You get shaky when you’re nervous because your body releases adrenaline and cortisol, activating the fight-or-flight response. These stress hormones flood your muscles with energy, and since you are not actually fighting or fleeing, that pent-up energy releases as trembling. Your hands, legs, voice, or entire body may shake. This is a completely normal physiological response, and there are proven techniques, especially from yoga and breathwork, that can steady you quickly.
If you have ever stood up to speak in front of a group and felt your hands trembling, your knees going weak, or your voice quivering, you know how unsettling nervous shaking can be. I have been there myself, standing on a yoga retreat stage in front of forty students, feeling my own hands begin to flutter despite years of practice. The shaking itself becomes a source of more anxiety, creating a loop that feels impossible to escape.
The good news is that this response is not just normal, it is your body trying to protect you. And once you understand what is happening beneath the surface, you can work with your nervous system instead of fighting against it. In this guide, we will explore why do I get shaky when I’m nervous and how to steady myself using yoga-based practices, breathing techniques, grounding exercises, and long-term lifestyle strategies that go beyond quick fixes.
At Moksana Yoga, we approach anxiety through the lens of the body. Where most resources focus on medication or clinical therapy alone, we believe the ancient practices of yoga, pranayama, and meditation offer some of the most direct pathways to calming an overactive nervous system. You do not need to be flexible, experienced, or spiritual to benefit from these tools. You just need a willingness to breathe and listen to your body.
Table of Contents
Why Do I Get Shaky When I’m Nervous? The Science Behind the Shakes
When you encounter something your brain perceives as a threat, whether that is a grizzly bear or a job interview, a tiny almond-shaped structure in your brain called the amygdala sounds the alarm. This triggers a lightning-fast cascade of events designed to keep you alive. Your adrenal glands dump adrenaline and cortisol into your bloodstream. Your heart rate spikes. Your breathing quickens. Blood rushes to your major muscle groups, priming them to either fight or run.
Here is where the shaking comes in. Your muscles are now loaded with energy and ready for explosive action. But you are sitting in a chair across from an interviewer, not sprinting away from danger. That unspent energy has nowhere to go, so it leaks out as fine tremors in your hands, legs, voice, or diaphragm. Your muscles are essentially idling at high RPM, vibrating with readiness for a race that never starts.
Cortisol, often called the stress hormone, amplifies this effect. It keeps your nervous system locked in a heightened state of alertness for longer than adrenaline alone. While adrenaline peaks within seconds and fades over several minutes, cortisol can keep your body on edge for hours. This is why you might still feel jittery long after the stressful event has passed, or why you feel shaky and depleted the morning after an anxiety-heavy day.
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for this fight-or-flight activation. Its counterpart, the parasympathetic nervous system, is what calms everything back down. Think of the sympathetic system as the gas pedal and the parasympathetic system as the brake. When you are nervous, someone is flooring the gas pedal, and your job is to learn how to press the brake.
This is where the vagus nerve becomes essential. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in your body, running from your brainstem down through your neck, chest, and abdomen. It is the primary highway for parasympathetic signals, telling your heart to slow down, your digestion to resume, and your muscles to relax. Stimulating the vagus nerve through slow breathing, humming, gentle movement, and even cold water on your face is one of the fastest ways to deactivate the stress response.
Then there is the secondary anxiety cycle. You notice your hands shaking, and a thought flashes through your mind: everyone can see this, what is wrong with me, this is getting worse. That thought triggers another wave of adrenaline, which intensifies the shaking, which generates more anxious thoughts. Breaking this loop is not about stopping the shaking through force. It is about changing how you respond to it so the cycle loses its fuel.
Yoga philosophy has a beautiful way of describing this. The ancient texts speak of sthira and sukha, stability and ease. Anxiety tips us entirely into instability, tension, and over-effort. The practices of yoga are designed to bring us back to a place where effort and ease coexist. When we apply that wisdom to nervous shaking, we stop trying to suppress the tremors and instead create the conditions for the body to settle on its own.
Types of Nervous Shaking You Might Experience
Nervous shaking does not look the same for everyone. Understanding which type you experience can help you choose the right technique to steady yourself.
