Living In Our Body: Somatic Mindfulness - by Lynn Fraser

COURSE

Living In Our Body: Somatic Mindfulness

With Lynn Fraser

This series of lessons contains reflection questions and guided practices as a way to support yourself in ongoing somatic mindfulness inquiry. The course is organized into educational components followed by somatic inquiry. Ordinary trauma and crisis trauma are both stored in our body as sensations and energy with associated memories and thoughts. Somatic inquiry is when we tune in and listen to the sensations and energy in our body. Most of the disturbing thoughts in our mind are generated by hypervigilance in our nervous system which generates catastrophic thinking. In this course we practice powerful tools like tapping, frame/tracing, and taking a different perspective with thoughts and sensations. We lessen the intensity of compulsive thoughts and begin to rewire our neural networks for connection and safety. The first ten lessons work with building a strong, resilient, well-regulated nervous system. The last six work with common daily life issues like setting boundaries, the anxious eagerness of a parentified child, and forming adult low-vigilance relationships. As you complete the course, you will be more present in your own body, and familiar with its energies and feelings. As we have the experience of being grounded in the safety of the present moment, we develop confidence we can bring ourselves back into steadiness and self-regulation. We realize we are not helpless in the face of compelling thoughts generated by hypervigilance in our nervous system. We cultivate being open hearted with ourselves with compassion as an ongoing practice of connection. We experience greater agency and enjoyment in life.

GroundedHealth & HappinessConfidenceResilienceYogaSpiritualityMindfulness MeditationMindfulness

Meet your Teacher

Lynn Fraser
Halifax Canada

Lynn Fraser is an anchor to support your journey in living from your own innate wisdom and goodness. She is a senior teacher in the Himalayan Yoga Meditation tradition, and founder of the Stillpoint Method of Healing Trauma. Lynn supports people to safely reconnect with themselves through knowledge, regulating the nervous system, and compassion. "Lynn's the real deal." -Dr. Rick Hanson

read more

16 Days

4.1k students

4.8 stars

9 min / day

Grounded

English

Lesson 1

Cues Of Safety And Danger In Our Nervous System

When we are grounded and emotionally well regulated, we can stay safely in the present moment, otherwise we might disconnect or escape. When we feel threatened, our nervous system activates survival responses of fight/ flight/ freeze. As we practice and become skilled at somatic mindfulness, we know what's going on inside. We cultivate a welcoming relationship and we don't shame ourselves for our nervous system responses. We orient ourselves to the present, and know we are no longer in the past when we were hurt. The language of our body is non verbal. We regulate our breath and soften our body to signal safety to our nervous system. This helps to lower hypervigilance, our neuroception (our unconscious perception of safety or danger) becomes more accurate, and we breathe easier and relax.

read more

Lesson 2

Somatic Inquiry: Feeling What Is In My Body

We can have the direct experience that it is safe to feel what is in our body. When something feels overwhelming, we store that unprocessed trauma in our body. Stored trauma creates a feeling of doom or dread, and this is why we avoid being in our body. Today, our focus is on realizing through our direct body experience, that it is safe to feel what's here, and that we can be present and inquire. We explore our felt sense of regulation in our nervous system as we’re bringing to mind something or someone that feels uncomfortable. Our nervous system reads our body for cues of danger, like holding our breath or clenching our teeth. When we feel threatened, we go into a fight/ flight/ freeze response and that often comes with certain types of thoughts in our mind. We use tools to come back into the present moment and notice we are not in immediate danger. We send cues of safety, like taking a deeper breath and softening our body.

read more

Lesson 3

Energy Of Our Thoughts

Hypervigilance in our nervous system generates most of the compelling thoughts in our mind. We store trauma in our body along with associated thoughts and memories. Today we practice powerful tools to break the trance of worry and catastrophic thinking. We build strength and resilience in our nervous system to be more accurate in our perception of safety and allow our system to settle.

read more

Lesson 4

Somatic Inquiry: Witnessing Thought

When we practice witnessing thoughts, we see they are positive, negative or neutral. Some are intense and others go through the back of our mind. When we get drawn into compelling thoughts, we use tools of tapping, frame/tracing and focus shifting to bring ourselves back into witnessing. We learn this is how our minds work. We can cultivate patience and compassion for ourselves and our wandering minds.

read more

Lesson 5

Agency And Vigilance

How can we take what we know and bring it into our life? In particular, how does the hypervigilance in our nervous system interfere with our agency, our power to choose and act? We have an unconscious system of assessing our safety that has a negativity bias and uses evidence from our past. Through somatic mindfulness, we can widen our window of tolerance. We realize that now as an adult, we can afford to set boundaries, feel, and express ourselves appropriately.

read more

Lesson 6

Somatic Inquiry On Agency And Vigilance

We do an inquiry where we bring something up to work with, and through being grounded in our body in the present moment, we know it is not actually happening right now. We look at images, like the angry look on someone’s face, and sensations of fear in our body. We look for cues of safety, and inquire into how to support ourselves. We do a slow motion walk through to regulate our nervous system to increase our agency the next time we’re in a similar situation.

