Powerful Ease. Grounded Calm. Full Body Presence
A Gentle Doorway back to Balance, Clarity, & Ease
Many people arrive here because they’re tired, tired of feeling overwhelmed, tired of carrying tension, tired of pushing through pain or fatigue, tired of feeling disconnected from themselves.
Often, they’ve tried everything except addressing what’s happening underneath: the body’s natural rhythm, energy flow, and emotional landscape.
Based in the peaceful surroundings of Puerto Vallarta, I offer Subtle SOMA Therapy online and in person, creating a nurturing environment where your system can shift from coping to healing.
It’s about helping your system release what it’s been holding, so you can feel whole again.
Subtle SOMA Therapy, is a specialized and unique somatic approach that helps release deep, automatic physical, emotional, and soul felt patterns your body has been carrying from heavy life experiences, which could also be classified as trauma. This somatic therapy gently supports you to feel grounded, clear, and at ease again, so you can take the actions that are desired to make positive life choices.
This therapy touches the physical, emotional and spiritual layers of healing.
My Approach:
My unique therapeutic approach is a synergetic Subtle Soma experience that weaves together:
TRE® Somatic Shaking Medicine, in therapeutic tremoring for nervous system regulation. I guide therapeutic tremoring to support nervous system regulation. Sessions may include gentle embodiment movements, breathwork (pranayama), involuntary pulsations, tremors or vibrations, and meditative soundscapes. Together, these elements allow your body to unwind stress patterns safely and organically.
Flower essence therapy, in vibrational medicine, bridging body & soul. I also work with flower essence therapy as a subtle vibrational bridge between body and soul. As the body begins to feel safe through TRE® (Tension & Trauma Release), deeper emotions may naturally surface. Personalized flower essence blends used as external sprays and/or internal drops, support emotional unfolding with compassion, clarity, and spiritual reconnection, all in a grounded and supportive way.
Flower Essence Repertories that are explored:
BACH Original Flower Remedies (38 remedies)
FES Quintessentials Flower Remedies (103+ remedies)
Range of Light Flowers (48 essences)
Everything I do is slow, supportive, and tailored to your pace.
I will guide your system into unwinding the patterns that keep you stuck in stress, exhaustion, or emotional heaviness, even if you’re not sure why you feel that way.
Many people who find this work say things like:
“I’m exhausted, but I can never fully relax.”
“My emotions are everywhere, I feel scattered.”
“I thought I healed that part of me, why am I still triggered?”
“I feel tense all the time, even when nothing is wrong.”
“My mind is racing, and I don’t know how to slow it down.”
“I’ve healed physically… but something still feels ‘off.’”
“I’m just not myself lately.”
What people are describing is often the body’s way of saying it needs a new kind of support, one that goes deeper than mindset or willpower.
Subtle Soma Therapy helps your body remember how to soften, release, and come into ease again. Moving you through emotional blockages and closer towards soul alignment.
A Different Way to Feel Better
You don’t need to understand the nervous system or vibrational energy healing for this work to help you. You simply need to be open to the possibility that your body knows more than your mind has been able to explain.
“Elena didn’t think anything was wrong, she just felt tense for no clear reason. Through gentle somatic practices, she began noticing how her shoulders dropped, her breath softened, and her mind felt clearer. She realized she had been stuck in a subtle stress pattern she couldn’t see until her body let go of it.”
The Body Carries What the Mind Cannot
Stress, grief, illness, or simply years of “holding it all together” can show up as:
Tension in the jaw, shoulders, or back
Irritability or emotional “flatness”
Exhaustion no amount of sleep fixes
Trouble focusing
Feeling disconnected from your emotions
A sense of heaviness you can’t explain
This doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. It simply means your system has been working hard for a long time, and it’s ready for something softer.
How Subtle SOMA Therapy Sessions Support You…
I create the conditions your body needs to feel supported enough to release the stress it has been holding.
