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The Calm Lab Podcast
Nervous system education for bodies that won't settle
Welcome to The Calm Lab — a podcast about nervous system regulation, trauma-informed healing, and what it actually takes to feel safe in your body.
Hosted by Kassandra, a trauma-informed yoga teacher and nervous system educator.
If you've ever felt like your body won't cooperate — like you know you should relax but you can't — this podcast is for you.
Each episode, we explore:
- Polyvagal theory and how your nervous system works
- Why trauma lives in the body (and how to release it)
- Vagal toning, breathwork, and somatic practices that actually work
- Conversations with therapists, somatic practitioners, and researchers
This isn't surface-level wellness advice. We go deep into the science and the practice of nervous system regulation.
Whether you're healing from trauma, managing chronic stress, or simply trying to sleep better, you're welcome here.
New episodes Bi-weekly Mondays.
Breathe. Move. Learn.
The Calm Lab by Namasté Your Life, LLC recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, and assume all risk of injury to yourself.
The Calm Lab Podcast
Deep Sleep Tonight — 12-Min Yoga in Bed
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Feeling calm? Have a question? Send me a text:)
The kind of tired sleep doesn't fix isn't a sleep problem — it's a nervous system that never got the signal the day was over. This 12-minute practice meets your body where it is: fully lying down, no props, nothing to watch. Just follow along by feel.
Slow twists, gentle hip and glute releases, and a full body relaxation to drop your heart rate and shift you into the parasympathetic state where sleep actually lands.
Where does the day still live in your body? Let this practice help you put it down.
📥 Free 7-Day Nervous System Reset Protocol → thecalmlab.org/lead-collection 💛 14-Day Nervous System Reset Challenge → thecalmlab.org/challenges ▶️ Watch the video version → [paste your YouTube link] 📌 Pinterest → pinterest.com/thecalmlabwithkassandra 💌 Substack → thecalmlabwithkassandra.substack.com
If The Calm Lab is helping your nervous system, the best way to support is to:
★ Rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
★ Share an episode with someone who needs it
★ Subscribe so you don't miss the next one
Thank you for being here. — Kassandra 🌿
Namasté Your Life, LLC recommends consulting your physician before beginning any exercise program. There is possibility of physical injury. You agree to participate at your own risk and assume all risk of injury to yourself.
About Kassandra:
Kassandra is a trauma-informed yoga teacher, breathwork guide, and Harvard-certified lifestyle & wellness coach who blends nervous system education with accessible mind–body practices to help people sleep better, ease anxiety, and feel grounded.
Links:
Rewire Your Nervous System in 7 Days (Free Guide)
The 14-Day Nervous System Reset
If The Calm Lab is helping your nervous system, the best way to support is to:
★ Rate and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
★ Share an episode with someone who needs it
★ Subscribe so you don't miss the next one
Thank you for being here. — Kassandra 🌿
The Calm Lab by Namasté Your Life, LLC recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recomme...
