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Soft Smile Somatics

Mind-body practices with Sarah Atkinson

Author: Sarah Atkinson

Sarah Atkinson is the founder of Possible by Design. She is a certified somatic practitioner, RYT 500, and practicum yoga therapist with advanced training in yoga nidra and yoga for mental health. Her work draws from evidence-based mind-body research and yogic philosophy and her approach is gentle and integrative. She believes in the power of body-based practices to support wellbeing and authentic expression.

Ancient Yogic Tools for a Modern Anxious Mind

Woman wearing headphones lying back on the grass

Anxiety isn’t just thoughts and fears — it lives in the body. Discover how ancient yogic tools like breathwork, sound, and restorative movement calm the nervous system and help you find steadiness in a restless world.

Embodied Creativity: Clearing the Path for Expression

Woman listening to headphones with music notes art flowing in the background

Creativity doesn’t just live in your head — it flows through your body, breath, and senses. When stress blocks expression, embodied practices like yoga, meditation, and sound can clear the way. Discover how ancient wisdom, modern science, and even Saraswati, goddess of music and knowledge, point us back to the body as the source of creative flow.

The Physiology of Burnout: What Your Nervous System Is Trying to Tell You

Woman sitting at desk, stretching with eyes closed, wearing light blue sweater

Burnout shows up not only in your thoughts and emotions, but in your nervous system. Chronic stress can keep the body stuck in survival mode, leaving you wired, drained, or shut down. Somatic tools like breathwork, movement, and creative expression can support your return to balance and vitality.

How the Body Holds and Releases Stress & Trauma: When Words Aren’t Enough

Woman doing somatic dance, leaning forward, arms outstretched, silhouette

Stress and trauma don’t just live in the mind — they leave their mark on the body. Tight shoulders, shallow breath, or a lump in the throat are ways the nervous system carries what words can’t express. Research and tradition both show that humming, movement, and creative expression can help the body release what it’s been holding. When words aren’t enough, embodied practices offer a path back to clarity, steadiness, and self-expression.

Yoga Nidra & Your Brain: Why It Helps with Insomnia

Woman laying in savasana floating on an ocean with mountain backdrop

Struggling with sleepless nights? Yoga Nidra, often called “yogic sleep,” is a guided practice that calms the nervous system and shifts the brain into restful patterns. Rooted in ancient tradition and supported by modern research, it offers a simple, effective way to prepare the body and mind for sleep.