Our Nervous System

"Our nervous system is designed to keep us safe, which is not the same as comfortable..."

Hi Friends,

I hope this email finds you and your loved ones well. I'm getting this note out a bit later than I wanted, winter break made my brain dull !

I heard that statement about the nervous system a while ago and thought, oh wow, that is important to understand.  Especially given that movement and meditation practices help us regulate our nervous system.  But it's true, our nervous system is constantly assessing our environment to determine if it's a safe one or not, and it's doing it without us even thinking about it . 

Safe is not the same as comfortable.

So how do we find comfort? Because "comfortable" can allow us to exhale, relax and downregulate our very active nervous system.  One way is to train our bodies and our minds in our physical practice, to stay with something that might be uncomfortable (holding halfway through a "roll down" anyone?).  When you stay with something that is uncomfortable you are teaching/showing your nervous system that it is possible to stay.  Now we don't want our whole movement practice to be that way, but testing our limits in a safe environment (like home) allows us to expand our relationship with discomfort.  

Another way to work with our nervous system and discomfort is to pay attention to our breath patterns. Short and shallow = body under stress (this does not mean it's all bad stress). And long, slow and deep = the body in or closer to the rest and digest state of our nervous system.  A great thing about this one, you can do it anywhere!  Commuting on the train, dealing with a difficult person, having an off day, just turn your attention to your breath and slow it down.

Hope you find this stuff as fascinating as I do! Do you have techniques or practices that help you with regulating your nervous system? Would love to hear what you all do!