2 min read
Simple Doesn’t Mean Insignificant
We often think healing has to be big.
A week-long retreat. An hour-long meditation. A perfectly consistent morning routine.
But what if the biggest shifts come from the smallest practices?
Little shifts stack. And over time, those small moments become lasting transformation.
A few weeks ago, I was dealing with some lower back pain, and my physical therapist gave me a few exercises to try.
There was one I kept coming back to.
Lying on my back with my knees bent, feet together, I slowly swayed my legs from left…to right…to left…to right.
In yoga, it’s often called Windshield Wipers.
At first, I thought my back simply liked the movement.
Then it hit me.
The movement was bilateral.
Left. Right. Left. Right.
As someone trained in Somatic EMDR, I couldn’t help but notice the familiar rhythm.
No, this isn’t EMDR therapy. EMDR is a structured, evidence-based treatment facilitated by a trained professional. But this movement shares one calming element: gentle, rhythmic bilateral movement, which many people find grounding and regulating.
What made it even more powerful was everything else happening at the same time.
The floor was fully supporting my body.
The movement was slow and predictable.
There was nothing to accomplish.
My attention naturally shifted out of my busy thoughts and back into my body.
And my nervous system responded.
It reminded me of something I tell my clients all the time:
Simple doesn’t mean insignificant.
Sometimes your nervous system isn’t asking for more effort.
It’s asking for more safety.
More support.
More presence.
More moments that gently remind your body, “You’re safe now.”
Healing doesn’t always happen through grand gestures.
Sometimes it happens one breath…
One sway…
One moment of slowing down at a time.
Because little shifts really do stack.
And over time, they can change everything.