Reader, I had this banging quick email for you all today ready on Monday, except for one thing…
The Grounding Body Scan for Overwhelm meditation I uploaded to Insight Timer with the intent of it being approved easy peasy in a day or so as they usually are, is still “waiting for approval” in my teacher dashboard within IT.
BLAH!!
The one time I’m ready to have everything scheduled for the newsletter by Monday evening (my ideal hope each week that rarely comes true), and I’m stuck waiting on approval from an outside source.
So when this morning rolled around and I wasn’t going to be able to send the email I thought I would be able to send, I had two choices.
- Not send anything and stew in frustration and irritation (even though there’s studio schedule-worthy info below that I “need” to get out weekly).
- Adapt and flow.
I’m choosing #2, of course, as a way to put into practice what I talk about right here nearly every week.
But to get to that choice, I had to go for a walk and talk it out.
What I mean by that is that I started to feel the frustration set in, and the feeling of helplessness and overwhelm.
I recognized it.
Then drew on what I’d been teaching all week in class about the Polyvagal Theory and the nervous system and realized what I needed was “large muscle rhythmic movement” (the words I literally said in class yesterday as I was teaching what the body needs to get out of shutdown or freeze or come back online from a fight or flight state.).
I decided to take a walk for a decaf.
At the coffee shop I saw two friends/colleagues, briefly mentioned what was going on for me today, and it hit me mid-sentence.
Share this experience… authentically.
I also taught this week about how using your voice soothes the nervous system when it’s on the verge of fight or flight…unconsciously, I had done that.
Once again, the body proving that it knows what it needs before the brain is consciously aware of it.
I declined a ride back to the studio and took the 3 minutes to walk, gaining clarity and focus as I did.
And here we are.
When I say the stuff I teach works, it does. But only if you remember to implement it.
And that takes practice and regular pattern interrupts to get to a place where you remember to use it.
It also takes practice when you’re not in the heat of the moment… that’s how you train your nervous system to go into those uncomfortable states then return to your system’s preferred social engagement state, or what I’ve referred to as years as an energized calm.
It’s like lifting weights for your nervous system.
You have to do it to get stronger and maintain a toned vagus nerve that can easily move from one state to another without getting thrown too much off course.
This is what we do in class every week.
And at retreats.
Are you ready to check it out?
Join us in the studio. Registration not required, but appreciated.
Cheers,
Cathy
P.S. A look at the positive side: my email is now ready for next week🎉🤸♀️🤸♀️
P.P.S. If I lost you when I went down the nervous system road, it’s OK, just know that when your nervous system doesn’t feel safe for ANY reason, it will alert you… it wants to be living the “socially engaged” state all the time because that connection makes you feel safe, but when it senses something is off, it gets afraid, and takes you towards activation (fight or flight) or shutdown (freeze or fawn) or somewhere between the two. And sometimes it can get stuck in those other states… that’s what training your nervous system helps with.
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Moving my body moves me out of stuck.
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5:30 AM • All levels welcome
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4:00 - 7:30 PM • My Residence, Knoxville, IA • For those ready to go deep
Step away from the hustle and into nature’s rhythm with this evening retreat designed to help naturally caffeinated women slow down, release, and reset. You’ll experience yoga, sound healing, cacao, creative expression, and more, all while enjoying nourishing refreshments on a beautiful private property in rural Knoxville.
Leave feeling lighter, clearer, and more connected to yourself and the season ahead.
Space is limited—register now.
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AT YOUR CONVENIENCE - Personalized Somatic Coaching & Stress Resilience Training
TBD • At your location or at the studio
In these sessions I guide groups through practical, embodied practices—like breath work, mindfulness, gentle movement, and/or emotional awareness—to build stress resilience. Each session offers simple, effective tools to help participants reset, regulate, and respond with greater calm and clarity in everyday life.
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