Ivy Watts

For some people, walking into a gym feels empowering. For others, it feels overwhelming before the workout even starts. This is often because of past traumas, the pressure to perform, the "push harder mentality" and the feeling that slowing down means failure. For many people who have experienced trauma or prolonged states of mental health challenges, traditional fitness environments can unintentionally activate the nervous system rather than support it. At Squat + Reset we hear this often...

At Squat + Reset, we talk a lot about learning how to move through intensity without losing yourself. One of the core somatic concepts that we use in class is called pendulation. Pendulation is a concept commonly used in Somatic Experiencing, developed by Peter Levine. Pendulation is the practice of gently moving between activation and regulation. In simple terms: Your nervous system learns that it can experience challenge, movement, emotion, effort, or stress, and still return to safety....