Quiet, intentional space
Deepened breath
Awareness of subtle sensations
Gentle release of tension
Soft vibrations through the body
Emotional release
Moments of clarity or lightness
Expanded perception
A felt pull toward a new direction
Each session is tailored to your body’s pace, never forced, and offered online or in person.
Why Clients Choose Subtle Soma Therapy:
Challenge: Subtle Soma Therapy Benefit
Chronic stress, pain, or illness
Calms the nervous system and restores vitality
Emotional trauma or burnout
Reconnects body, mind, and spirit through awareness
Anxiety or dysregulation
Builds resilience and balance through energy flow
Disconnection or numbness
Awakens inner presence and self-compassion
Spiritual disconnection
Restores peace, clarity, and inner harmony
Know that In deep healing, this is when you feel:
Grounded yet radiant
Still yet vibrantly alive
Honest yet Self Compassionate
Human and divine, seamlessly integrated
The Flower Essence Repertories that we explore together…
BACH Original Flower Essences
38 Remedies
Discovered in the 1930s by Dr. Edward Bach, these target specific emotions like fear, uncertainty, or loneliness. They are used for managing emotional harmony and include remedies like Rescue Remedy.
FES Quintessentials Flower Essences
103+ Remedies
These are produced in California and are made from flowers grown in Biodynamic® gardens or in nature. They are developed to meet the needs of modern consciousness, extending beyond the original Bach system.
Range of Light Flowers Essences
48 Remedies
A specific, specialized collection within the FES line, featuring 48 essences created in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. These represent another octave in healing themes, often focusing on deeper soul development, spiritual connection, and the synthesis of human and elemental forces.
Subtle Soma Therapies
Where Energy & Body Meet
Why TRE® Therapeutic Tremoring Matters…
TRE® (Tension & Trauma Releasing) is one of the main somatic embodiment experiences within Subtle Soma Therapy, it is a simple yet powerful method that activates your body’s natural tremor response, the same innate mechanism animals use to discharge stress.
These gentle tremors help release deep tension from the muscles, fascia, and nervous system without having to revisit painful memories or talk through trauma.
TRE® helps with:
• stress stored in the body creating chronic pain
• chronic tension in the hips, back, jaw, or abdomen
• emotional heaviness
• overwhelm or burnout
• fatigue and low energy
• feeling “on edge” or unable to relax
Most clients describe TRE® as “a switch I didn’t know my body needed.”
Paul didn’t think he held stress, until his legs began to tremor gently during TRE®. After a few sessions, he felt lighter, calmer, and more centered than he had in years.
How does TRE® work?
TRE® works directly with the autonomic nervous system, helping it move out of stuck survival states (sympathetic charge or Freeze) and back toward regulation, (parasympathetic rest/digest).
During stress or trauma, muscles, especially in the hips, pelvis, and core, tighten to protect the body. If the nervous system never gets the signal that the danger has passed, this tension stays locked in.
TRE® activates the body’s natural tremor response, small, rhythmic shaking movements, that allow the nervous system to complete stress responses that were never finished.
From a neurophysiological perspective:
Tremoring discharges excess sympathetic activation
Gentle rhythmic movement stimulates vagal tone
The nervous system receives feedback that it’s safe to relax
This allows the system to shift from fight/flight or freeze back toward ventral vagal regulation (parasympathetic rest/digest).
Animals do this instinctively. Humans learned to suppress it.
TRE® helps your body remember how.
You don’t make the tremors happen.
You allow them.
How does TRE® work with Dissociation, flooding, & freeze?
Dissociation, flooding, and freeze are natural autonomic nervous system responses that can become chronic when stress or trauma has been ongoing and the body never receives a clear signal that it is safe to return to regulation.
Someone may live in dissociation by feeling numb, disconnected, or “not fully here,” in flooding by feeling easily overwhelmed, anxious, or emotionally reactive, or in freeze by feeling stuck, exhausted, and unable to move forward despite wanting change. TRE® works with each of these states by honoring the body’s protective intelligence rather than forcing release.
