For those in survival mode and ready to rewire their nervous system for resilience.
THE STRESS RESPONSE RESET
A Therapeutic Yoga Class for Stress & Trauma Recovery
Discover how to restore your bodyβs natural state of regulation β and shift from survival mode into calm, resilience, and lasting well-being.
Saturday, March 21, 2026 | 10:00 β 11:30 am
In-Person | 3911 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA
Limited space | 2-hour Free Parking Validation
Sometimes nervous system dysregulation looks like being constantly βon.β
Sometimes it looks like completely shutting down.
Both are signs that your autonomic nervous system may be stuck in protection mode.
When Your System Is Stuck in Fight or Flight (Sympathetic Activation)
You might notice:
β Feeling anxious, restless, or on edge β even when nothing is wrong
β Irritability or snapping more than you want to
β Racing thoughts or constantly replaying conversations
β Difficulty falling asleep or waking in the middle of the night
β Muscle tension (jaw tight, shoulders up, stomach in knots)
β Heart racing or shallow breathing
β Trouble concentrating or staying present
β Always scanning for what could go wrong
β Feeling wired and exhausted at the same time
β Struggling to fully relax β even on vacation
When Your System Is Stuck in Shutdown (Dorsal Vagal State)
You might notice:
β Feeling numb, flat, or emotionally distant
β Low energy or chronic fatigue
β Wanting to withdraw from people
β Losing interest in things you used to enjoy
β Going blank or dissociating in stressful moments
β Feeling hopeless or thinking, βWhatβs the point?β
β Brain fog or difficulty making decisions
β Changes in appetite or digestion
β Feeling disconnected from your body
What's Really Happening in Your Body
Nothing Is Wrong With You
Β
If you recognize yourself in either column, nothing is wrong with you.
Your nervous system is doing exactly what it was designed to do β protect you.
When you experience trauma or prolonged stress, your nervous system learns to stay alert to possible danger.
This survival response is incredibly intelligent. It helps you detect threats and react quickly when needed.
But over time, the system can become stuck in protection mode.
When Protection Becomes the Default
Β
Instead of shifting in and out of stress naturally, your body begins to treat everyday life as if danger might still be present.
When that happens, the stress response becomes your default state.
Your nervous system stays prepared for threat β even when the danger has passed.
Think of Your Nervous System Like
a Volume Dial
Β
When you are stuck in fight or flight, the volume is turned way up.
Everything feels louder, sharper, and more urgent.
When you are stuck in shutdown, the volume is turned way down.
Everything feels muted, heavy, and distant.
Regulation is not about eliminating these states.
It is about learning how to adjust the dial.
Your Nervous System Can Learn New Patterns
Β
The good news is that your nervous system is capable of change.
Through neuroplasticity, your brain and nervous system can learn new patterns.
With the right practices, your body can begin to recover from stress more easily and return to a sense of balance.
Over time, calm, safety, and resilience can become your new baseline.
If You See Yourself in This,
It May Be Time to Reset
Β
Your stress response can be retrained.
Regulation is a skill you can build.
Why Willpower Alone Isnβt Enough
If youβve tried to βthink your way outβ of stress or anxiety, youβre not alone.
Many approaches focus on changing thoughts, beliefs, or behaviors. While those tools can help, they often miss something essential:
Trauma and chronic stress live in the nervous system.
Your autonomic nervous system operates automatically, outside of conscious control. It constantly scans your environment for cues of safety or danger and adjusts your bodyβs responses accordingly.
When the nervous system perceives threat, it shifts into survival states such as:
- β’Fight
- β’Flight
- β’Shutdown
These states are not decisions you make β they are automatic biological responses designed to keep you safe.
This is why trying to override these reactions with willpower alone can feel frustrating or impossible.
As trauma therapist Deb Dana explains: βStory follows state.β
In other words, your mind creates stories that match the state of your nervous system.
- β’When your body feels threatened, your mind searches for evidence of danger.
- β’When your body feels safe, your mind opens to curiosity, connection, and possibility.
Your thoughts are not just shaping your nervous system β your nervous system is also shaping your thoughts.
Trauma research has also shown that difficult experiences are not stored only as memories in the mind.
As Dr. Bessel van der Kolk writes in The Body Keeps the Score, trauma is held inΒ the body β in patterns of tension, movement, breath, and nervous system activation.
