Top 6 'Cortisol-Crushing' Somatic Exercises to adopt for releasing stored tension after a long workday. - Goh Ling Yong
You’ve just walked through the door. The keys clatter onto the counter, your bag slumps to the floor, and you let out a sigh that feels like it’s been held in for eight solid hours. Your shoulders are practically touching your ears, your jaw is clenched, and a low-grade hum of anxiety buzzes just beneath your skin. Sound familiar? This isn't just "feeling tired." This is the physical residue of a modern workday, a tangible tension stored deep within your muscles and tissues.
This physical stress is your body’s response to a constant drip of cortisol, the notorious stress hormone. While essential in short bursts for "fight or flight" situations, the chronic low-level stress of deadlines, difficult conversations, and endless to-do lists keeps our cortisol levels elevated. Over time, this makes our bodies forget how to return to a state of rest and relaxation. We end up living in a state of high alert, and our bodies pay the price with chronic pain, poor sleep, and a frazzled nervous system.
But what if you could consciously and gently persuade your body to let go of that stored tension? What if you could communicate with your nervous system in its own language—the language of sensation and movement? This is the power of somatic exercises. These are not about building muscle or breaking a sweat; they are gentle, mindful movements designed to reconnect your mind with your body, release deeply held patterns of stress, and effectively "crush" the negative effects of excess cortisol.
Unwind and Reset: Your Somatic Toolkit
Ready to reclaim your sense of calm? Here are six powerful somatic exercises you can adopt to release the day's tension and help regulate your nervous system. Find a quiet space, wear comfortable clothing, and give yourself permission to simply be present with your body for a few minutes.
1. The Mindful Body Scan: Your Internal Weather Report
The foundation of any somatic practice is awareness. You can't release tension you don't know you're holding. The Mindful Body Scan is a simple yet profound exercise in paying close, non-judgmental attention to the physical sensations throughout your body. It’s like taking a detailed inventory of your internal landscape, noticing the tight spots, the relaxed areas, and everything in between.
This practice works by shifting you out of your thinking mind—the part that’s still replaying a meeting or worrying about tomorrow—and into your sensing body. This simple shift in focus activates the parasympathetic nervous system, our "rest and digest" mode. By simply noticing a tense shoulder without trying to "fix" it, you send a signal of safety and acceptance to your brain, which in turn allows the muscle to begin releasing on its own. It's a gentle invitation for your body to let go.
How to Practice:
- Find a comfortable position: Lie down on your back on a mat or your bed, with your arms resting by your sides, palms facing up. If lying down isn't comfortable, you can do this sitting in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
- Start with the breath: Take a few slow, deep breaths. Feel your belly rise and fall. This helps to anchor you in the present moment.
- Begin the scan: Bring your awareness to the toes on your left foot. Just notice any sensations—tingling, warmth, coolness, pressure, or maybe nothing at all. There's no right or wrong thing to feel.
- Move slowly: Gradually move your awareness up your body: from your foot to your ankle, your calf, your knee, and so on. Continue up your left leg, then repeat with your right leg.
- Scan your entire body: Progress through your pelvis, your lower back, your abdomen, chest, and up to your shoulders. Scan down your arms to your fingertips. Finally, move your awareness to your neck, jaw, face, and the top of your head.
- Just observe: If you find a place of tension, don't force it to relax. Simply acknowledge it with curiosity. You might say to yourself, "Ah, there is tightness in my jaw." Often, the simple act of bringing gentle awareness to an area is enough to initiate a release. Spend 5 to 15 minutes on this practice.
2. Pandiculation: The Body's Natural Reset Button
Have you ever watched a cat or dog wake up from a nap? The first thing they do is a long, luxurious, whole-body stretch and yawn. This instinctual movement is called pandiculation, and it’s the nervous system's way of resetting muscle tension. Unlike passive stretching where you pull on a muscle, pandiculation involves actively contracting a muscle, then slowly lengthening and releasing it.
This "contract and release" sequence sends powerful bio-feedback to your brain, rebooting the communication loop between your brain and your muscles. It helps release involuntary muscle contraction that has built up from sitting at a desk or holding a stressful posture all day. A conscious, intentional pandiculation is one of the quickest ways to release tension in your shoulders, neck, and back after hours of screen time.