Shaky Hands and Fingers
This is the most common form of nervous shaking. Your fine motor muscles are highly sensitive to adrenaline, so small tremors in your fingers are often the first visible sign of nervousness. You might struggle to hold a glass of water steady, sign your name, or type on a keyboard without making errors. This is also the type of shaking most visible to others, which makes it especially distressing in professional and social settings.
Full-Body Tremors
Some people experience shaking throughout their entire body, often during a panic attack or in the build-up to a highly stressful event. Your legs may feel like jelly, your core may quiver, and you might feel a deep shivering sensation that you cannot control. Full-body tremors are intense and frightening, but they are not dangerous. They are simply a larger-scale version of the same adrenaline mechanism.
Internal Shaking and Vibrating Sensations
One of the most distressing yet least understood forms of nervous shaking is internal trembling. You feel like your entire body is vibrating from the inside, yet no one looking at you can see anything. People in anxiety forums describe this constantly. One person on Reddit shared that at the height of their anxiety, they felt internal tremors almost around the clock, even though nobody else could detect them. This sensation is real, and it comes from the same muscle tension and adrenaline activation, just at a level too subtle to be visible.
Nighttime Shaking and Sleep-Related Tremors
Some people notice shaking most acutely at night, either as they are falling asleep or when they wake suddenly from an anxiety dream. Your cortisol levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day, and if your baseline stress has been elevated, nighttime can become a window where accumulated anxiety surfaces. Sleep deprivation then compounds the problem, because a tired nervous system is even more reactive to stress hormones the next day.
How Anxiety Shaking Differs From Other Tremors
It is worth understanding how anxiety shaking differs from other types of tremors, because many people worry their shaking is a sign of something like Parkinson’s disease. Anxiety tremors typically come and go with stress, affect the whole body rather than starting on one side, and disappear during sleep or deep relaxation. Essential tremor, by contrast, is a persistent condition that often runs in families and tends to worsen with intentional movement. Neurological tremors like those associated with Parkinson’s usually start on one side of the body, are present at rest, and come with other symptoms such as stiffness or changes in gait. If your shaking only appears during stress and resolves when you are calm, it is almost certainly anxiety-related.
How to Steady Yourself Right Now: Immediate Techniques
When you are actively shaking, you need tools that work within minutes. These techniques directly engage your parasympathetic nervous system to bring the shaking under control.
4-7-8 Breathing
This technique, popularized by Dr. Andrew Weil, is one of the most effective breath patterns for rapid nervous system calming. It works because the extended exhale activates the vagus nerve and signals safety to your brain.
1. Sit or stand with your spine tall and your shoulders relaxed.
2. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge behind your upper front teeth.
3. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a soft whoosh sound.
4. Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose for a count of 4.
5. Hold your breath for a count of 7.
6. Exhale completely through your mouth for a count of 8.
7. Repeat this cycle 4 times.
After three or four rounds, most people notice a significant reduction in shaking. The key is the long exhale, which acts as a built-in brake on your nervous system.
Box Breathing
Used by Navy SEALs and meditation practitioners alike, box breathing creates a sense of rhythmic steadiness that helps quiet an overactive mind and body.
1. Inhale through your nose for a count of 4.
2. Hold your breath for a count of 4.
3. Exhale through your mouth for a count of 4.
4. Hold your lungs empty for a count of 4.
5. Repeat for 4 to 8 cycles.
This technique is particularly useful during situations where you cannot move freely, such as sitting in a meeting or waiting for an interview to begin.
The 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Method
When shaking is accompanied by racing thoughts or a sense of dissociation, grounding techniques pull your attention back to the present moment. The 5-4-3-2-1 method uses your five senses to anchor you in reality.
1. Name 5 things you can see around you.
2. Name 4 things you can physically feel, such as the chair beneath you or your feet on the floor.
3. Name 3 things you can hear.
4. Name 2 things you can smell.
5. Name 1 thing you can taste.
By the time you complete this list, your nervous system has begun to register that you are in a safe environment rather than in danger. The shaking often subsides noticeably.
The 3-3-3 Rule for Anxiety
The 3-3-3 rule is a simplified grounding technique that is easy to remember under pressure. It asks you to identify three things you see, three sounds you hear, and three parts of your body you can move. This could be wiggling your toes, rolling your shoulders, or gently turning your head. The combination of sensory awareness and gentle movement disrupts the anxiety feedback loop and redirects your brain’s attention away from the internal alarm.
