Channel Your Favorite Inner Animal - and "Shake it Off!"

Learn how to take advantage of therapeutic "neurogenic tremoring" to reduce the serious health risks associated with stress and trauma in a few, easy steps.

Bunny, looking cute and alert - but not at all stressed

Have you ever considered why animals, who live in the wild and have frequent stressful and even daily life-threatening encounters, don’t seem to be traumatized or suffer the consequences of stress that we humans do? Where are the ulcers? The PTSD? Why don’t they suffer the heart disease or hypertension? No meds for anxiety and depression for them!

You might remember me mentioning this during class, or note that I often encourage you to “shake off the tension like a bunny” after a challenging pose or balance you've just completed. I have often shared a story (inspired from one of my favorite books Why Zebras Don’t get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky) of the rabbit who following a scary encounter then finds himself “frozen” in sympathetic nervous system response (a fancy way of saying “fight-flight-or-freeze”). However, upon finding himself safe from a predator he will begin to shake and tremble until he has exhausted his stress hormones and falls into a sleep – only to awaken refreshed and renewed, with no seeming long-term ramifications of the near-death experience. In his book, Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma: The Innate Capacity to Transform Overwhelming Experiences, Peter A. Levine notes that animals often instinctively release tension and stress through a manner of self-regulation via shaking in an innate attempt to heal themselves. We humans could learn a lot from watching our primate cousins and many other animal species, and simply shake the stress away.

Shaking is a simple, effective, and fun way to relieve some of the symptoms of stress and anxiety. It can ease tension in your muscles, help lubricate your joints, and improve circulation of blood and lymph. It may minimize the symptoms of frustration and tension due to a long commute, a bad day at work or school, or a rough emotional encounter with others. Shaking encourages a release of stress hormones and stuck patterns of tension. It can reduce the likelihood of breath holding or shallow breathing, as well as freeing up energy that might be blocked in various areas of your body. Shaking may even help reduce the sensation of pain due to muscular tension and help your body relax - particularly before bedtime. While there is not a lot of research around “therapeutic” or “neurogenic tremoring” (a phrase conceived by David Berceli, PhD), you can try it and feel the effect for yourself. MANY animals (such as the aforementioned rabbits- to zebras, dogs, elephants, reptiles and polar bears) do this to shake away the effects of trauma and stress. So how do we go about it?

• Start by shaking small areas of your body, perhaps someplace where you hold pain or tension. It could be a hand, arm, shoulder or foot.

• Be sure to maintain a slow, steady breath.

• Shake for 10-30 seconds, and build up gradually. Take time to observe how much better you feel.

• You can shake while standing, sitting or even lying down in bed. Lift your arm(s) or leg(s) off the surface of the chair/bed one at a time, or both limbs at the same time. Notice if you are gripping your breath and relax the belly or diaphragm.

• Take shake breaks any time you discover you are building up tension, are experiencing difficult emotions such anger or frustration, or have experienced trauma. Find a bathroom stall, elevator or storage closet – even your car - if necessary!

• Have fun! Channel your inner puppy, rabbit or zebra …and, in the famous words of Taylor Swift… just “Shake it off!” (Speaking of Taylor Swift, playing music you enjoy while you shake will just enhance your experience!)

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