Somatic trauma pioneer Peter Levine describes trauma as βenergy that becomes trapped in the body around real or perceived threat.β
When the body does not have the opportunity to complete its natural stress responses, those patterns can remain active long after the original event has passed.
This is why insight alone is often not enough.
Healing requires working with the nervous system directly β helping the body release old survival patterns and learn new pathways of safety.
When the body experiences safety again, the mind begins to change naturally.
And that is when real regulation becomes possible.
INTRODUCING THE STRESS RESPONSE RESET!
If your nervous system has been living in survival mode, what it needs most is not more willpower β it needs the opportunity to learn safety again.
The Stress Response Reset is a 90-minute trauma-informed therapeutic yoga experience designed to help your body shift out of survival mode and return to its natural state of regulation.
This is not a traditional yoga class focused on performance or poses.
Instead, it is a carefully guided nervous system experience that integrates modern neuroscience, somatic psychology, and therapeutic yoga practices to help retrain your stress response.
When the nervous system experiences chronic stress or trauma, it can become stuck in patterns of hyperactivation (fight or flight) or shutdown.
Through gentle, embodied practices, this experience helps your nervous system begin learning a new pattern β one of safety, regulation, and flexibility.
Over time, these new patterns support deeper calm, emotional resilience, and a stronger sense of stability in both body and mind.
The class is guided by a licensed clinical social worker and trauma specialist and is designed to move at a pace that prioritizes safety, agency, and nervous system regulation.
This is where neuroscience meets embodied practice.
And where your nervous system can begin to shift from survival mode into calm, resilience, and lasting well-being.
Why This Approach Works
- β Many approaches to stress focus primarily on changing thoughts.
- β Trauma and chronic stress are not only stored in the mind β they are also held in the body and nervous system.
- β Research in neuroscience and somatic psychology shows that lasting regulation happens when we work directly with the autonomic nervous system β the system that controls your stress response, emotional regulation, and sense of safety.
- β Thatβs why The Stress Response Reset combines nervous system education, therapeutic yoga, and embodied regulation practices.
- β Instead of trying to βthink your wayβ out of stress, you learn how to work with your nervous system directly β helping your body shift from patterns of protection into patterns of safety.
- β Over time, this creates greater autonomic flexibility, one of the key foundations of resilience.
What Makes This Experience Different
- β
Trauma-Informed and Nervous System Focused This experience is specifically designed for people navigating chronic stress, trauma recovery, or nervous system dysregulation. Every element of the class is structured to support regulation rather than overwhelm.
- β
Guided by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker The class is led by an LCSW and trauma specialist who integrates psychotherapy knowledge, neuroscience, and therapeutic yoga practices, ensuring the experience is grounded in both clinical understanding and embodied healing methods.
- β
Embodied Practices that Retrain the Stress Response Through breath, gentle movement, mindfulness, and intentional rest, you begin teaching your nervous system new patterns of regulation and supporting the brainβs natural ability to rewire and adapt.
- β
Safety, Choice, and Agency Are Built Into the Experience All practices are offered as invitations rather than commands. You are encouraged to listen to your body, choose what feels supportive, and move at your own pace β creating the safety and agency that help the nervous system heal.
The Result
Instead of feeling like your nervous system is controlling you, you begin learning how to work with it.
This creates the conditions for lasting regulation, deeper calm, and the resilience needed to navigate lifeβs challenges with greater steadiness.
What Youβll Experience in the Stress Response Reset
This 90-minute experience is carefully structured to help your nervous system shift out of survival mode and begin moving toward regulation and resilience.
Each element of the class is designed to support safety, awareness, and nervous system flexibility.
Rather than pushing the body or forcing calm, the experience gently guides your nervous system toward balance through a sequence of trauma-informed practices.
This 90-Minute Experience Includes
Nervous System Education
Youβll gain a clear understanding of how your autonomicΒ nervous systemΒ works and how stress and trauma shape your physiological responses. Understanding these patterns helps you begin working with your nervous system rather than feeling controlled by it.
Orienting and Centering Practices
Β
We begin by helping the body settle into the present moment. These grounding practices help theΒ nervous systemΒ recognize safety and establish a stable foundation for the rest of the experience.
Conscious Breathing and Vagus Nerve Stimulation
Β
Youβll learn breathing techniques that support vagal tone and help regulate your stress response. These practices can be used anytime to calm your nervous system in real-time.
Mindfulness in Movement
Gentle, accessible movements help release tension and complete stress responses that may have remained unresolved in the body. These movements are designed to support nervous system flexibility rather than physical performance.