Cold Water and the Dive Reflex
Splashing cold water on your face or holding an ice pack against your cheeks triggers what scientists call the mammalian dive reflex. When cold hits the area around your eyes and cheekbones, your body responds as if you have plunged into cold water. Your heart rate slows dramatically and blood shifts toward your core, mimicking the calming effect of deep relaxation. This is one of the fastest physical interventions for shaking during a panic episode, often working within 15 to 30 seconds.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
This technique involves deliberately tensing and then releasing muscle groups, which helps discharge the excess energy that causes shaking. Start by clenching your fists tightly for 5 seconds, then release completely and notice the contrast. Move up to your arms, then your shoulders, then your face, then your abdomen, then your legs, and finally your feet. By the time you have traveled through your entire body, the accumulated tension has been released and the trembling often resolves on its own.
Yoga Practices to Calm Nervous Shaking
This is where Moksana Yoga brings something that virtually no other resource on this topic offers. Yoga is not just exercise or stretching. It is a comprehensive system for nervous system regulation that has been refined over thousands of years. The practices below work directly on the physiological mechanisms that cause nervous shaking, and they do so without side effects, prescriptions, or equipment.
Pranayama: Breath as Medicine
In yogic tradition, pranayama means the expansion and control of life force through the breath. Modern neuroscience has confirmed what yogis have known for centuries: specific breathing patterns directly influence which branch of your autonomic nervous system is active. Slow, extended exhalation stimulates the vagus nerve and activates the parasympathetic system. Rapid, shallow breathing keeps the sympathetic system engaged.
Extended Exhale Breathing. The simplest pranayama for anxiety is to make your exhale longer than your inhale. Inhale through your nose for a count of 4, then exhale through your nose for a count of 6 or 8. You do not need to hold your breath. Just lengthen the exhale. Within five or six breaths, you will likely feel your heart rate slow and your body begin to settle. This is vagal stimulation in its most accessible form.
Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing). This practice balances the left and right hemispheres of the brain and is one of the most calming techniques in the yogic toolkit. Bring your right thumb to your right nostril and gently close it. Inhale through the left nostril. Close the left nostril with your ring finger, release the thumb, and exhale through the right nostril. Inhale through the right, then switch and exhale through the left. That is one round. Continue for 5 to 10 rounds. Practitioners consistently report a profound sense of mental clarity and physical stillness after just a few minutes of this practice.
Bhramari (Humming Bee Breath). This technique uses vibration to stimulate the vagus nerve directly. Inhale through your nose, then exhale slowly while making a steady humming sound, like the low drone of a bee. The vibration resonates through your throat, chest, and skull, massaging the vagus nerve from the inside. You can close your ears with your thumbs and rest your fingers gently over your eyes for a deeper effect. Three to five rounds of Bhramari can dramatically reduce shaking.
Restorative Yoga Asanas for Anxiety Tremors
When your body is shaking, vigorous movement can sometimes add more adrenaline to the system. Restorative yoga works differently. These gentle, supported poses tell your nervous system that it is safe to let go. Hold each pose for 3 to 10 minutes, breathing slowly.
1. Balasana (Child’s Pose). Kneel on the floor, bring your big toes to touch, and sit back on your heels. Fold your torso forward over your thighs and rest your forehead on the floor or a cushion. Extend your arms forward or rest them alongside your body. This pose gently compresses the abdomen, which stimulates the vagus nerve, and the forehead pressure activates a calming reflex. It is one of the most grounding positions in all of yoga.
2. Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall). Sit sideways next to a wall, then swing your legs up and rest them against the wall as you lie on your back. Your hips can be touching the wall or a few inches away. Place a folded blanket under your hips for support. This pose reverses blood flow from the legs back toward the heart, lowering heart rate and signaling the parasympathetic system to take over. It is especially helpful for nighttime anxiety and shaking.
3. Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold). Stand with your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees slightly, and fold forward from the hips. Let your head and arms hang heavy. You can hold opposite elbows and sway gently. This pose brings blood to the brain, releases tension in the neck and shoulders, and triggers a natural calming response. It is a wonderful pose to do before a presentation or during a break.
