Settle into Rest
Settle Into Rest is an 8-week online Trauma-Sensitive Yoga program supporting rest, nervous system regulation, and recovery from trauma-related sleep difficulties.
Trauma can leave the nervous system feeling stuck in a constant state of alertness, making it difficult to fully relax, unwind, or experience restful sleep. Hypervigilance, racing thoughts, nightmares, and ongoing physical activation can all contribute to disrupted sleep patterns and exhaustion.
Settle Into Rest is a gentle, trauma-sensitive online program created to support people experiencing PTSD-related insomnia, hyperarousal, and difficulties with rest. The program combines Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), yoga therapy, breathing techniques, and trauma-informed relaxation practices to support nervous system regulation and cultivate greater ease within the body.
Through predictable, supportive, and choice-based practices, participants are invited to build awareness of their nervous system responses, reconnect with internal cues of safety, and gradually strengthen their capacity for rest and restoration.
“After a lifetime of extremely poor sleeping I finally see some steady improvement.”
— Settle Into Rest participant
What the Program Includes
Each weekly online session may include:
gentle floor-based yoga therapy practices
grounding and nervous system regulation techniques
trauma-informed breathing and relaxation exercises
bilateral tapping and body-based resourcing
guided practices to support settling and rest
Participants are supported to develop practical tools for navigating activation, overwhelm, and sleep disturbance in ways that feel safe, manageable, and supportive.
Across the 8 weeks, the program gradually builds interoceptive awareness through consistent and predictable practices that support nervous system regulation and parasympathetic activation — the body’s natural “rest and restore” state.
To support ongoing practice between sessions, participants will also receive access to audio or video resources for home use.
Why Body-Based Practices Can Support Sleep
Trauma specialists including Bessel van der Kolk, Peter Levine, and Judith Herman have explored the important role body-based approaches can play in trauma recovery.
When the nervous system has learned to remain alert for survival, rest and sleep can become difficult. Body-oriented practices can help gently support the nervous system to move toward greater safety, regulation, and restorative rest over time.
Our intention is to create a calm and supportive space where participants can explore rest without pressure, while developing greater compassion and understanding toward their own nervous system responses.
Your facilitator
Jen Holmes-Beamer
Details
When
Mondays, 7:00pm – 8:00pm
Beginning 27 July 2026
Where
Online via secure video platform
Who is this program for?
This program is suitable for people experiencing PTSD-related sleep disturbance, hyperarousal, or insomnia who have an approved ACC Sensitive Claims claim and are currently engaged in Sensitive Claims therapy.
Practices are accessible and adaptable, with options to participate from a chair, yoga mat, bed, or floor.
Contact - jen.holmes-beamer@nelsonclinic.nz