Sound and Vibration Practices
Simple vocalization and sound practices can help stimulate theΒ vagus nerveΒ and deepen the bodyβs ability to move toward regulation and connection.
Integrative Rest
Deep rest is an essential part ofΒ nervous systemΒ healing. This portion of the class allows your body to integrate the practices and anchor new states of calm and safety.
Meditation and Inner Awareness
The experience concludes with guided mindfulness and meditation practices that support presence, emotional awareness, and a deeper connection with your internal experience.
A Supportive and Accessible Experience
- β No prior yoga experience is required.
- β You do not need to be flexible, strong, or familiar with yoga poses.
- β All practices are offered as invitations, and options are provided throughout the class so you can adapt movements to what feels supportive for your body.
- β The entire experience can be practiced seated if needed, and you are always welcome to pause, rest, or simply observe.
- β This class is designed to support nervous system regulation β not physical performance.
By the End of This Experience
You will leave with practical tools and embodied skills that help you:
- β Calm your nervous system in real time
- β Reduce hypervigilance, shutdown, and reactivity
- β Improve emotional stability and sleep
- β Build resilience to lifeβs stressors
- β Reconnect with a sense of safety in your own body
- β Strengthen your ability to return to balance after stress
These are skills you can continue using long after the class ends.
What Changes When Your Nervous System Begins to Regulate Β
When your nervous system learns how to move out of survival mode more easily, many areas of your life begin to shift.
Not because you are forcing change β but because your body is no longer stuck in constant protection.
Small moments in daily life start to feel different.
You May Notice Changes Like These
You fall asleep more easily and wake up feeling more rested
Instead of lying awake with racing thoughts or waking in the middle of the night, your body begins to settle more naturally into restorative sleep.
Your body feels less tense and reactive
The tight shoulders, clenched jaw, shallow breathing, and constant sense of urgency begin to soften as your nervous system learns how to return to balance.
You feel calmer in situations that used to trigger you
Instead of reacting with anxiety, anger, or shutdown, you begin noticing a pause β a moment where you can respond with more clarity and choice..
You feel more present and connected
Conversations feel easier. You can listen and engage without feeling overwhelmed or emotionally flooded.
Your mind feels clearer
When the nervous system is not constantly scanning for danger, your brain has more energy available for focus, creativity, and decision-making.
You begin to feel safer inside your own body
Instead of feeling disconnected, numb, or on edge, you experience moments of groundedness and stability.
Stressful moments become easier to navigate
Rather than staying stuck in stress for hours or days, your nervous system learns how to recover and return to baseline more quickly.
Over Time, This Builds Resilience
Resilience does not mean never experiencing stress. It means your nervous system has the flexibility to move through stress and return to balance.
When your nervous system becomes more flexible, you begin to experience:
- Greater emotional stability
- Better sleep and physical recovery
- More ease in relationships
- Improved concentration and clarity
- A deeper sense of calm and safety in your body
This is what nervous system regulation makes possible.
Itβs Normal to Feel Hesitant
If youβre considering something like this, itβs completely normal to have questions or concerns.
Many people who live with chronic stress or trauma have tried different approaches before and may feel unsure about what will actually help.
If some of the thoughts below have crossed your mind, youβre not alone.
βWhat if I get overwhelmed by emotions or body sensations?β
This experience is designed to move slowly and support nervous system safety.
Practices are offered as invitations, and you are always encouraged to listen to your body and take breaks when needed. The goal is not to push into intense experiences, but to gently help the nervous system rediscover regulation and stability.
βWhat if Iβm not ready to face my trauma?β
This class is not about reliving traumatic events or forcing difficult memories to surface.
Instead, it focuses on helping your nervous system build the capacity for safety, grounding, and regulation. Many people find that when the body begins to feel safer, emotional healing becomes more manageable and less overwhelming.
βWhat if yoga isnβt for me?β
This is not a traditional yoga class focused on flexibility or physical performance.
All movements are gentle and accessible, and the entire experience can be practiced seated if needed. No prior yoga experience is required.
The focus is on nervous system regulation β not poses or athletic ability.
βWhat if Iβve tried other things and nothing has worked?β
Many approaches to stress focus primarily on changing thoughts or behaviors.
But trauma and chronic stress often live in the nervous system and body.
This experience takes an embodied approach that works directly with the stress response β helping the body learn new patterns of safety and regulation.