4. Marjaryasana-Bitilasana (Cat-Cow). Come to your hands and knees. As you inhale, drop your belly and lift your chest and tailbone. As you exhale, round your spine and tuck your chin and tailbone. Move slowly between these two positions for 8 to 10 breaths. This gentle spinal movement releases tension in the back and connects breath with movement, which is one of the core principles of using yoga for anxiety relief.
5. Savasana (Corpse Pose). Lie flat on your back with your legs slightly apart and your arms relaxed at your sides, palms facing up. Close your eyes and allow your body to be completely supported by the floor. This is the most important pose in yoga for nervous system reset. It teaches your body what complete stillness feels like. If your body wants to shake or tremble in Savasana, allow it. In yoga therapy, this is sometimes called spontaneous release, and it is a sign that stored tension is being discharged.
Yoga Nidra for Deep Nervous System Reset
Yoga Nidra, or yogic sleep, is a guided meditation practice that brings you into a state between waking and sleeping. Research has shown that a single 30-minute session of Yoga Nidra can lower cortisol levels, reduce sympathetic nervous system activity, and produce a state of relaxation deeper than typical meditation. During practice, you lie in Savasana while a guide leads you through body scanning, breath awareness, and visualization. For people who struggle with chronic anxiety shaking, a regular Yoga Nidra practice can reset the baseline level of nervous system activation so that everyday stressors trigger less of a physical response.
You do not need to attend a class to experience Yoga Nidra. There are hundreds of free guided recordings available online, ranging from 10 minutes to an hour. I recommend starting with a 15-minute session before bed, especially if nighttime shaking is part of your experience. Over time, the deep rest that Yoga Nidra provides helps repair the cumulative toll that chronic anxiety takes on the nervous system.
Managing Shaking in Social Situations
The techniques above are powerful, but applying them during a presentation, interview, or first date requires some situational adaptation. Forum discussions reveal that the social embarrassment of visible shaking is one of the deepest pain points for people who experience it. One Reddit user shared that several people had noticed their shaking in social settings, which only intensified their anxiety. Addressing the social dimension is essential.
Public Speaking and Presentations
If your hands shake during presentations, try grounding through your feet. Before you begin, press all four corners of each foot firmly into the floor. Maintain that awareness throughout your talk. If you are holding notes or a pointer and your hands are visibly trembling, set the object down on a table or lectern. Holding something amplifies visible tremors, while resting your hands on a solid surface hides them and reduces the self-consciousness that fuels the cycle.
Box breathing is your best friend in the minutes before you speak. Sit quietly, close your eyes if possible, and run through 4 to 8 cycles. This calms the adrenaline surge before it reaches its peak. Once you begin speaking, intentionally slow your pace. Speaking slowly forces your breathing to slow as well, which keeps the parasympathetic system engaged.
Job Interviews
Interviews are particularly challenging because you are expected to sit still and project confidence. Discreetly practice the extended exhale technique while the interviewer is speaking. No one will notice. You can also do a quick progressive muscle relaxation by tensing and releasing your toes inside your shoes, or pressing your thighs into the chair and releasing. Micro-movements that no one can see still help discharge excess adrenaline.
First Dates and Social Gatherings
In casual social settings, holding a warm drink can help. The warmth soothes your hands and the mug gives you something to anchor your grip. Sipping water or tea also forces you to swallow, which activates the vagus nerve through the muscles of the throat. If you feel a shaking episode coming on, excuse yourself briefly. A minute alone in the bathroom with cold water on your face can reset your system entirely.
How to Talk About It
One of the most freeing things you can do is simply acknowledge the shaking. If someone notices, you might say something light like, my body always does this when I am excited or nervous, it is just adrenaline. Owning it removes the shame, and shame is one of the biggest amplifiers of anxiety. You might be surprised how many people respond by sharing that the same thing happens to them.
Long-Term Strategies to Build a Calmer Nervous System
Quick techniques are essential for managing shaking in the moment, but the real transformation comes from building a nervous system that is less reactive to stress in the first place. These long-term strategies address the root causes of heightened anxiety sensitivity.
