Burnout: the Breaking Wave and the Science of Healing

Like a wave crashing on the beach, I broke down - little did I realise it was the start of a transformation

I broke like a wave.

Not all at once, but slowly. Under pressure I told myself I could manage.

Burnout rarely happens overnight. It creeps in, disguised as ambition, masked by endless to-do lists and late-night emails. It accumulates silently, deep inside the body, until one day, something cracks.

The day my wave crashed, it was not dramatic to anyone else. But internally, it was seismic.

And so I broke.

But I did not drown.

Instead, I discovered that healing was possible, but only by working with my body, not against it.

Burnout is not just psychological. It is biological.

Under chronic stress, the body’s systems shift into survival mode. The sympathetic nervous system stays activated for too long, keeping cortisol levels elevated. Inflammatory markers rise. Heart rate variability, a key measure of resilience, falls. Brain function shifts, impairing decision-making, emotional regulation, and memory.

When the nervous system remains stuck in a state of hypervigilance, exhaustion becomes inevitable.

Yet the body also holds the keys to recovery.

Breathwork can signal safety to the vagus nerve, helping switch the nervous system from fight-or-flight into rest-and-digest. Gentle movement can release trauma stored in the muscles and fascia. Mindful practices can rewire brain patterns shaped by months or years of chronic stress.

This is why transformational yoga therapy was not simply an exercise class for me. It was medicine. It was science meeting soul.

Through breath, movement, stillness, and self-inquiry, I began to rebuild my internal architecture.

I restored heart-brain coherence; the synchrony between our emotional and cognitive centres that is essential for well-being. I increased my heart rate variability, a vital biomarker linked to resilience and adaptability. I learned to regulate my internal state rather than being ruled by external pressures.

This was not about “going back” to who I was before burnout.

It was about becoming someone new.

• Someone wiser.

• Stronger.

• Whole.

Today, I teach others how to navigate their own waves.

I teach how to listen to the body’s early signals before the tsunami hits.

How to use breath, movement, and embodied awareness to regulate the nervous system. How to recover energy, calm the inner critic, and reconnect to meaning and purpose.

Because when the wave breaks, it is not failure. It is an invitation. An invitation to return home to yourself.

If any of this resonates with you, reach out. You do not have to face the wave alone.

I would be honoured to guide you.