“Why Nervous System Support Matters for hEDS and Hypermobility.”

For a long time, I thought my body was just fragile. I blamed my joints for everything. The pain, the instability, the exhaustion, the way movement felt unpredictable from one day to the next.

What I did not realize back then was how deeply my nervous system was involved in all of it.

If you live with hEDS or hypermobility, there is a good chance your nervous system has been working overtime for years. Not because you are doing anything wrong, but because your body has learned that it needs to stay alert to keep you safe.

Understanding this changed everything for me.

Living in a hypermobile body can keep the nervous system on high alert!

When your joints move more than expected, your body has to work harder to keep you upright and safe. Muscles grip. Ligaments stretch. Your brain constantly checks where your body is in space.

Over time, this can keep your nervous system stuck in a state of protection.

This does not always feel like anxiety in the way people usually describe it. Sometimes it shows up as:

• constant muscle tension
• fatigue that never fully lifts
• feeling easily overwhelmed
• sensitivity to sound, light, or movement
• pain that flares without a clear reason
• difficulty fully relaxing

Your body is not overreacting.
It is doing its best to protect you.

Why regulation matters more than pushing through…

When the nervous system feels unsafe, the body tightens. Muscles guard. Movement feels harder. Pain feels louder. Recovery takes longer.

This is why forcing workouts or pushing through discomfort often backfires for hypermobile bodies. The nervous system reads force as a threat.

Gentle nervous system support sends the opposite message. It tells your body that it is okay to soften.

When the nervous system begins to settle, you may notice:

• muscles gripping less
• joints feeling more supported
• improved coordination
• reduced pain sensitivity
• movement feeling less scary

This is not about fixing your body.
It is about helping it feel safe enough to function.

Nervous system tools that can support hypermobile bodies:

There is no single right way to regulate the nervous system. What matters is finding practices that feel accessible and supportive for you.

Some gentle tools that many hypermobile people find helpful include:

Somatic movement

Slow, intuitive movements that focus on sensation rather than form. These movements help your body release stored tension and improve body awareness without pushing into end range.

Humming and vocal toning

Humming stimulates the vagus nerve and can quickly calm the nervous system. It is simple, free, and can be done anywhere. Even a few seconds can make a difference.

EFT tapping

Light tapping on specific points while bringing awareness to how you feel can help the body process stress gently. It does not require reliving trauma or forcing emotions. It is about acknowledging what is present and offering support.

RLT or gentle trauma-informed regulation practices

Practices that focus on safety, resourcing, and body awareness rather than digging or fixing. These approaches help your system learn that it is safe in the present moment.

Affirmations that support safety

Affirmations work best when they feel believable. Simple phrases like:
• My body is allowed to move gently
• I am safe to slow down
• I can listen to my body today

These help retrain the nervous system over time.

Why gentle movement supports nervous system healing…

Movement is not just physical. It is neurological.

Slow, controlled movement in mid-range positions gives your brain clearer feedback from your body. This improves proprioception, which is often impacted in hypermobility.

Clear feedback helps your nervous system feel more grounded and less reactive.

This is why gentle strength and stability work can feel calming instead of exhausting when done thoughtfully.

What nervous system support can look like day to day:

This does not need to be complicated or time-consuming.

It might look like:

• starting movement with a slow breath or hum
• tapping for a minute before exercise
• choosing five minutes instead of twenty
• stopping before fatigue sets in
• ending movement with grounding or affirmations

Small moments of regulation, repeated often, create safety over time.

Why this matters for long-term wellness with hEDS?

Hypermobility is not something you fix. It is something you learn to live with in a way that feels supportive instead of exhausting.

When the nervous system feels safer, the body has more capacity to adapt, stabilize, and heal gently. Pain becomes easier to manage. Movement feels more approachable. Trust begins to rebuild.

This work is slow.
And that is okay.

A gentle place to begin…

If you are not sure where to start, begin by adding nervous system support into whatever you are already doing. Slow things down. Reduce intensity. Choose practices that help your body feel steady rather than overwhelmed.

I created the Gentle Stability Starter Guide with this connection in mind. The routines are designed to support joint stability while also being nervous system friendly, using slow pacing, simple movements, and supportive cues.

You can find it here: https://hypermobilewellnessco.squarespace.com/store/p/gentle-stability-starter-guide

Final thoughts:

Your nervous system is not broken.
It has been protecting you for a long time.

With gentle support, it can learn that your body is a safer place to be. That movement does not have to hurt. That slowing down is allowed.

Healing with hypermobility is not about doing more.
It is about listening more.

And you are allowed to take that slow, steady path.

“Why Stretching Makes Hypermobility Worse (and what to do instead!)”

If you live with hypermobility or hEDS, you probably know the feeling of being both tight and floppy at the same time. For years, I thought the constant tightness in my body meant I needed more stretching. So I stretched. A lot. It felt good for a moment, but I always ended up feeling worse later. More unstable. More achy. More confused.

If that has been your experience too, please know you are not imagining it. Hypermobile bodies respond differently to stretching, and no one really tells us that growing up. I wish someone had explained it to me earlier in a way that felt gentle and non-shaming. So that is what I want this post to be for you.

Let’s talk about why stretching can make things harder for hypermobile bodies and what actually helps instead.

The “tightness” you feel is not the same as stiffness

This was one of the biggest aha moments of my life.
What I always thought was stiffness was actually my body trying to create stability where my joints did not have much support.

The tension is not your muscles being short or stuck.
The tension is your body trying to hold everything together.