How to Practice:
- Initiate a yawn: Start by faking a yawn. Open your mouth wide, take a deep breath in, and let a sound escape on the exhale. Often, a fake yawn will trigger a real one.
- Reach and contract: As you inhale, reach your arms overhead or out in front of you. Actively engage your muscles—clench your fists, tense your arms, arch your back slightly, and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Feel the full-body contraction, just like a cat stretching.
- Slow, controlled release: Now, very slowly, begin to exhale and release the contraction. Let your arms float down, your jaw soften, and your back relax. Pay exquisite attention to the sensation of the muscles lengthening and letting go. The magic is in the slowness of the release.
- Explore the movement: Don't be rigid. Twist your torso, stretch to one side, and then the other. Follow what your body wants to do. The goal is to feel a satisfying, full-body release. Repeat 2-3 times, or whenever you feel a buildup of tension.
3. Gentle Shaking (Tremoring): Shake Off the Day's Stress
In the animal kingdom, after a chase or a stressful encounter, an animal will often shake its entire body vigorously. This isn't a sign of fear; it's a primal mechanism for discharging the massive rush of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol from its system. As humans, we've often been taught to suppress this natural instinct, to "keep it together." Gentle shaking allows us to tap back into this innate wisdom.
This practice, sometimes called neurogenic tremoring, helps to release tension stored deep within the psoas muscle (a core muscle connecting the spine to the legs) and calm a hyper-aroused nervous system. By inducing a light, natural tremor, you allow your body to physically release the pent-up energy from your fight-or-flight response, leaving you feeling calmer, more grounded, and present.
How to Practice:
- Stand comfortably: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and a soft bend in your knees. Feel your feet firmly planted on the ground.
- Start small: Begin by gently bouncing from your knees, letting the vibration travel up your body. Keep your shoulders, arms, and jaw loose.
- Let the shake happen: Allow your arms to flop around. Let your head and neck be free (if it feels safe to do so). You are not forcing the shake; you are simply creating the conditions for it to happen naturally.
- Breathe: Remember to breathe deeply and evenly throughout the process. You might notice your breathing pattern changes—just observe it.
- Tune in: Pay attention to the sensations. Does one part of your body want to shake more than another? Follow that impulse. Shake for 1-5 minutes, and then gradually slow down until you are standing still.
- Pause and notice: After the shaking stops, stand in stillness for a minute. Notice the tingling, the warmth, and the sense of calm. This post-shake integration is a crucial part of the exercise.
4. Tension and Release: The Squeeze and Let Go
This exercise, a simplified form of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, is a very direct way to understand and release stored tension. It operates on a simple principle: to fully relax a muscle, you must first become aware of what it feels like to tense it. By systematically tensing and then releasing different muscle groups, you heighten your awareness of physical tension and give your body a clear, satisfying sensation of letting go.
This is particularly effective for people who live so much in their heads that they are disconnected from their body's signals. When you consciously squeeze your hand into a fist and then release it, you can’t help but notice the dramatic shift from tightness to ease. As you practice this across your entire body, you're training your nervous system to recognize and release tension more readily in your daily life.
How to Practice:
- Get comfortable: Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
- Start with your hands: Inhale and clench your right fist, squeezing it tightly for 5-7 seconds. Notice the tension in your hand and forearm.
- Exhale and release: On your exhale, release the fist completely. Pay close attention to the feeling of warmth and looseness as the tension drains away. Stay with this sensation for 15-20 seconds. Repeat with your left fist.
- Work through your body: Continue this pattern of tensing on the inhale and releasing on the exhale for different muscle groups:
- Arms: Biceps and triceps.
- Face: Scrunch your forehead, eyes, and jaw tightly, then release.
- Shoulders: Pull your shoulders up to your ears, then let them drop completely.
- Stomach: Tighten your abdominal muscles, then let them go soft.
- Legs: Squeeze your thighs and calves, then release.
- Feet: Curl your toes tightly, then let them relax.
5. The Pelvic Clock: Unlocking Your Core Tension
Many of us hold an enormous amount of stress and tension in our hips, pelvis, and lower back, especially after sitting in a chair all day. This area is a central hub for our nervous system and a common storage container for unresolved emotions and physical strain. The Pelvic Clock is a subtle but incredibly potent somatic movement that helps to reawaken, soothe, and release this deep-seated tension.