read more

Lesson 7

Welcoming All Of Ourselves

The effect of trauma is that we disconnect from ourselves, our sense of value, and from the present moment. We feel like there is something wrong with us and we turn against ourselves. When we understand how trauma works, we understand our history. Today we're cultivating open-hearted acceptance with ourselves.

read more

Lesson 8

Twelve Gratitudes

The negativity bias in the brain tends to keep us focused on all of the things we have done wrong. This practice brings awareness in twelve areas of our life. What are twelve things you enjoy? Acts of kindness like smiling, or maybe that we don’t yell at someone. Appreciating our effort and skill working with an obstacle even though it’s not perfect . What are twelve traits that generally describe you, like curiosity and compassion? We explore twelve gratitudes in twelve areas of life.

read more

Lesson 9

Survival Responses And Boundaries

In a healthy relationship, both people act like adults. They take equal responsibility for their emotional reactions and talk things out rather than acting things out. We have trouble doing that when we are in a survival response of fight/ flight/ freeze. When we are emotionally regulated, we can learn to tolerate saying and listening to challenging information.

read more

Lesson 10

Practicing Healthy Boundaries

As you bring someone to mind and try out some examples, maintain awareness of your response in your body and breath, and remember that person is not actually here with you. Please respect my decision. I don't feel comfortable sharing with you because you tend to tell me what you think I should do. This is what's healthy for me. We use grounding tools to stay regulated as we practice.

read more

Lesson 11

Saying No When We're In Freeze, Fight, Or Grounded And Calm

Your boundaries have been crossed and you want to say no. Imagine you are in freeze, feeling shut down. What does that feel like in your body? Are you holding your breath? Practice setting the boundary and saying no while you’re in freeze. Now do a reset and imagine the same scenario and this time you are in a fight response. What is your tone of voice? How does that feel in your body? Now set the boundary while you are regulated and calm. How does that feel?

read more

Lesson 12

Parentified Child

Without a base of belonging, a child can't develop a healthy sense of themselves and their value. We lose ourselves in favor of monitoring what's going on with our parents. I need you to be okay because if you're not okay, I'm not going to be okay. If we're used to taking responsibility and trying to keep everybody else on an even keel, it is hard to set boundaries as an adult.

read more

Lesson 13

Somatic Inquiry: Parentified Child

Using grounding tools to regulate, we look into our relationship with our parents. Do I still feel responsible for their feelings? Do I feel resentment? Can I take the risk of being angry at my parents for what they did or didn't do when I was a child? We become aware of the cost of betraying ourselves to keep the peace. We build the courage and strength to tolerate other people's disappointment or rejection.

read more

Lesson 14

Low Vigilance Relationships

We feel relaxed when we think about being with them. We let down our guard. We’re authentic and have fun. They are consistently kind and engaged. Past history of high drama relationships can lead us to confuse intensity with love. The deep practice here is to try to maintain a compassionate relationship and an open heart even as we see clearly, keep our guard up, and set appropriate boundaries.

read more

Lesson 15

Somatic Inquiry: Low Vigilance Relationships

We start the inquiry with a low vigilance relationship. We feel safe enough to relax and be ourselves. We have ease in our breath and our muscles relax. We then move to someone who keeps us on edge. We look at the many reasons why we are in these relationships, some practical and some that are not healthy. With compassion and kindness, we can stop shaming ourselves about the past, and cultivate deep, lower-vigilance relationships going forward.

read more

Lesson 16

Living In Our Body: Putting It All Together

What is your experience now living in your body? What have you learned through this course? We’ve worked with understanding our nervous system and practices to self-regulate. We know about trauma stored in our body and how thoughts feel more real when they are associated with sensations and energy. We move into closer connection with ourselves, practice setting boundaries and talking it out like adults in relationships, and open the window to enjoying life in our body.

read more

4.8 (81)

Recent Reviews

Marvel

November 18, 2025

Really informative and helpful. Lynn offers solutions when we become disregulated.

Louise

Louise

October 26, 2025

This was a very informative and helpful course! It has opened the door to looking for more of this kind of work. Thankyou 🙏

Evan

Evan

September 29, 2025

The course offered rich insight to somatic mindfulness — specifically helping me to connect with my body & its hidden messages. With a soothing voice & simple, yet eloquent language, it was easy to settle in. It didn’t sound like I was in an echo chamber on the topic. The course lacked some structure, containment & direction in my opinion, but overall a very good experience.

M

September 22, 2025

The content was fantastic and the order of material was helpful, but the quality of the editing of the recording felt abrupt and confusing sometimes. I am not sure the pieces stand alone, but as a whole, the material was really supportive t

Karey

Karey

August 16, 2025

So much wisdom shared with a calm gentle kind voice. Thank you.