Dissociation = the system moves away from sensation to survive
Flooding = the system is overwhelmed by sensation
Freeze = the system is stuck between action and shutdown
All three are expressions of autonomic protection, not pathology.
TRE® does not push the system through these states.
It helps the system come out of them safely.
Dissociation → TRE® gently brings sensation back
Flooding → TRE® teaches the system how to stay within capacity
Freeze → TRE® allows movement without threat
What Happens During TRE® (What People Actually Feel)
People are often surprised by how subtle it can be.
You might experience:
Gentle shaking in the legs or hips
Waves of warmth or tingling
Pulsing or vibration through the spine
Deep sighs or spontaneous breaths
A sense of melting or softening
Emotional release without a story attached
Nothing is forced. Your body controls the process.
Real-Life Examples: Symptoms → TRE® Experience → Results
“I’m always tense, even when nothing is wrong”
Symptoms before TRE®
Tight jaw or clenched teeth
Shoulders constantly lifted
Can’t relax even during rest
Feels “on edge” for no reason
During TRE®
Tremors begin in legs and travel upward
Jaw loosens without effort
Breath deepens naturally
Results after sessions
Body relaxes more easily on its own
Less background tension
Sleep improves
Feels calmer without trying
“It felt like my body finally exhaled.”
“I thought I healed my trauma—why am I still triggered?”
Symptoms
Emotional overreactions
Sudden anxiety
Feeling flooded or shut down
Old reactions in new situations
During TRE®
Tremors stay mostly in hips or core
Emotional waves come and go
No need to revisit memories
Results
Triggers feel less intense
More choice in reactions
Emotional steadiness
Nervous system feels safer
“The charge around it just disappeared.”
Why TRE® Feels Different From Talk Therapy
Doesn’t require retelling trauma
Works bottom-up, not top-down
Lets the body lead
Creates safety before insight
This is why it’s especially effective for people who:
Are tired of “processing”
Feel stuck despite understanding their patterns
Know something is stored in the body
Want gentleness, not catharsis
What Results Tend to Build Over Time
With consistent sessions, people often notice:
Faster nervous system recovery
Improved sleep
Reduced or eliminated chronic pains
Better emotional regulation
Reduced anxiety
More embodiment and presence
A felt sense of safety in the body
Not dramatic overnight change—but deep, sustainable shift.
Flower Essence Vibrational Medicine
Flower essence vibrational medicine gently supports emotional balance and energetic harmony within your therapeutic process, as it is used as a gentle yet powerful support system in emotional and soul-based healing.
Vibrational Medicine helps soften patterns like:
overthinking
inner pressure
worry
emotional heaviness
unclear boundaries
difficulty slowing down
Flower essences are not essential oils or medicinal herbs, they’re subtle vibrational remedies that help the emotional body feel steadier and more supported.
Laura didn’t think she was stressed, she was simply “always on.” After receiving a personalized flower essence blend for calming and grounding, she noticed she could finally pause without feeling restless. This made the somatic work feel easier and more effective.
How do Flower Essences Work?
Emotional & Soul-Level Support
Flower essence therapy is a gentle form of vibrational medicine that supports emotional balance and soul-level healing. Unlike herbs or pharmaceuticals, flower essences do not work through chemical action. Instead, they carry the energetic imprint of a flower’s natural intelligence, how it grows, adapts, opens, protects, and responds to its environment.
This subtle information interacts with the emotional and energetic layers of the human system, offering support where patterns have become stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected.
How Flower Essences Support Emotional Healing
Emotions are not only feelings; they are patterns shaped by experience, perception, and nervous system response. When stress, grief, fear, or inner pressure persist over time, these emotional states can become habitual, even when circumstances change.
Flower essences work gently to:
Soften rigid emotional patterns
Support emotional movement without force
Increase awareness of unconscious emotional states
Encourage emotional regulation and resilience
Rather than suppressing emotions, flower essences help emotions unfold and integrate in a way that feels safe and manageable.
