John’s Sunday Blog

REGULATIONS

I was seeing things on the feed, (my algorithms), about embodied movement being the new medicine, especially for regulating the nervous system. Things like Yoga, Tai chi, martial arts, gymnastics, dance, and fusions of these such meditative or intuitive dance and facial (connective tissue) manipulation. So how NEW, is dance? I don’t imagine our ancestors dancing around the fire for their health, or maybe they were. It seems to be a natural thing to do, celebrating life and shaking off the day. Yet the fact of the matter is, the human body is meant to move naturally on most any terrain. We always have, but we have come up with ingenious ways to sit still in one shape “posture” for hours. Then exercise on machines with limited range repetition, oftentimes after work when already drained. In embodied movement something about feeling the way your body moves has tremendous benefits and a new or “old” communication arises; a relationship with sensation, not a battle. Not to fix or change, but reveal. This is especially when your movements follow your breath without strain. And what does this have to do with regulation? It’s synonymous with:

1) Order - things finding their natural sequences

2) Balance - too much or too little returns to center

3) Methods - gentle ways the body can feel into safety

4) Management - pacing life so the system isn’t constantly overwhelmed

A common imbalance is Sympathetic dominance, labeled as “anxiety”, where fast thoughts, shallow breath and tension exist - the system is simply saying “I don’t feel safe”.

Another is Dorsal Vagal dominance, labeled as “depression”, where the body shuts down, heavy limbs, foggy, low motivation, - system is saying “It’s too much to stay online, retreat”.

Sometimes our western language can cause more harm than good. It can turn temporary nervous system states into something you think you have or are; an identity. And then, they might give you a chemical coping mechanism (which many of us have already found). Some helpful, good in a pinch, and some just masking dis-regulation “to get you through“. And sadly, in the long run, keeping it dis-regulated. When looked at in a yogic view, life is connected to the flow of nature. It undulates, rising and falling, grabbing and letting go, and it’s your nervous system that guides you on the journey. Instead of seeing these things as a stamped state, (anxiety), see it as an imbalance (Sympathetic dominance). Imbalances can be gently moved towards center by consistent “gentle” efforts! Neurons are plastic, they can change function and form. Yet, it takes practice and consistency. So what can cause these imbalances? Yep, early childhood ways of dealing with the world in adulthood. The number one emotion there is that will hurt the body is shame - “something is wrong with me”. Then fixation, “I’ll always be this way”, which creates more dis-regulation, over cycling - fighting or shutting down. See, even well meaning caregivers use gentle shaming. It’s carried on through generations and woven into our culture. But new brains don’t know gentle in this sense, because belonging is deadly serious! This programs in a sense of wrong and pressure to do it right. And that can get stuck as a mode, in the nervous system, which reacts…

To pressure.

So not a fix, but a way. Embodied movement, eh hem, Yoga, will start to restore order without force. We practice methods that don’t require long explanations, just consistency. We learn to balance by sensing, not analyzing. And manage ourselves by pacing, not pushing. Nothing is wrong with you. Your nervous system has been working hard. Nothing to fix, we are giving ourselves the permission to rebalance. Ahimsa, a Sanskrit word for non harming, is part of yoga philosophy. Softy, just try not using negative thoughts, words, or feelings towards yourself. It’s the worst thing you can do to your nervous system and it’s rooted in shame. Your body is a friend to you. Ahimsa is a practice. It won’t be perfect.

If you apply Ahimsa to yourself and slip, it’s ok, forgive yourself, then ask yourself, “Would you say that to a friend, or even worse, a friend that was hurting?”

The body regulates through FEELING, not thinking.

So learning to sense your modes, through sensory feedback, one will become more aware of imbalances .

Then the mental part will come easier.

KEY: Find the false alarms, once you see them clearly as false, things soften.

Safety’s the game in the body’s domain.