Reset Your Nervous System

Reset your nervous system - how to do this?

Many of my clients come to me in a stressed state.  Overworked, overwhelmed, all the "over" words!

They usually want "tips and tricks" to be more organized, more productive, and more on top of things.  All the "more" phrases...!

Sometimes, though, less is more when it comes to calming the nervous system.

I had a client who took time off here and there, including a 2-day vacation with his family (unheard of in the fast-paced corporate world).  He desperately needed this time away from his desk for his own sanity.

However, he had a performance review at work later that month and expected his rating to fall due to his absence.

Instead, his rating rose 8%...!  Talk about a successful reset!

I love getting out in nature.  The image of me here doesn't look like much, but when I'm out in the middle of a state park somewhere with my camera, that's a major reset for me.

Not everyone has the time or finances to take 2 days off or to skip off to the closest state park. With that in mind, here are two "tips and tricks" that cost zero dollars and will only take a few minutes of your time.

I often offer these to my clients to help them through stressful times; I hope they are beneficial to you as well!

1) Reset Your Nervous System with Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra is the best way to reset your nervous system.  Period.

Yoga Nidra does not include fancy poses that require flexibility or physical strength.  Yoga Nidra is done lying down and allows your nervous system and mind to relax by way of guided meditation.

The meditations usually include what's called "rotation of consciousness", sometimes with a body scan, or sometimes with suggested images.

The instructor will move quickly from point to point or image to image.  You will become aware of each body part/image without having time to think about it actively (active thinking is not always a good thing, especially when those thoughts are unproductive!).

This speed of the rotation of consciousness not only trains your brain to be present and in the moment, it trains your nervous system that you are safe in your body. This helps you be focussed and calm with whatever comes your way "off the yoga mat".

A client said that this practice of Yoga Nidra allowed her to feel stress in her body for the first time ever.

While this sounds counterproductive (I mean, who wants to feel stress?!), she realized that she was ignoring her body's signals and messages.  She ended up holding on to so much physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Yoga Nidra let her feel all the feels... stress, grief, anger... and then move on instead of holding on.

It's a beautiful practice.

Yoga educator Ally Boothroid has a whole YouTube channel full of these guided practices if you are curious to try Yoga Nidra.

2) Don't forget to breathe!

I offered another client a simple breathing exercise to use when she noticed stress rising in her mind and body.  This client was quite surprised to realize that she was not breathing during stressful times, and incorporating breathwork into her day made a huge difference for her.

Dr. Andrew Weil has this to say about this breathing technique:

"This breathing exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. Unlike tranquilizing drugs, which are often effective when you first take them but then lose their power over time, this exercise is subtle when you first try it, but gains in power with repetition and practice. Do it at least twice a day. You cannot do it too frequently. Do not do more than four breaths at one time for the first month of practice. Later, if you wish, you can extend it to eight breaths. If you feel a little lightheaded when you first breathe this way, do not be concerned; it will pass."

"Once you develop this technique by practicing it every day, it will be a very useful tool that you will always have with you. Use it whenever anything upsetting happens – before you react. Use it whenever you are aware of internal tension or stress or use it to help you fall asleep. This exercise cannot be recommended too highly. Everyone can benefit from it."

Here's Dr. Weil explaining the exercise:

"Sit with your back straight while learning the exercise. Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge of tissue just behind your upper front teeth, and keep it there throughout the entire exercise. You will be exhaling through your mouth around your tongue; try pursing your lips slightly if this seems awkward.

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
• Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
• This is one breath cycle. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four cycles.

"If you have trouble holding your breath, speed the exercise up but keep to the ratio of 4:7:8 for the three phases. With practice, you can slow it all down and get used to inhaling and exhaling more and more deeply.

Video here of how to do this exercise.

That's it for now.  I hope these tips are helpful, please reach out if you have calming exercises you'd like to share, would love to hear from you!