By imagining a clock face on your lower back and gently moving your pelvis to different "hours," you create small, precise movements that hydrate the connective tissues, decompress the lumbar spine, and calm the nerves in the sacral plexus. This isn't a big, forceful movement; it's a mindful exploration that enhances proprioception (your sense of where your body is in space) and releases chronic holding patterns in your core. As Goh Ling Yong often emphasizes, true wellness begins by addressing these foundational areas of the body.
How to Practice:
- Starting position: Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, about hip-width apart. Rest your arms comfortably by your sides. Your spine should be in a neutral position.
- Visualize the clock: Imagine a clock face lying flat on the floor beneath your pelvis. 12 o'clock is towards your head, 6 o'clock is towards your feet, and 3 and 9 o'clock are at your left and right sides, respectively.
- Explore 12 and 6: On an exhale, gently press your lower back into the floor by tilting your pubic bone up towards your navel (moving your pelvis towards 12 o'clock). On an inhale, release and create a small arch in your lower back, tilting your tailbone down towards the floor (moving towards 6 o'clock). Repeat this gentle rocking motion several times, keeping the movement small and smooth.
- Explore 3 and 9: Now, keep your back relatively neutral and imagine dropping the weight of your right hip down towards the floor (3 o'clock). Then, shift the weight to your left hip (9 o'clock). This is a very subtle side-to-side rocking motion. Your knees will stay pointing towards the ceiling.
- Circle the clock: Once you're comfortable with these movements, connect them. Slowly and smoothly, circle your pelvis around the clock face: 12, 1, 2, 3, and so on. After a few rotations, reverse the direction. The goal is smoothness, not speed.
6. Grounding Through Your Feet: Finding Your Anchor
When you’re stressed, your energy is often stuck in your head—swirling thoughts, worries, and mental chatter. Grounding is the practice of bringing your awareness down, out of your head, and into the solid, stable support of the earth beneath you. It's a powerful way to calm an anxious mind and signal to your nervous system that you are safe and supported.
This somatic exercise works by activating the sensory nerves in the soles of your feet, providing your brain with direct, tangible proof of your connection to the ground. This physical anchor can interrupt cycles of anxiety and overwhelm almost instantly. It's a simple, discreet technique you can do anywhere, anytime you feel stress levels rising, but it's especially powerful after a long day to mark the transition from "work mode" to "home mode."
How to Practice:
- Stand or sit: You can do this standing or sitting in a chair. If standing, have your feet about hip-width apart. If sitting, place both feet flat on the floor.
- Feel your feet: Close your eyes if you feel comfortable. Bring all of your attention to the soles of your feet.
- Notice the points of contact: Feel the points where your feet make contact with your shoes or the floor. Notice the heel, the ball of the foot, and each individual toe.
- Press down gently: Gently press your feet into the floor, as if you were trying to leave a footprint in soft sand. Feel the floor "pressing back" up at you. Imagine roots growing down from the soles of your feet, anchoring you deep into the earth.
- Play with weight distribution: Slowly shift your weight forward onto the balls of your feet, and then back onto your heels. Shift your weight from side to side. Find the place where your weight feels most evenly distributed.
- Breathe into the ground: Imagine your breath traveling all the way down your body, through your legs, and out the soles of your feet into the earth on the exhale. On the inhale, imagine drawing stable, calming energy up from the earth. Stay with this for 1-3 minutes.
Your Body Knows the Way
Integrating these simple somatic exercises into your post-work routine isn't about adding another "to-do" to your list. It's about carving out a few sacred moments to listen to your body and honor its need to release the burdens of the day. The message behind all these practices is the same: your body holds innate wisdom, and it knows how to heal and regulate itself if you give it the time, space, and gentle attention it deserves.
Start small. Choose just one of these exercises that resonates with you and commit to trying it for five minutes when you get home from work this week. Notice the subtle shifts—a deeper breath, softer shoulders, a quieter mind. This is how you begin to dissolve stored tension, re-wire your stress response, and build a more resilient and harmonious relationship with your body.
Which of these cortisol-crushing exercises are you most excited to try first? Share your thoughts or experiences in the comments below—we’d love to hear from you!
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
Stay updated with the latest posts and insights by following on your favorite platform!