People often notice:
Greater emotional clarity
Reduced reactivity
Increased self-compassion
Subtle shifts in mood or perspective
These changes tend to be gradual and cumulative, supporting long-term balance rather than quick fixes.
Working with the Soul Layer
At a deeper level, flower essences are understood to support alignment between one’s inner truth and outer life. Emotional distress can arise when there is a disconnect between the soul’s needs and the way a person has learned to cope or survive.
Each flower carries a distinct energetic quality, such as:
Courage in the face of fear
Grounding during transition
Openness after contraction
Softness where protection has been necessary
By resonating with these qualities, flower essences can support:
Life transitions and personal growth
Emotional integration after change or loss
Spiritual reconnection
A sense of inner coherence and meaning
These shifts are often felt quietly, as a subtle inner reorientation rather than dramatic emotional release.
Flower Essences & the Nervous System
Emotional patterns are closely linked to the autonomic nervous system. When the body begins to feel safer, especially through somatic practices such as TRE®, emotions that were previously suppressed or inaccessible may surface.
Flower essences can support this process by:
Buffering emotional intensity
Supporting emotional integration after somatic release
Helping the system stay grounded during change
Providing continuity and support between sessions
They act as a gentle emotional ally, helping the nervous system digest and integrate what is emerging rather than becoming overwhelmed.
What Flower Essences Are & Are Not
Flower essences:
Are non-pharmaceutical and non-addictive
Do not override free will
Do not force emotional release
Do not replace medical or psychological care
They are best understood as supportive companions within a holistic healing process, rather than standalone treatments.
Combining TRE® & Flower Essence Vibrational Therapy, as Subtle SOMA Therapy.
Through the gentle combination of TRE® therapeutic tremoring and flower essence vibrational therapy, your body and emotions find a safe space to unwind, soften, and realign. TRE® helps the nervous system release stored physical tension and reset patterns of stress, while flower essences support the emotional and energetic layers, encouraging integration, clarity, and self-compassion. Together, they work synergistically to help the body and mind feel grounded, safe, and more resilient, allowing deep healing to unfold naturally and sustainably.
Meet Julia Athena
Hi there, I’m Julia Athena, founder of Vikara Wellness Retreats & Holistic Health, and my work is rooted in a deep love for the body’s wisdom and the joy that becomes available when we learn how to listen to it.
I didn’t arrive here through a straight line. My path has been shaped by curiosity, change, and a lot of inner listening. Like many of us, I moved through seasons of searching, trying different ways of living, relating, and understanding myself before finding what truly felt aligned. Over time, those experiences taught me how powerful it is to slow down, tune in, and let the nervous system lead the way.
Yoga and embodiment entered my life as an invitation rather than a goal. What began as a personal practice quickly became a source of connection, presence, and genuine happiness. The more I listened to my body, the more ease, clarity, and joy I found, and eventually, the more I felt called to share that experience with others.
In 2012, I founded Vikara, which has since grown into retreats and recovery-informed wellness programs in Mexico. Living and working here has allowed me to witness the beauty of transformation in real time, as people soften, reconnect, and remember parts of themselves that may have been waiting quietly for attention.
As my private practice evolved, Subtle Soma Therapy emerged, a nervous system regulation therapy model I created for emotional intelligence and soul-based development. Combining TRE® embodiment methods with Vibrational Flower Essence Remedies. This work is about cultivating self-awareness, emotional fluency, and a felt sense of safety in the body so we can meet life with more openness, creativity, and joy.
I’m trained as a holistic health counselor, E-RYT 500 yoga teacher, certified TRE® provider, Shaking Medicine teacher, and in active 2026-cohort with Flower Essence Studies to become a Flower Essence Practitioner, but what guides me most is presence and lived experience. I believe healing doesn’t have to be heavy, it can be gentle, expansive, and even joyful.
My intention is to create spaces where people feel supported enough to slow down, reconnect, and truly enjoy being in their bodies, opening the door to a life that feels more grounded, alive, and aligned.
From the Journal
