I recently heard Adriene of Yoga with Adriene, state the following: “Through daily yoga and breath practice, we develop a deeper awareness of where we are holding tension and trauma.” As much as I love Adriene’s classes, I’d say this is only the first step and I’d like to add that being aware is one thing, but … we then want to release what we are holding on to. Do You Agree?
Let’s explore why we are holding tension, stress and even trauma in our bodies. And by the way, it doesn’t have to be big T trauma, just the daily stressors of life can cause our bodies to contract. You have probably experienced it yourself: When we are stressed, we tense up. This is the body’s natural reaction and our muscles contract. We feel safer in a Foetal-like position, where our head, vital organs and genitals are being protected.
Over time and by accumulating more and more tension, it can become chronic and cause all kinds of psychosomatic pain, e.g. headaches, back pain, gastrointestinal issues as well as sleep difficulties, irritability or anxiety. After stressful periods we want to relax and this could happen through physical exercise, a hot bath or a massage. And this is a good start as deep muscular relaxation activates a rest and digest response.
But we can go even deeper as a massage only works on the muscles from the outside. Have you ever heard that our innate reaction to releasing stress and tension is through tremoring? All mammals are genetically encoded to do so, but we humans have been socialised out of it. Only in extreme situations, people are tremoring. Under normal circumstances our minds usually take over and talk the body out of it as tremors are seen as a sign of weakness. But shaking off stress and tension can be so good for us.
So, how can we do it effectively? Obviously not publicly in that situation, but retrospectively or indeed preventatively.
As a somatic practitioner, I teach TRE® (Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises) and this modality achieves exactly that and we can reboot our nervous system and become more relaxed and resilient.
TRE® starts with six warm-up exercises, that are quite similar to yoga poses. By doing so, we fatigue our muscles and prepare them to tremor. And then … the magic happens. As we give our bodies the opportunity to – literally – shake off tension and stress, we become more relaxed as well as more aware of our bodies. The general response after a TRE® session is that of deep relaxation – which can have many amazing knock-on effects from improved sleep and a feeling of lightness and more flexibility in the body to – over time – the disappearance of tension-related pain.
Yes, it is quite unusual to lie on the floor, shaking. But as with so many things … the proof is in the pudding. So, if you are ready to pro-actively take your health and well-being into your own hands, get in touch as I run regular TRE® courses online. Once learned, TRE® is your tool for life and you don’t need to rely on anybody else “to fix” you.
Are you ready to give it a try?
Leave me a comment as I’d love to know how you get on…
Together we will make that difference.
About The Author
I am Sylvia, a certified TRE® Provider – having trained with Steve Haines (London), Su Thomas (South Africa) and Anya Bloom (Israel). When the pandemic hit I asked myself what the world really needs and re-discovered TRE® – I’m totally fascinated as it’s so simple and yet so powerful and I value and treasure the relaxation I can build into my daily life, therefore nipping many issues in the bud.
I experience the amazing benefits of practising TRE® on a regular basis and I am on a mission to get the word out … everybody should know about TRE® – especially in our current times.
My background is in IT and business development but now I am able to bring my real passion of alternative health into my career. I am also a Jikiden Reiki practitioner, have a foundation training in Counselling Skills (COSCA) and facilitate Laughter Yoga classes.
Sylvia Tillmann
TRE® Provider at www.tremendousTRE.co.uk
Everything is perfectly correct, TRE is easy to learn and easy to carry out. Sylvia accompanies the session calmly and attentively (online). The first time I was surprised and a little shocked that the trembling just starts like that. The body actually frees itself! The relief and felt freedom afterwards is simply wonderful. Rarely slept so deeply and well afterwards.
… thank you so much for taking the time to reply, Petra. I’ve only just realised there’s a ‘reply’ function, so thank you!
And if anybody wants to learn more about TRE, I’m just a mouse click or phone call away …
A session of TRE with Sylvia brought relaxation and relief after a hip replacement. I was having restless nights before the session and my sleep has significantly improved since TRE. I would highly recommend TRE with Sylvia for relief from the stresses of a hectic lifestyle.
… thanks for taking the time to respond to this article, Justine.
I hope you are still tremoring and experiencing TRE’s benefits.