For many people, this is the missing piece.
βWhat if Iβm not even sure whether trauma applies to me?β
Many people associate trauma only with major life events.
But chronic stress, relational experiences, and ongoing pressure can also impact the nervous system in powerful ways.
If you often feel overwhelmed, reactive, numb, or disconnected, your nervous system may simply be asking for support and regulation.
You Donβt Have to Navigate This Alone
Healing and resilience are not about forcing yourself to be stronger.
They are about learning how to work with your nervous system so your body can move out of protection mode and back toward balance.
This class is designed to help you begin that process in a supportive and accessible way.
People who have worked with Paula often describe feeling calmer, more grounded, and better equipped to navigate stress and lifeβs challenges
INVESTING IN YOUR WELL-BEING
(Without Breaking the Bank)
If youβve read this far, you may already recognize how deeply stress and nervous system dysregulation can impact your daily life. You may also sense the possibility that learning how to pause, regulate, and reset your nervous system could change the way you experience stress, relationships, and your overall well-being.
The Stress Response Reset is designed to make these tools accessible β offering a guided, trauma-informed experience that helps you begin building skills for regulation and resilience.
π Date & Time: Saturday, March 21, 2026 | 10:00 β11:30am
π Location: 3911 5th Avenue, Suite 208, San Diego, CA 92103 (Hillcrest)
β± Class Length: 90 minutes
π³ Investment: $65
π Parking: 2-hours free with validation
For $65 You Receive:
90-Minute Guided Nervous System Reset
A trauma-informed therapeutic yoga experience designed to help your body shift from stress activation into a more regulated and grounded state.
Β
Science-Backed Nervous System Education
Understand how stress patterns develop in the body and learn how to begin working with your nervous system instead of fighting it.
Β
Practical Regulation Tools You Can Use Immediately
Learn simple breathing, movement, and awareness practices you can use anytime stress, anxiety, or overwhelm arise.
A Safe and Supportive Practice Environment
Experience these tools in a calm, trauma-informed space that emphasizes safety, choice, and nervous system awareness.
When You Join Stress Response Resetβ¦
Youβre not just signing up for a yoga class.
Youβre receiving the culmination of myΒ 26 years of experience as a licensed mental health provider and dedicated meditation and yoga practitionerΒ β someone who has walked this path both personally and professionally.
If you were to work with me one-on-one, a single psychotherapy session typically costsΒ over $200.
While this class is not therapy, it is guided by aΒ licensed mental health professional and trauma specialistΒ who integrates psychotherapy, mindfulness meditation, and therapeutic yoga to support nervous system healing.
I created Stress Response Reset because over the years Iβve seen how chronic stress, emotional habits, and nervous system patterns quietly shape the way we experience our lives β often without us realizing it.
Thatβs why I donβt simply guide you through movements or breathing exercises.
I help you understand what is happening beneath the surface β and how to begin shifting those patterns in ways that support regulation, resilience, and long-term well-being.
I also stay current on the latest neuroscience and trauma-informed approaches, translating that knowledge into practical tools you can apply immediately.
- No complicated theory
- No overwhelming research
- Just clear guidance to help your body begin remembering how to regulate again
This class is designed to give you a safe and accessible place to begin.
Β
Ready to Begin Retraining Your Stress Response?
Give your body the opportunity to experience what regulation can feel like.
Join us for Stress Response Reset and begin learning practical, science-informed tools that help your nervous system shift from survival mode into greater calm, flexibility, and resilience.
14-Day No Questions Asked Guarantee β Try It Absolutely Risk Free!
I am deeply committed to creating a safe and supportive space where you can explore nervous system regulation through mindfulness, movement, and therapeutic yoga.
If you attend the Stress Response Reset class and genuinely feel that the experience was not supportive or valuable for you, simply send an email to [email protected] within 14Β days after the class, and I will happily refund your registration.
- No hoops to jump through
- No guilt
- No questions asked
If the only thing standing between you and this experience is the wondering:
βWhat if this isnβt right for me?β
βCan I really trust this to help me feel calmer, more grounded, and more connected to my body?β
I invite you to trust your curiosity and give yourself the opportunity to experience it.
My intention is to create a space that supports learning, healing, and nervous system awareness. If it turns out this class is not the right fit for you at this moment, I fully honor that.
Space is limited to keep the experience supportive and personal.
