Somatic Practices to Wind Down at Night

Somatic rituals for the moments after everything's finally quiet.

Most nights, when the kids are in bed, after the house is picked up and sage has cleansed, everything looks calm and quiet. But my body is still wired.

When I stopped drinking alcohol almost four years ago for health reasons, I realized how few tools I had for true relaxation. Rituals like wine on the couch had masked what my body was really asking for: a way to release tension, not numb it.

That’s where somatic practices changed everything.

Your body doesn’t follow your to-do list. It follows cues.

You can declutter, light candles and smudge the space, but until your body gets a physical signal of safety, it will stay slightly “on.”

Somatic rituals work because they ground you through your senses.

They give your nervous system permission to shift out of high alert.

Even simple practices like:

• 2 minutes of facial tapping
• Placing your hand on your heart
• 1 minute of gentle rocking

If you’re in a season of sobriety, stress, or deep healing, you might need new ways to wind down. Somatic rituals aren’t about doing more, they’re about coming back to your body.

Phase 2 of the healing spiral dives more deeply into these practices and how to integrate them into your life. Find it here.