Today's entire practice is lying down. So let's begin on our backs very slowly. Just come to lie down. Bring the soles of your feet to the bed. Start dropping your legs to the left and the right. Just winchled wipering here. Hands can rest wherever feels good. And just begin by tuning into the breath. Noticing where your heart rate is. Is it already pretty slow or is it elevated? And then the next time your knees are to the left, just go ahead and leave them over there. Open your right arm up to the right, and then use your left hand on top of your right thigh to kind of hold this twist as you rest. Relax. Straighten the spine. And look over your right shoulder if that's comfortable for your neck. The breaths are slow and smooth in and out of the nose. And when you're ready, come through center, drop the knees to the right. Right hand comes to the outside of the left thigh. Open the left arm up. Just looking over the left shoulder. Tuning back into your breath. Just noticing if you can feel your heartbeat slowing down. Maybe you can feel a release in your hips, your lower and middle back. And then on the next exhale, coming back to center. We're going to hug the right knee in, send the left leg out long. Or if this stretch is a bit too deep, just keep the sole of the left foot on the bed. We're going to draw rainbows with the right knee. So you kind of pull it in with the right hand and then bring it out to the side down toward the bed, pull it in toward the belly, and then two toward the other leg. So you're kind of drawing rainbows here. You can also just release the right hand and draw circles with the right knee. Switch directions. Keep these movements nice and slow so that your heart rate stays down, which really helps you fall asleep quickly and stay asleep. We're just going to switch sides, hugging the left knee into the chest, using the left hand if you want to draw rainbows. Or just let it go and draw the circles with the left knee. Slow it down even more. Make sure you switch directions. Beautiful. All right, let's bring the sole of the left foot to the bed. We're going to take the right leg up to the sky, pointing and flexing the right foot nice and slowly here. Feeling the stretch in the shin as you point, and then the calf and maybe the hamstring as you flex. You can even draw circles with your toes here. So this pose is really great just to lubricate the ankle joint, as well as it's kind of like a half legs up the wall, helping the blood move in the opposite direction, which helps us get into the parasympathetic nervous system. Rest and digest, which helps us sleep. Sole of the right foot comes down to the bed, left leg comes up. Begin by pointing and flexing the left foot. So just slow the movement down even slower than you think you should be going. Drawing circles with the toes now in both directions. Listening to the sound of your breathing in and out of your nose. And then bring the bend the leg. And then here you can just drop your knees to the left and the right, massaging the lower back, stretching the hip and the glute. Just find a little rhythmic rocking here. And then if you'd like, you can lift the right foot up off the bed, hugging the left knee and left foot toward the chest for a deeper glute stretch. Maybe keeping both of your feet flexed to protect your knee joints. Or pointing and flexing the feet to lubricate the ankle joints. Let's release that, come back to center. Then we are going to place the right ankle over top of the left thigh, just rocking left and right again, dropping the knees. Continue with the rocking or hugging the right foot and knee and toward the chest. Point or flex the feet, stretching the right hip and glute. Beautiful. So from here, drop the left foot down to the bed. You're going to use your right hand behind the right thigh. So go ahead and hold on. And then you're just going to open that right leg up. The foot is up toward the ceiling for your half happy baby. If you want to, you can move your hand up to the calf, the ankle, or the outer edge of the foot. Straighten the left leg if you'd like. Left hand on top of the left hip. Nice long, slow, deep breaths. If your mind is still pretty active, you might want to count your breath. Inhaling for a count of four. Exhaling for a count of six. Go ahead and release that right leg down. Bring the sole of the right foot to the bed, then lift up the left foot, grab behind the left thigh, and then you're going to move into happy baby on the left side. Flex the left foot. Maybe grab the outer edge of the left foot, straighten the right leg, right hand holds the right hip down gently. Notice if you're holding any tension in your forehead, eyebrows, eyes, jaw, throat, neck. Maybe shoulders or upper back. Moving down to the belly. The middle and lower back. The pelvis. Go ahead and release the left leg down, straighten the legs, point and flex the feet, straighten the legs, reach the hands up above the head as if you are doing a good morning stretch. And then exhale, release the hands to the belly and chest. Bring the soles of the feet together if you like. Or just leave your legs nice and long. You can also move into legs up the wall here. Let's continue our muscle relaxation. So move to the pelvis area. Just notice if you're holding any tension here, breathe deeply, releasing any muscles, moving to the glutes and hips, the thighs, the calves and shins. All the way down to the soles of the feet and the toes. Traveling back up the body to the shoulders, the upper arms, forearms, the tops of the hands, the palms of the hands, and each individual finger, relaxing the muscles as we move, traveling to the neck, the back of the head, the top of the head, and again the face, forehead, eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, jaw, lips, and chin. If I forgot to mention anything, just move to those spaces now. Find relaxation in those muscles. I wish you a deep and quick sleep. Be well.
