Why Executives and Leaders Are Turning to Somatic Healing Yoga

Photo by Matthias Münning on Unsplash

A grounded leadership begins with somatic awareness

My humble experience of leading a team at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) made me think about how leaders affect a team’s relationships, productivity, and oneness. As the Emergency Communication Specialist for UNICEF based in Romania we responded to the urgent needs of Ukrainian refugees who crossed the border into Romania after the Russian invasion. There were none of the yearly plans or recurring projects I was used to at UNICEF Headquarters in New York. In Romania we were responding to a crisis, and no one knew how it would unfold. When I arrived there I was expected to hit the ground running. I was to hire and lead a team as the office expanded three fold by bringing in emergency response professionals. In this high pressure environment in which strategic decision making had to be made on the fly, I felt a little out of my element. I was scared that I wasn’t wise enough to make decisions for the team. I thought my personality wasn’t fit to lead people. 

My team became effective and unified and my confidence grew. Yet reflecting on that period I have come to realize how much I would have benefited from the somatic healing practice I came to discover in the years that followed. 

Back then, I had no idea what “listen to” or “come back to” my body meant. Interoceptive awareness (being aware of how you feel inside your body such as your muscle tension and breath quality) was something I learned after I became a yoga practitioner. Had I acquired the skills to connect my body and mind during stressful moments, I would have been able to manage my stress better, and create a more grounded leadership style for my team. Interoception and mind-body connection not only affects the leaders themselves but has a positive ripple effect to the team, and eventually the organization.

 

What kind of a leader are you?

Leadership comes in many styles but I remember the type of leaders I appreciated; the ones that have been always present for me. Are you a high-achieving leader because you have been practicing “emotional  multitasking"? Do these traits sound familiar?

You can listen with empathy even when your inside is exhausted.

You can hold space for others with a smile while burying your own needs.

You push through because you want to set an example for your team.

This is strength. But overtime, your body forgets that you, too, need care. Your body might not realize how much chronic tension you are holding. You might be quietly carrying more than your body knows how to hold. 

And the care we talk about here is not the kind that comes in a ten-minute morning meditation or a weekend getaway.

That tension building quietly might look like this:

• You feel constantly alert and restless
• You don’t feel rested after your sleep
• You can’t remember that last time you truly connected with your emotions 
• You sometimes have an unexpected emotional overflow
• You are wired around the idea that you shouldn’t rest too much

And often, even in moments of rest, the nervous system doesn’t fully believe it’s safe to relax.

That’s where somatic healing yoga comes in—not to fix you, but as an invitation to self care and development.

What Is Somatic Healing Yoga?

Somatic healing yoga is a gentle, body-based practice that supports the nervous system in returning to a state of calmness. It helps release stored tension and shift from fight-or-flight status by reconnecting the body with the mind.

It doesn’t require flexibility or ask you to “get it right”. The focus is on the presence, not the posture. You don’t need to explain what your stress is, instead you ask yourself what you can feel inside your body, and listen to the message that your body has been waiting to be heard.

Somatic healing yoga uses slow movement, body sensation awareness, breath and stillness to help the body feel safe enough to release the grip it didn’t even know it was holding.

Over time, it helps unwind the deeper layers of tension, stress, and survival habits that talking therapy alone can’t always reach.

Somatic yoga as essential tools for personal development

An important aspect of somatic yoga is interoception- the ability to sense your internal body signals such as heartbeat, breath or muscle tension. By having more somatic awareness, you can learn how to regulate your nervous system, enabling your stress to be managed and remain composed under pressure. Research shows that increased interoception sensibility exhibited lower levels of stress. 

Somatic yoga also teaches you that you can shift from fight-or-flight mode to rest-and-digest state with your own breath. Knowing that you only need yourself for this change to happen gives you confidence and control which allows you to explore deeper connections with yourself, leading to enhancing presence. It allows leaders to respond to a challenge rather than react, creating a more grounded and calm leadership style.

How your leadership can change with somatic awareness

A grounded leadership for yourself and your team might look like this:

1. Your Presence Deepens

You are more present for your team. They feel you are more coherent and put together and can sense you are more grounded. They want to listen to you more closely because of the trusting vibe you create. You also notice the subtle body language cues from others because you know yours. Knowing their slight shifts in posture, breathing and facial expressions can allow you to deepen the connection with them and build trust. 

2. Decisions Get Quieter and Clearer

With a regulated nervous system, the mind stops spinning. Making decisions doesn't feel so urgent or pressured because you are focused and present. You know what’s yours to carry—and what’s not. So with a clearer mind, you respond calmly instead of reacting while chasing thoughts after thoughts. 

3. Creating Psychological Safety for Your Team 

Leaders who remain grounded through breath work and nervous system regulation can signal safety to their teams. A calm presence creates a sense of stability and trust within the team in uncertain or high-pressure situations. When the leader is calm, it naturally unites the team and allows them to feel safe to bring up any opinions or concerns they may have. 

 

4. Boosts Energy and Confidence to Lead

Some yoga poses are effective to give you the energy and confidence when you need them! They are called power poses and you can practice them alone or with your team to create a positive atmosphere. Opening your shoulders instead of hunching over, sitting up straight with your spine tall instead of slouching in your seat can positively influence your mindset while also projecting confidence to others. And when you feel confident, your chest naturally opens and it begins the positive mind-body connection feedback loop. 

5. You Stop Burning Out

Burnout isn’t always about the hours you put in—it’s also about disconnection with your body. When your mindfulness leads your mind-body connection, you feel like yourself again. You listen to your body more and know when to stop and take care of yourself. You don’t have to lay on the beach to rejuvenate or wait till your next getaway to recover. You can start healing while still showing up and leading your team.

 
6. You Change the Culture Without Forcing It

Your grounded presence sets the tone. When you’re regulated, your team feels it. Communication becomes more open. Meetings shift. Your team feels safer—not because of new policies, but because of who you’ve become. Culture starts to transform—because you did.

Your Body Remembers And It’s Waiting to Heal

Even when you think your stress or pain is behind you, your body remembers it -it’s stored in your body until it’s acknowledged and healed. Your brain keeps on sending messages to your body to brace for impact, even when you’re not in a dangerous situation. It has learned to protect you by sending these alert messages because no one told you that you don’t have to flinch, tighten your muscle, or become anxious anymore. But you can now be in charge of telling your body that it’s safe enough to let go. Then your life begins to become softer, calmer, kinder, more spacious from inside out. 

The beautiful thing about somatic healing yoga is that you don’t have to think your way into healing. You don’t even have to know what you need. It meets you where you are. Let the wisdom of your body do its work and create a new relationship —with your body, your breath, and your own quiet inner self.

If this speaks to you, I invite you to explore this work with me. I offer private sessions online, created for each individual. 

You just need to arrive. And we start with a full breath in, full breath out. A long slow exhale together, maybe for the first time in a long time. Change starts gently.

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