A Regular Yoga Practice
Studies have consistently shown that a regular yoga practice reduces baseline cortisol levels, improves vagal tone, and decreases reactivity in the amygdala. You do not need to practice for hours each day. Even 20 minutes of gentle yoga, three to four times per week, can produce measurable changes in how your nervous system responds to stress. Over time, your threshold for triggering the fight-or-flight response rises, meaning situations that used to cause intense shaking begin to feel manageable.
If you are new to yoga, start with restorative or Hatha classes. These styles emphasize slow movement, supported poses, and breath awareness. Avoid fast-paced or heated classes when anxiety is high, as they can sometimes add sympathetic activation. Yin yoga is another excellent option, as the long holds and stillness deeply train the nervous system to settle.
Sleep and the Anxiety-Tremor Connection
Sleep deprivation is one of the most overlooked amplifiers of nervous shaking. When you are sleep-deprived, your cortisol levels stay elevated, your emotional regulation weakens, and your amygdala becomes hyperreactive. Even one night of poor sleep can significantly lower the threshold at which your body triggers the fight-or-flight response.
If nighttime anxiety is interfering with your sleep, create a wind-down ritual. Legs-Up-the-Wall pose for 10 minutes before bed, followed by a short Yoga Nidra, can shift your nervous system into rest mode. Avoid screens for at least 30 minutes before sleeping, as blue light suppresses melatonin and keeps the sympathetic system active. If racing thoughts are the problem, keep a journal by your bed and write down everything on your mind. Externalizing thoughts reduces their intensity and frees your mind to rest.
Caffeine, Nutrition, and Hydration
Caffeine is perhaps the single biggest dietary trigger for nervous shaking. It works by blocking adenosine, a calming neurotransmitter, which leaves more room for excitatory signals. If your baseline anxiety is already elevated, a cup of coffee can push you past the threshold into visible trembling. Many forum users report that caffeine directly worsens their shaking, and reducing or eliminating it often produces dramatic improvements.
Blood sugar fluctuations also play a role. When your blood sugar drops, your body releases adrenaline to compensate, which can trigger shaking identical to nervous shaking. Eating regular, protein-rich meals prevents these dips. Staying hydrated matters too, because dehydration increases cortisol production and muscle irritability.
Mindfulness Meditation
A consistent mindfulness meditation practice literally changes the structure of your brain. Over time, the prefrontal cortex, which governs rational thinking and emotional regulation, becomes thicker, while the amygdala becomes less reactive. This means that the situations which used to trigger intense fight-or-flight responses begin to feel more manageable. Even 10 minutes a day of simple breath-awareness meditation can produce noticeable changes within 8 weeks.
Therapy and Professional Support
If anxiety shaking is interfering with your daily life, therapy is a powerful option. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is one of the most evidence-based approaches for anxiety. It works by identifying and restructuring the thought patterns that trigger the stress response. A skilled therapist can help you recognize the specific thoughts that precede your shaking episodes and develop new responses that interrupt the cycle before it escalates.
In some cases, medication may be appropriate. Beta blockers like propranolol are sometimes prescribed for performance anxiety because they block the physical effects of adrenaline, including shaking, without affecting the mind. Antidepressants like SSRIs can help regulate baseline anxiety over time. These options are worth discussing with a healthcare provider if lifestyle and body-based approaches are not providing enough relief.
When Shaking Might Be Something More
Most nervous shaking is benign, but it is important to recognize when shaking might indicate something beyond anxiety. This section is not meant to cause alarm, but to help you make informed decisions about your health.
Anxiety tremors typically appear during or shortly before stressful situations, resolve when you are calm, and are often accompanied by other anxiety symptoms such as a racing heart, sweating, or shallow breathing. If your shaking persists even when you feel completely relaxed, occurs on only one side of your body, worsens with intentional movement, or is accompanied by stiffness, balance problems, or changes in your speech, it is worth consulting a doctor.
Essential tremor is a neurological condition that affects about 7 million Americans. Unlike anxiety tremors, it tends to run in families, worsens gradually over years, and primarily affects the hands, head, or voice. It is not life-threatening, but it can be managed with medication or, in some cases, procedures. Neurological tremors, such as those associated with Parkinson’s disease, typically begin on one side of the body, are most noticeable at rest, and come with other symptoms that develop progressively over time.
