A 10-Minute Summer Reset: Restorative Yoga to Regulate Your Nervous System on the Go
☀️ A Summer Pause: A 10-Minute Restorative Practice to Reset Your Nervous System on the Road (or at Home)
In the heart of summer—with its longer days, brighter light, increased stimulation, and faster pace—we often find ourselves stretched thin, even as we’re surrounded by joy and movement.
The body is meant to expand and contract, to cycle through doing and resting, activity and integration. But in our culture of constant doing, we rarely give ourselves permission to pause long enough to truly feel what we need.
So we end up reacting to life—held in habitual tension—rather than responding to it with presence and care.
This is why restorative yoga is so vital—especially in the summer. And especially when we’re traveling.
As I often teach: “It’s not about doing more. It’s about softening into what’s already here.” When we allow ourselves even a few minutes to land and be held, we begin to restore the very foundation that helps us meet life with grace and responsiveness.
Why We Need Restorative Practice in the Summer
While summer is associated with vibrancy and outward energy, it can quietly tax the nervous system—especially when routines are disrupted, travel is involved, and our schedules are full. The heat alone increases physiological stress.
In this heightened state, our sympathetic nervous system—the part responsible for the fight-or-flight response—tends to stay active, often beneath the surface. This may show up as low-level anxiety, tightness in the belly or chest, shallow breathing, trouble sleeping, or a sense of being scattered.
And here’s the thing: Your body can’t heal, digest, or deeply connect while it’s bracing.
That’s where restorative yoga comes in.
By consciously pausing and creating space for deep rest, we send a signal to the body that it is safe. We invite the parasympathetic nervous system—the “rest and digest” mode—to take the lead.
From here, everything begins to shift.
Your 10-Minute Travel-Friendly Reset: Reclined Goddess Pose
This deeply nourishing, supine pose can be done anywhere—with just a few blankets and blocks (or rolled-up towels and books). Whether you’re in a hotel room, a backyard, or your living room floor, this pose helps you reset from the inside out.
It’s like placing your nervous system in a hammock.
What You’ll Need:
3 blankets or towels
2 yoga blocks or firm books
A quiet space and 10 minutes to yourself
How to Set It Up:
Build your bolster: Stack two blankets lengthwise down the center of your mat or towel. This will support your spine and chest. Use one blanket if you prefer a more subtle lift.
Create a head pillow: Fold the top of the bolster back slightly to support your neck and head.
Support your arms: Lay a rolled blanket across two blocks near the sides of your mat to cradle your forearms.
Lie back: Sit at the end of your bolster and gently lower yourself down so your spine and head are fully supported. Let the soles of your feet come together and your knees fall open (support the outer thighs if needed).
Settle in: Place one hand on your belly, one on your heart—or rest your arms wide.
Begin Your Practice: A Nervous System Reset
As you settle in, bring awareness to the weight of your body. Feel where you meet the ground. Breathe into your hands—or simply feel the breath ripple across your chest and belly.
“Each exhale is an opportunity to soften tension, release holding, and remember the support that’s already here.” – Jillian Pransky
Let your thigh muscles melt down toward the earth.
Let your breath move like gentle waves.
Soften your face and jaw. Let your tongue fall.
Imagine your chest has nostrils. Let the breath move in and out through your heart center.
Let go of trying. There is nothing to fix.
This is the practice of being with yourself in real time, with compassion and presence.
Why This Practice Is So Effective
This pose isn’t just a stretch. It’s a nervous system balm. With consistent practice, even for just 10 minutes, you can begin to:
Release stored muscular and emotional tension
Improve digestion and immune function
Feel more grounded and clear after travel or overstimulation
Reconnect with your body’s natural rhythm
Build the capacity to respond rather than react
As I often say, “A little + often = a lot.”
The true power of this practice is not in how long it is, but in how honestly you show up for it.
The Pause is the Practice
Slowing down is not a detour from your life—it’s how you arrive more fully in it.
In this practice, we’re not escaping. We’re making space. Space for your breath, for your truth, for your wholeness. And in that space, we begin to remember: we don’t have to hold everything alone.
The more we practice pausing, the more capacity we create to choose our responses from a grounded place—not from fear or reactivity, but from presence and care.
This is how we build nervous system resilience.
This is how we come home to ourselves.
This is how we heal.
Take This With You
Whether you're traveling or simply navigating a full summer season, bring this 10-minute restorative pause with you. Save it to your phone, roll up some towels, and take the time to reset—because you’re worth it.
And if you’d like more support…
👉 Sign up for FREE Friday meditations.
Because rest is not a luxury.
It’s a lifeline.
10-minute restorative goddess pose practice
introducing my new summer series: “Strong Body, Open Mind”
This July, I'm offering a 4-part full-body series designed to build strength and vitality from the ground up—while also cultivating spaciousness, openness, and clarity of mind. These practices invite us to feel grounded in our bodies, so we can feel more at ease and expansive in our lives.
NEW SUMMER PRACTICE SERIES
Designed to fit into the busy summer season, the short yet potent full-body practices in this series will leave you feeling centered and balanced in your body and expansive and open in your mind.
Series includes 4 NEW 30-minute practices PLUS a 10-minute bonus full-body centering practice.
Light weights or water bottles are optional