Overwhelm, Escape, And Resetting The Nervous System

I am an escape artist.

I have been known to fly off to various parts of the world because staying in one place dealing with all that there is to deal with can seem too hard at times.

Well, I WAS an escape artist. Then I learned to sit in and contend with discomfort in Yin Yoga, and I learned to allow whatever was going on to coexist with rest with Restorative Yoga. Somatic & Slow Flow has allowed for me to lean into active movement while continuing to listen to myself. I’d been escaping from life’s realities through hard core yoga asana (movement) classes for years only to find myself with the ability to do hard things physically, but still wanting to escape mentally and emotionally. Diving into a deep, intuitive and mentally challenging practice is what has helped me contend with pandemic realities, deaths of dear ones, and the inevitable changes of life. I truly can’t say enough about the power of these practices. Maybe I can give an example.

Have you ever met a person who was boisterous and overbearing? The kind of person who wants you to know they’re in charge, they have it all together, they’ve hacked themselves and life? Well that’s what my yoga asana practice was — loud, boisterous, superficial. BUT, it was the pathway to stillness, intuition, interception and depth. That’s the thing — nothing is wasted on this journey. Now the practice is like that super quiet person who’s making boss moves without calling attention to themselves.

What I know for sure is that both the loud and the quiet have served me at different times in my life. Quiet is serving me now. I need to silence the world outside to hear my inner voice, to commune with my godself and to surrender to God. That element of surrender to what is was what I had been missing and what never came to me in the form of a one minute plank or a handstand (though it might for others). I think I had surrender confused with resiliency — those are completely different things! And sense this rested self, this more resilient self has shown up, my need to escape has softened. When I travel, it’s because I want to expand into something different — not because I need to escape the realities of my life.

For all of you escape artists out there, I created a somatic flow practice that helps reset your nervous system in about 20 minutes. Do a check in before practice, then do the practice, then check in with yourself again. It’s 20 minutes of your time that I hope is well spent. Try it and let me know how it goes for you in the comments here or on the video.

Much love, beautiful people. Be a rested, compassionate ripple in the world.