Certain medications can also cause or worsen tremors. Common culprits include asthma inhalers, certain antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and stimulant medications. If you have recently started a new medication and noticed an increase in shaking, talk to your prescribing doctor. An adjustment in dosage or a switch to a different medication often resolves the issue.
If you experience shaking along with chest pain, difficulty breathing, fainting, confusion, or a sudden severe headache, seek emergency medical attention immediately. These could be signs of a serious medical event rather than anxiety.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to stop being shaky when nervous?
To stop being shaky when nervous, use the 4-7-8 breathing method: inhale for 4 counts, hold for 7, and exhale for 8. Repeat 4 times. You can also splash cold water on your face to trigger the dive reflex, practice progressive muscle relaxation, or try the 3-3-3 grounding rule. These techniques activate the parasympathetic nervous system and reduce adrenaline-driven tremors within minutes.
What is the 3-3-3 rule of anxiety?
The 3-3-3 rule for anxiety asks you to identify 3 things you can see, 3 sounds you can hear, and 3 parts of your body you can move. This grounding technique pulls your attention out of anxious thought loops and back into the present moment, which reduces the stress response that causes shaking.
What is anxiety shaking like?
Anxiety shaking feels like involuntary trembling in your hands, legs, voice, or entire body during or before stressful situations. Some people describe an internal vibrating sensation that others cannot see. The shaking ranges from a faint flutter in the fingers to full-body shivering during a panic attack. It comes from adrenaline flooding your muscles with energy that has no outlet.
How long do anxiety shakes last?
Anxiety shakes typically last anywhere from a few minutes to about 30 minutes, depending on how quickly your nervous system can deactivate the stress response. Adrenaline peaks within seconds and clears the bloodstream within 10 to 20 minutes. If shaking persists beyond an hour, ongoing anxiety or other factors like caffeine, low blood sugar, or sleep deprivation may be sustaining the tremors.
Is it normal to get shaky when nervous?
Yes, getting shaky when nervous is completely normal. It is your body’s natural fight-or-flight response releasing adrenaline into your muscles. Nearly everyone experiences some form of nervous trembling in high-stress situations like public speaking, interviews, or emergencies. It is not a sign of weakness or illness.
How to stop shivering from a panic attack?
To stop shivering from a panic attack, splash cold water on your face to trigger the dive reflex and rapidly slow your heart rate. Then practice extended exhale breathing, making each exhale longer than your inhale. Ground yourself with the 5-4-3-2-1 method, and allow your body to tremble without fighting it. Remind yourself that the shaking is a normal adrenaline response and will pass within minutes.
Why do I shake when I’m nervous or excited?
You shake when nervous or excited because both emotions trigger the same adrenaline release. Your body cannot distinguish between a threat and something thrilling, so it prepares for action in both cases. This is why you might shake before a first date, a roller coaster, or receiving good news. The same fight-or-flight mechanism is at work.
Can yoga really help with anxiety shaking?
Yes, yoga is one of the most effective long-term practices for reducing anxiety shaking. Pranayama techniques like extended exhale breathing and Nadi Shodhana directly stimulate the vagus nerve. Restorative poses like Child’s Pose and Legs-Up-the-Wall activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Regular practice raises your threshold for triggering the fight-or-flight response, meaning stressful situations cause less physical trembling over time.
Bringing It All Together
Understanding why do I get shaky when I’m nervous and how to steady myself begins with one fundamental truth: your body is not betraying you. The shaking is a sign that your nervous system is working exactly as it was designed to, preparing you to face a perceived challenge. The goal is not to eliminate this response entirely but to help your body return to balance more quickly when it fires.
You now have a toolkit that ranges from immediate interventions like 4-7-8 breathing and cold water splashing to deep, long-term practices like pranayama, restorative yoga, and Yoga Nidra. Start with one technique that resonates with you. Practice it before you need it, so it becomes familiar. The more your body experiences the feeling of calming down, the easier it becomes to access that state under pressure.
At Moksana Yoga, we believe that every tremor is an invitation. It is your body asking for attention, for breath, for presence. The next time you feel the shaking begin, try meeting it with curiosity instead of resistance. Breathe long and slow. Press your feet into the earth. Let the energy move through you and out. You are not broken. You are simply learning a new way to be in your body, one breath at a time.