Denise

July 29, 2025

Excellent course on being in the present and what are bodies do when we react to stress and how to let it go. Thank you 🙏

Sarah

Sarah

July 25, 2025

This has been such a beautifully simple course with truly seismic shifts for me. Many moments of “oooohhhh THATS what that is/was” , each of them accompanied with a real tool to use/step to take. Thank you thank you thank you. 🙏

Stacy

Stacy

July 18, 2025

This course is such a generous gift! I am so grateful. 🙏

Heidi

Heidi

July 1, 2025

The content in this course is amazing for someone who would like to practice regulating themselves, finding their inner balance in challenging situations or emotions and understanding their own process. I love the down to earth approach and the ample pauses giving space for self reflection, it is very calming. As other people have mentioned, the structure of the lessons is a bit crude (a sense of a long talk simply cut into bits without intro or outro), which leaves the user experience sometimes slightly confusing, otherwise it would be five stars! Thank you for helping people.

Jen

Jen

May 30, 2025

This course is brilliant! As a person who has studied the neuroscience of behavior change, I have a lot of knowledge and experience in this area already, but my mind my blown by what I learned from Lynn and how she puts the pieces together. Thank you for sharing your gifts and knowledge with the world!

Sheilagh

Sheilagh

April 24, 2025

I found this difficult to follow. There was terminology that I am not familiar with that were referred to quickly as something to try using but there wasn't an explanation or opportunity to try them. It refers to nervous system regulation often but I don't really know what that is or how to achieve it. I think this course could be useful but I need go back to earlier tracks and see if there are explanations and opportunities to practice techniques

Mary

March 28, 2025

Practical methods for me to love myself again

Nicholas

Nicholas

February 3, 2025

This course was absolutely amazing. I had no idea that a course like this could exist on Insight Timer, and I'm so glad it does. As someone who came from an emotionally abusive household, this course touched on so many things that my therapist and I have discussed before, and things we haven't! I felt seen while taking this course and it reinvigorated me to keep at my emotional healing. I greatly look forward to taking other courses from this teacher. Thank you for the skills this course has taught me :)

Charlene

February 2, 2025

The course was a beginning. A great introduction.

LorieAnn

LorieAnn

October 24, 2024

Exceptionally helpful! Thank you ! 🙏

Claudia

Claudia

September 11, 2024

Thank you 🤩

Alyson

September 2, 2024

Yes the abrupt starts and stops between the lessons are hard for me. I am always wondering what came before. And I wait at the end for more. So I recommend re-recording with more definite transitions between. I like the short less than 10min. lessons. The content is excellent and I understand the examples. Thank you for sharing.

Tatyana

Tatyana

April 26, 2024

Very powerful course with numerous tools to help us self regulate our nervous system and find peace and love in our relationships. Highly recommend this course to everybody. Much love and gratitude❤️🙏🕊️

Jill

March 22, 2024

A wonderful introduction to this concept for me. I feel that I have finally found something that might help me recover. Thank you so much!

Angela

Angela

March 6, 2024

Will definitely be repeating this course, thank you!

More from Lynn Fraser

COURSE

4.9

• 12 DAYS

Friends With Your Mind: How to Stop Torturing Yourself With Your Thoughts

by Lynn Fraser

COURSE

4.9

• 10 DAYS

Healing Trauma: The Stillpoint Method 10-Day Course

by Lynn Fraser

COURSE

4.8

• 16 DAYS

Calming Anxiety: Develop A Strong Resilient Mind

by Lynn Fraser

COURSE

4.8

• 9 DAYS

Flight Fight Freeze Fawn Survival Responses

by Lynn Fraser

COURSE

4.8

• 14 DAYS

I Know And Love Myself

by Lynn Fraser

COURSE

4.9

• 10 DAYS

On My Own Side

by Lynn Fraser

COURSE

4.8

• 11 DAYS

Setting Healthy Boundaries

by Lynn Fraser

COURSE

4.9

• 21 DAYS

Trauma Informed Yoga Nidra

by Lynn Fraser

COURSE

5

• 8 DAYS

Strong Mind, Resilient Nervous System

by Lynn Fraser

2 min

4.3

• GUIDED

Relax & Let Go Of Worry

Lynn Fraser

4 min

4.5

• GUIDED

Gratitude Practice At The End Of The Day

Lynn Fraser

13 min

4.5

• GUIDED

Know And Support Yourself

Lynn Fraser

4 min

4.6

• GUIDED

Showing Up For Ourselves

Lynn Fraser

4 min

4.6

• GUIDED

Breathe Into Stillness

Lynn Fraser

24 min

4.8

• GUIDED

Deep Rest When We're Exhausted

Lynn Fraser

3 min

4.6

• GUIDED

Box Breathing For A Quick Reset

Lynn Fraser

1 min

4.6

• GUIDED

Loving Kindness Metta 1 Minute Practice

Lynn Fraser

5 min

4.4

• GUIDED

Yoga Nidra Heart Center in Golden Light

Lynn Fraser

3 min

4.7

• TALKS

Catastrophic Thinking Is Unhealthy

Lynn Fraser

Trusted by 35 million people. It's free.

Insight Timer

Get the app