When the Body Shakes: Is It A Path to Belonging

Sacred Somatics — Balancing Kriya, Soma, and Yoga Therapy in Trauma Healing

Matsyāsana - Hatha Yoga posture - fish

During an annual Satyananda ashram retreat, I recall a profound moment after a yoga nidra practice. Following the grounding asanas, I slipped into a spontaneous kriya — my body moving effortlessly into Matsyasana (Fish Pose). It was not my conscious choice but prana itself moving through me. I observed, sustained, and allowed the flow, recognising it as an expression of my body’s deeper intelligence.

At the time, this experience wasn’t spoken about or normalised, yet it became a touchstone for me. In my yoga therapy practice today, and within the safe frameworks of TRE, I explore how bodies tremble, shake, or move into kriya spontaneously — and how, when held with safety, these somatic awakenings open expansive pathways of healing and belonging.

Kriya: The Fire of Kundalini

In Kundalini Yoga, kriya describes involuntary movements that arise as prana flows more freely. Jerks, tremors, sways, and spontaneous postures are not errors but the heat of awakening energy. Yogic texts link this fiery current to the serpent power rising through the spine, burning away stagnation.

From a somatic yoga therapy lens, kriyas are the visible signatures of prana’s intelligence at work: reorganising patterns, releasing blocks, and restoring balance to the nadis.

Matsyāsana in the Yogic Texts

The posture I entered spontaneously — Matsyāsana (Fish Pose) — has deep roots in the medieval yoga manuals. It is described in the Gheranda Samhitā (2.21) among the 32 esteemed āsanas, and also referenced in the Hatha Yoga Pradīpikā as part of the canon of postures stabilising the body for deeper practice. Matsya means “fish,” and āsana means “seat” or “posture,” evoking the image of floating with ease, supported by the current.

These texts not only list the pose but point to a principle of antarmukha — the inward-turning movement of awareness. Where modern learning often emphasises external instruction, yogic awakening was also understood as involution: wisdom arising from within, expressed spontaneously through the body. The yogis saw kriyas and postures like Matsyāsana not only as techniques to be learned, but also as natural expressions of prāṇa moving inwardly, reorganising and teaching the practitioner directly.

Soma: The Cooling, Nourishing Counterpart

Tantra and Ayurveda speak of Soma — the moon-like nectar that cools, nourishes, and balances the fiery currents of awakening. Where kriya expresses heat, effort, and activation, soma offers stillness, receptivity, and softness.

Soma is described as descending nectar, replenishing the nervous system and stabilising consciousness. In Ayurveda, it corresponds to tarpaka kapha — the subtle fluids that soothe the mind, lubricate the nerves, and restore calm.

Together, kriya and soma form a sacred polarity: the fire of release and the moon of replenishment. This balance is central to a truly somatic pathway of awakening.

The Knot That Tears Open Within Us

In yogic philosophy, kriyas are often linked to the process of granthi bhedana — the untying of subtle knots described in the classical texts. These granthis (Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra) symbolise deeply held tensions or attachments within the body-mind system. As prāṇa awakens and rises through the subtle channels, these knots may loosen or “untie,” allowing energy to flow more freely. From this perspective, spontaneous kriyas — or the body naturally moving into an asana such as Matsyāsana — can be seen as outward signs of this inner release. Rather than a disturbance, they are expressions of prāṇa’s intelligence: the body opening, untangling, and reorganising itself from the inside out.

TRE and the Principle of Containment

Modern trauma healing practices echo these ancient insights. TRE (Tension & Trauma Release Exercises) intentionally invites tremors — similar to kriyas — as a way of discharging stress. The key principle is titration: allowing the body to move in and out of shaking gradually, containing the fire so it does not overwhelm.

“TRE® safely activates the body’s natural reflex of shaking or vibrating, which helps calm the nervous system and release muscular tension.”

