When a gazelle is chased by a lion, after a long pursuit (if it survives), the first thing it does is shake out the excess electric charge. This release of nervous energy is very natural for animals and children. However, as we grow up, we stop doing this—often to avoid looking weak, or because it may seem silly for adults to shake after an event that causes tremors in the body.
Yet this is something everyone should do from time to time. If we don’t, the body continues to store this nervous energy and keeps looking for ways to discharge it.
If you feel that you don’t need to shake out stored nervous energy, give your body a chance to do it naturally—you may be surprised by what it knows how to release.
Follow these simple TRE (Trauma Release Exercise) instructions (about 20 minutes), and you might be surprised by what you discover.
TRE Or Yoga Nidra To Release Nervous Energy: My Experience
I just got back after interviewing someone, and after two hours of interviewing, I could feel that I was not grounded. My hands and feet had an electric charge (typical symptoms of nervous energy build-up). Another sign of this for me is:
- Hot air blowing out of the nose
- Restlessness after an event
- Excessive speaking after an event
- Dry throat
What you need to know is that cognitive reasoning kind of slows down, so a lot of times people may not even notice that they are charged, and they may not release this built-up nervous energy. Especially in a fast-paced life, many people end up living for months or even years without finding the right way to release this stored nervous energy.
If you ever come across this situation—either for yourself or for your loved ones—you can use Yoga Nidra immediately, and then TRE later the same day or the next day to release any built-up tension.
Yoga Nidra helps to down-tempo the nervous system and brings you into a regulated state.
Here is a Yoga Nidra for the Sacral Chakra, guided by Ally Boothroyd. I have found this to be effective.
Set up Your Environment
- Lie down (or reclined, not seated)
- Dim lights
- Slightly cool room
- Heavy blanket (Gives the idea of being held)
🧘♂️Yoga Nidra
Best when:
- You feel shaky, wired, overheated, mentally active
- There’s no deep emotional charge—just agitation
- You want parasympathetic dominance without stirring anything
What it does (scientifically):
- Activates vagal tone
- Reduces amygdala firing
- Lowers cortisol
- Increases theta/alpha brainwaves
- Improves interoceptive safety (“I’m okay now”)
Translation:
It tells your system: “Threat over. Stand down.”
🔄 TRE (Trauma Release Exercises)
Best when:
- There’s stored, chronic tension
- Emotions feel “stuck” or suppressed
- The body wants to move or discharge
What it does (scientifically):
- Induces involuntary neurogenic tremors
- Discharges muscular holding patterns
- Can temporarily increase arousal before settling
- Can surface memory/emotion
My experience of Yoga Nidra for Nervous System grounding:
After 25 minutes or so of following the above Yoga nidra guide, I started yawning back to back and also tears rolled out of my eyes. The electric charge which was around my hands and legs, started to dissipate and body became tight but relaxed.
1. What was happening anatomically (step-by-step)
Phase 1: “Electric charge” in hands & feet (first ~20–25 min)
What you felt:
- Tingling, buzzing, current-like sensation
- Mostly in extremities
What was actually happening:
- Sympathetic → Parasympathetic handover
- Blood flow redistributing from core → periphery
- Peripheral nerves becoming more excitable as muscle tone drops
- Calcium + sodium ion flow changes in sensory neurons
Think of it as:
The nervous system switching from action wiring to rest wiring.
This sensation is extremely common during deep relaxation but is more noticeable in people who were highly activated beforehand (like you).
Phase 2: Yawning, tears, soft emotional release
What I felt:
- Repeated yawning
- A few tears without sadness
This is a big marker.
What’s happening physiologically:
- Vagus nerve activation
- Carbon dioxide tolerance resetting
- Brainstem releasing inhibition
- Parasympathetic dominance stabilizing
Yawning is one of the fastest natural discharge mechanisms we have.
Tears here are not emotional grief — they’re parasympathetic lacrimation.
In simple terms:
Your system finally felt safe enough to let go.
Phase 3: Heaviness in bones / tight density (~10 min)
This part is subtle and important.
What you felt:
- “Charge” no longer diffuse
- Heaviness, density, mild tightness
- Especially in bones / deep tissues
What’s happening:
- Muscles have let go, but deep postural tone is recalibrating
- Proprioceptors in joints and fascia are re-registering gravity
- Bone marrow pressure and connective tissue hydration shift slightly
This is the “re-weighting” phase.
Your body is saying:
“Okay, where am I in space now?”
Phase 4: Dissipation & quiet (end)
- Nervous system completes the loop
- Baseline restored
- Cognitive noise drops
That’s a full autonomic stress cycle completed.
Most people never finish this cycle — they interrupt it with phones, thinking, or activity.
Depending upon your nervous system activation level, sometime it could take more time and sometime it could take less time.
Often you may not have so much time to do a complete Yoga Nidra or switch from one meeting to another, then use these techniques:
🔹 Fast reset (2–5 minutes)
— before or after meetings
Use this when:
- You’re activated but functional
- No deep emotional charge
Protocol:
- Physiological sigh (2–3 rounds)
- Inhale through nose
- Short top-up inhale
- Long slow exhale through mouth
- Jaw + tongue release (30–60 sec)
- Let jaw hang
- Tongue heavy in mouth
- Gentle hum on exhale
- Peripheral grounding (30–60 sec)
- Press feet into floor
- Press palms together lightly
- Name 3 physical sensations silently
This alone can reduce arousal 40–60%.
🔹 Medium reset (8–12 minutes)
— between intense interactions
- Short body scan
- No visualization
- Emphasis on exhale length
Or use this 10 minute Yoga Nidra
This prevents charge from accumulating.
🔹 Full reset (20–45 minutes)
Use only when:
- You notice repeated aftershocks
- Sleep quality is affected
- Emotional residue lingers
This is not for every time.
My friend I can’t tell you how amazing it feels after this built up nervous energy is released. For years I wasn’t even aware of what’s happening inside, and as the awareness of my body and sensation has improved with the help of Vipassana meditation and retreat like Sapience, I find it true transformation for my physical body and soul.
More on this topic in the coming days… do share your experience with Yoga Nidra and Nervous system reset in the comment below.