The Regulation Lab: What Happened Last Night (and Why I’m Still Feeling It)
WOW.
I walked out of the studio last night buzzing, floating… and somehow also ready to completely relax.
We held our first ever Regulation Lab, and I can honestly say … it was incredible.
This space was created for anyone.
Yogi or non-yogi.
Some people in the room have completed a 200hr YTT or are inside our YTTish Yoga School… and others had never stepped onto a yoga mat before.
And none of that mattered.
Why I Created This
The intention behind The Regulation Lab was simple:
To support people who are busy, overwhelmed, constantly “on”…
to come back to a place of calm.
Not just in the studio, but in real life.
At work.
At home.
With your kids.
In the middle of a traffic jam.
Because the truth is… most of us were never actually taught how to regulate ourselves.
What We Explored
We spent time understanding what’s really happening in the body when we feel stressed, anxious, or overstimulated.
We talked about:
the Autonomic Nervous System
the difference between Sympathetic (fight or flight) and Parasympathetic (rest and restore) states
the role of the vagus nerve as a key pathway for regulation
what it actually means to be regulated vs. dysregulated
And then… we didn’t just talk about it.
We practiced.
What We Did (and Felt)
We started with OM / AUM, moving into what became a group favorite:
our rolling Oms.
There was something about the vibration, the sound, the shared experience…
you could feel the shift in the room almost immediately.
From there, we explored breath as a tool for real-time regulation.
We played with what we called:
Roller Coaster Breath (aka firetruck siren, ghost breath… depending on your mood 😅)
And reflected on something so simple, yet powerful:
how long we can actually exhale when we slow down and take control of the breath.
Because when we slow the breath…
we slow the heart rate…
we begin to calm the nervous system…
and even the constant mental chatter can start to soften.
We broke down Ujjayi breath step by step..
not just as something to use on the mat, but something you can take with you into your day.
We explored Breath of Joy, intentionally activating the system..
and this was a big moment.
Because for some, heavier emotions surfaced.
And we talked about that.
How regulation doesn’t mean pushing things down or pretending everything is calm.
Those emotions are there for a reason.
They surfaced for a reason.
And when we allow them to move, to release…
we stop holding onto them.
That’s part of regulation too.
Movement, Energy, and Letting It Go
We brought in a Chi Shower (one of my favvvvorites!)
playful, a little unexpected, and honestly… kind of liberating.
Just moving energy.
Shaking things loose.
Letting the body do what it needed to do.
And after each practice, we paused.
To feel.
To reflect.
To journal (if it felt right).
To share (if they felt called).
No pressure, just space.
A Moment That Really Landed
With a few moms in the room..and someone who works closely with children..we also explored something I teach often in Moksha Kids:
Worry Balloons.
A simple, powerful way to physically and visually release worries, fears, and built-up emotions.
And honestly… it hit just as deeply for the adults.
That moment of:
“wow… I can actually let this go.”
It’s something I wish I had learned when I was younger.
How We Closed
We came full circle… back to rolling Oms.
Long, grounding, connected.
You could feel it in the room..
everyone more open, more settled, more there.
The After
As people were leaving, I kept hearing:
“This is exactly what I needed.”
“When can we do this again?”
And that told me everything.
What’s Next
This wasn’t a one-time thing.
The Regulation Lab is something I fully intend to bring back,
because this work matters.
Learning how to regulate yourself isn’t a luxury.
It’s a life skill.
And the more we practice it, the more accessible it becomes..
in the moments we need it most.
If you were there… thank you. Truly.
And if you’re feeling like this is something you need…
stay close.
We’re just getting started!