So when we stretch that tight feeling, we are not releasing anything.
We are temporarily taking away the only support our body has managed to create. No wonder everything feels worse later.

Stretching often pushes us into end range without meaning to…

Every stretch I used to do felt “easy” because my body was already flexible. I had no idea I was sliding right into positions that my joints were not stable enough to handle.

For a lot of us, stretching feels like relief in the moment simply because the nervous system gets a quick break. But the joint itself becomes more vulnerable afterward. That is usually when the wobbly feeling hits, or the soreness, or the weird discomfort that is hard to describe.

It is not your fault. No one teaches hypermobile people how to move safely.

So if stretching is not the answer, what do we do instead…

Here is what actually helps hypermobile bodies feel supported:

1. Tiny activation instead of deep stretching

Small movements that gently wake up the stabilizing muscles. Not a workout. Just a gentle hello.

2. Mid-range mobility

This means moving in the middle of your range instead of the very end of it. It feels boring at first, but it is magic.

3. Slow breathing to calm the nervous system

When your system settles, your muscles stop gripping so tightly. A calm body is a more stable body.

4. Supportive strengthening

Not the intense, “go harder” style workouts. Just gentle strength work that helps your joints feel held.

5. Movements that build trust instead of overwhelm

If your body feels safe, everything becomes easier.

How to know when a stretch might be too much…

You might notice:

• feeling more unstable or shaky afterward
• increased pain a few hours later
• a weird floaty or disconnected feeling
• joints sliding or slipping
• fatigue that feels deeper than usual

These are signs your body needs support, not lengthening.

A softer way to approach movement…

If stretching has been a go to for years, it can feel strange to stop. But you are not giving anything up. You are choosing something that will actually help your body feel more steady and less overwhelmed.

Your body is not too much. It is not dramatic. It is not wrong.
It simply needs a different kind of care. A gentler, more stabilizing kind.

Every small moment of support adds up.
Even tiny movements can shift your entire relationship with your body.

If you want a simple, supportive place to start…

I created a Gentle Stability Starter Guide for this exact reason.
It is a collection of 10 short routines that use:

• small movements
• deep but gentle activation
• nervous system friendly pacing

• no stretching or end range positions

It is everything I wish I had when I was trying to make sense of my hypermobile body.

If you want a calm, structured way to begin, you can find it here: Gentle Stability Starter Guide

https://hypermobilewellnessco.squarespace.com/store/p/gentle-stability-starter-guide

Final thoughts…

You are not broken for feeling worse after stretching.
Your body is doing its best with the information it has.
You just needed different information. A different approach.
A softer doorway into strength and stability.

Move slowly. Move kindly. Move in a way that welcomes your body instead of fighting it.
You deserve that kind of support.

“Welcome to Hypermobile Wellness Co!”

Hi there :)

I’m Em… the human behind Hypermobile Wellness Co.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived in a body that felt quite unpredictable. I was the kid who was a little bit bendy; always performing the random tricks my body could do for friends and family, never knowing when the inevitable dislocation or subluxation of a knee, shoulder, or other joint would hit.

My joints were always popping, shifting, sliding, and doing things joints probably shouldn’t do, and for years, none of it made sense. Doctors brushed things off. I brushed things off. Life kept rolling along with a lot of “Huh… that’s weird” moments.

Movement became a big part of my life. I fell in love with yoga, practiced consistently for nearly a decade, and eventually completed my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at the start of the pandemic. I genuinely believed I was taking good care of my body. But in reality, I was unintentionally overstretching already unstable joints and ignoring signs that something deeper was happening.

In May of 2023, everything began to catch up with me. What started as a few strange symptoms quickly turned into what would become a long, confusing stretch of medical uncertainty. I began experiencing vestibular migraines and many other symptoms, that completely shook my world. My migraines set off a chain reaction. Over the following few years, I went through nearly 150 appointments with specialists, physical therapists, acupuncturists, and more. I tried SO many medications, treatments, lifestyle changes, and countless theories. Each new direction brought a little hope, a good amount of frustration, and a lot of trial and error. During the first year and a half, the combination of my physical symptoms and my growing instability took a heavy toll on my mental health. I am certain it deeply impacted my nervous system as well. It felt like my body and mind were constantly trying to keep up with something they did not fully understand.

When I finally received my hEDS diagnosis, it felt like the missing puzzle piece I had been searching so hard for. It was validating, overwhelming, clarifying, and heartbreaking all at once. But it was also the first moment everything finally made sense.

As a school social worker, I naturally processed it the way I process most big things: with curiosity, compassion, and a lot of “Okay… so now what?”

Bit by bit, with physical therapy, research, and a ton of trial and error, I learned how to move differently. Smaller. Slower. Softer. I learned how to focus on stability instead of flexibility, and how to support my joints instead of overpowering them. I learned how to listen to my body in a way I never had before.

And in my opinion, most importantly, I learned how to heal my nervous system and how it directly impacts EVERYTHING.

Hypermobile Wellness Co was born from that discovery, from wanting to share what I’ve learned, what I wish someone had told me earlier, and what has genuinely helped me feel safer and more supported in my body.

Here, you’ll find movement and lifestyle infromation that is:

• gentle

• stabilizing

• nervous-system friendly

• low-spoon adaptable

• designed for bodies that don’t always behave like everyone else’s

I’m not a doctor or a medical expert. I’m simply someone living with hEDS who knows how confusing, exhausting, and frustrating this journey can feel, and I want to make it a little easier for anyone walking a similar path.

I’m so glad you’re here. We’re figuring this out together, one slow, steady, powerful (hypermobile) step at a time. 🤍

Em