When You Join the Stress
Response ResetΒ Β
Β
To help you continue supporting your nervous system beyond the class itself, you will also receive the following resources designed to help you integrate what you learn into everyday life.
Bonus #1: Self-Mastery Guided Meditation Audio Library ($45 Value)
Many people worry that if they miss a class or have a stressful week, they will lose the momentum of their practice.
Thatβs why you will also receive access to my Self-Mastery Guided Meditation Audio Library β a collection of three powerful guided practices designed to help you work with your inner experience rather than fight against it.
These meditations support you in developing greater self-compassion, calming anxiety, and shifting the patterns that often keep the nervous system stuck in stress.
Inside the library youβll receive:
- Behind the Voice β What Your Inner Critic Really Wants
A guided RAIN meditation that helps you explore limiting beliefs with curiosity and compassion, transforming your relationship with your inner critic. - Guided Meditation for Self-Compassion
A soothing practice that helps you meet yourself with kindness β especially during difficult emotional moments. - Anxiety Relief Through Letting Go of the Struggle
A calming meditation that helps you ease anxiety by learning to release the internal fight against it.
These practices allow you to continue cultivating regulation, awareness, and emotional balance even when you cannot attend class.
Bonus #2: 5-Minute Instant Calm Toolkit ($10 Value)
Stress doesnβt only happen during class hours.
Thatβs why youβll also receive my 5-Minute Instant Calm Toolkit β a simple collection of science-based nervous system regulation techniques you can use anywhere.
These tools are designed for real life moments when stress shows up unexpectedly.
Youβll learn quick practices you can use:
- before an important meeting
- during moments of anxiety
- when you feel overwhelmed
- before sleep
- anytime your nervous system needs support
You can keep these tools on your phone and begin using them immediately.
Bonus #3: Paulaβs Gratitude & Intention Journal ($15 Value)
A simple daily reflection practice can significantly support emotional regulation and well-being.
You will also receive Paulaβs Gratitude & Intention Journal, a beautifully designed six-page guided template that makes gratitude and intentional living easy to maintain.
Inside youβll find:
- simple daily prompts that train your brain to notice what is good
- reflection questions that support emotional resilience
- a structured format that takes just a few minutes per day
- a gentle daily practice that helps anchor the nervous system in stability and positivity
This simple practice helps reinforce the regulation skills you will begin building in class.
Together, these resources help you continue supporting your nervous system between classes so that the benefits of the Stress Response Reset extend into your everyday life.
Let Me Break It Down For You
When you join the Stress Response Reset, youβre not just attending a single yoga class β youβre stepping into a guided, trauma-informed nervous system reset experience designed to help you release stress, reconnect with your body, and begin building skills for emotional regulation.
Along with the class itself, youβll also receive $70 worth of additional resources designed to help you continue supporting your nervous system beyond the session.
A typical therapeutic yoga or nervous system regulation session can cost $100+.
But here youβre receiving the full experience plus $70 worth of additional resources to support your continued practice.
- π‘ Total Value: $135
- π° Your Investment Today: $65
- π₯ A small investment for tools that support long-term nervous system regulation.
What You Would Normally Pay
$135 Total Value
Your Investment Today
$65
Porta Verum Psychotherapy Services has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Businesses in the 92103 Zip Code for 2025, based on verified Google reviews and client satisfaction.
We are honored to serve the San Diego community with compassionate, evidence-based psychotherapy and deeply value the trust our clients place in us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this class beginner-friendly?
Is this therapy or group therapy?
What if I feel emotionally overwhelmed during class?
Where is the class located, and how long is it?
Is this trauma-informed?
Will I be asked to share about my trauma?
What if Iβm not flexible?
Is this a workout?
Will there be meditation?
Do I have to close my eyes?
Will there be physical touch or hands-on adjustments?
What should I wear and bring?
What if I have an injury or chronic pain?
What if I arrive late?
Where do I park?
Are gender-neutral restrooms available?
Is the space scent-free?
Is the space ADA accessible?
Give Your Nervous System the Reset It Deserves
Β
Stress builds up in the body over time.
With the right support, it can also release and settle.
Join the Stress Response Reset Therapeutic Yoga Class and experience gentle, trauma-informed movement designed to help your body shift out of survival mode and back into calm and balance.
Saturday, March 21, 2026 | 10:00 β11:30am
Small Boutique Wellness Studio
Only 6 Participants Per Class
YOUR BODY KNOWS IT'S TIME TO RESET!
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