— Dr. David Berceli, founder of TRE

This mirrors yogic teachings: profound inner movement held within outer composure (what Tibetan Tantra calls the “secret path”). Safety, containment, and pacing are not limits but sacred vessels that allow prana’s fire to be balanced by soma’s nectar.

A Note of Caution

When I worked as a yoga therapist in a private psychiatric hospital, I often met people whose bodies expressed uncontrolled shaking, panic, or overwhelming anxiety. From my own embodied perspective, I recognised these states as what could be described as uncontrolled kundalini energy — fiery activation without the balance of nourishment. Without the cooling, stabilising qualities of soma — the water element, the moon-like nectar — the body can become destabilised.

This was alarming to witness and became one of the reasons I turned toward the study of TRE. It showed me the importance of professional support and safe frameworks when working with these powerful somatic expressions. Vulnerable people especially need nourishing, trauma-informed yoga therapy practices to support spontaneous healing in a world where such experiences are often quickly medicalised or pathologised.

Embodied Belonging

Recognising kriyas as expressions of pranic intelligence transforms our relationship to them. Instead of fearing or suppressing these movements, we can meet them with trust. This recognition is the root of what I call embodied belonging:

• Trusting that the body is not betraying us but revealing its wisdom.

• Trusting that prana has an intelligence guiding us toward wholeness.

• Trusting that soma will balance the fire, offering integration.

  
  

In both trauma sensitive yoga therapy healing, this trust is foundational — the ground of safety from which transformation unfolds.

Sacred somatics is not about chasing kriyas or forcing soma. It is about recognising the dynamic balance between activation and nourishment, fire and moon, discharge and integration. By honouring kriya as prana’s intelligence and soma as the nectar of renewal, we open a pathway where ancient yoga and modern trauma science meet — supporting safety, dignity, and embodied belonging in the healing journey.

Belonging Through the Nervous System

As Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory reminds us, our nervous systems are biologically tuned for connection. Safety is not just an idea — it is a felt state that allows us to open to others. This is where Dr. David Berceli’s work with TRE is illuminating: after the body tremors and releases defensive tension, people often report feeling calmer, more present, and more available for social engagement.

The shaking does not isolate us — it restores the possibility of belonging, both to ourselves and to our environment. In this sense, kriyas and tremors are not only about personal release; they are also pathways back into relationship and community.

If you feel curious about your body’s natural capacity to tremble, shake, and release, you might consider exploring this work within a safe and supportive container. One option is to join a TRE for 3 group course, or to begin with private in-person or online yoga therapy sessions.

These practices are not quick fixes, but part of a much wider philosophy of healing — honouring the intelligence of prana, balancing the fire of kriya with the nectar of soma, and cultivating embodied belonging at your own pace. As TRE founder David Berceli reminds us, this natural shaking response is built into all of us — whether after childbirth, following shock or trauma, or even before something as ordinary as public speaking. What may first seem unusual is in fact our body’s ancient design for restoring balance.

References

• Berceli, D. (2005). The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process. Namaste Publishing.

• Khalsa, S. B. S. (2015). Research on yoga for mental health. Harvard Health Publishing.

• Advaita Ashram. (n.d.). Kriyas in Kundalini Awakening. Retrieved from advaitashram.org

• Kundalini Symptoms. (n.d.). Understanding Kriyas. Retrieved from kundalinisymptoms.com

• Frawley, D. (2015). Soma: The Bliss Principle in Vedic Knowledge. American Institute of Vedic Studies.

• Feuerstein, G. (1998). Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy. Shambhala.

• Mallinson, J. & Singleton, M. (2017). Roots of Yoga. Penguin Classics. (Discussion of granthi bhedana in medieval texts)

• Woodroffe, J. (1919). The Serpent Power. Ganesh & Co. (Translation/commentary on granthis in Kundalini Yoga)

• Gheranda Saṃhitā (17th c.). Ch. 2, Verse 21 — lists Matsyāsana among the 32 principal āsanas.

• Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā (15th c.). Ch. 1 — reference to āsanas as preparatory to subtle practice.