? Click below to access my free Nervous System Reset mini course to get started. https://sales.andreatheanxietycoach.co.uk/a-nervous-system-reset-mini-course/ #nervoussystemregulation #sleep #insomnia