Yoga for Healing During Divorce: Releasing Stored Energy Through Somatic Practice

Divorce is not just a legal process—it’s an emotional and energetic experience that affects the mind, body, and spirit. The end of a relationship can leave behind a whirlwind of grief, anger, confusion, and sadness. Often, those emotions don’t just pass through—they get stored in the body, manifesting as tension, fatigue, or a feeling of being stuck.

That’s where yoga comes in, not just as physical movement, but as a somatic practice that helps you reconnect with yourself and release what no longer serves you.

Understanding Somatic Energy

Somatic energy refers to the emotions and trauma we carry in our bodies. When we experience something difficult like a breakup or divorce, we may not fully process it mentally or emotionally, so our bodies hold onto it.

Yoga, especially when paired with breath work and mindful movement, offers a gentle and powerful way to move through those stuck emotions. It’s not about “fixing” anything, it’s about creating space to feel, release, and heal.

Breath work

Before you move your body, connect to your breath.

Breath work activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) and helps regulate your emotions. Try beginning your practice with slow, deep inhales through the nose and long, sighing exhales through the mouth. Let your breath guide your movement and your awareness inward.

A Divorce-Healing Yoga Flow

Here’s a simple and restorative sequence designed to support you during times of emotional transition:

1. Intuitive Body Circles + Child’s Pose

Start in a tabletop position. Close your eyes, and begin to move in slow, intuitive circles—letting your body guide you. These gentle movements help unstick stagnant energy in the hips and spine. Then ease into Child’s Pose, resting your forehead on the mat and letting your breath soften.

2. Half Frog Pose

Lie on your belly and bring one knee up toward your side like a half-frog shape. This pose works deep into the hips and inner thighs, where we often hold unprocessed emotion. Stay for 2–3 minutes on each side and breathe into any resistance.

3. Pigeon Pose (with the option to lower to your forearms)

This deep hip opener is a powerful space for emotional release. Use props or blocks to support your body if needed. Let gravity do the work, and give yourself permission to cry, exhale, or just be.

4. Frog Pose

Come onto your forearms and knees, and widen the legs into Frog Pose. This can be intense, so move slowly, support yourself with cushions or blankets, and only go as far as your body allows.

5. Reclined Butterfly Pose

Lying on your back, bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall open. Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly. Breathe deeply into both hands, letting yourself feel supported and safe.

6. Supine Spinal Twist

Bring one knee across your body and extend the opposite arm. Twists are detoxifying and grounding, perfect for releasing tension and finding internal balance.

7. Savasana (Final Resting Pose)

End your practice by lying flat on your back. Let your whole body surrender to the ground. Stay here for 5–15 minutes, or however long you need. This is your time to integrate, to rest, and to simply exist without pressure or expectation.

Healing from divorce isn’t linear, and it doesn’t have to happen all in your mind. Your body remembers, and it also knows how to release.

Through gentle yoga, breath, and somatic awareness, you can reconnect with your own strength and wisdom. You can begin to let go not just of a relationship, but of the emotional weight that’s been living in your shoulders, hips, and heart.

Yoga won’t erase the pain, but it will give you tools to move through it. And on the other side, you might just find a softer, steadier version of yourself.