LOVE as RESISTANCE
Dis-ease resistance. Stress resistance. Violence resistance. Love is Resistance.
The ongoing violence we are directly experiencing or witnessing on TV, games, and social media alters our brain and weakens our immune systems. It's important to stay informed and use our devices in careful measure, then take a break and literally turn it off and shake it off.
The way to make change is NOT by flooding our systems with more stimuli and violence which only fuels adrenaline and over time, long term nervous system overload leads to a crash. We can see this outwardly in the world as well as inside of ourselves. This is a highly effective tactic to keep us small, silent and frozen.
We cannot build resistance when we are flooded with stress hormones.
During a particularly agonizing point in my divorce in 2010, my brother said something that has always stuck with me and helped me carry on. I continue to hear it ring loud and true in moments of painful challenge and chaos.
"Lauren, keep an open heart and strong backbone"
These days we are moving through what may be the most challenging and chaotic of our lives. The United States has been sheltered and insulated for decades. And now there's a collective waking up, or shutting down as we begin to realize we are not immune. Yet we CAN build up our tolerance and resistance, enabling us to move with and through our fears.
Our body's systems are designed to be in harmony, to cooperate and collaborate with their own internal systems and the others we are entwined with. Look at trees in the forest or a network of computers as examples. As humans, we have our own systems in place allowing our body to function as a whole - cardiovascular, lymphatic, immune, respiratory, digestive. If any one of these falters, we are screwed. When functioning well, the nervous system is our wise organizer and highly sensitive guide. So, our overall function literally requires an OPEN HEART & STRONG BACKBONE.
The only way to change a pattern is to disrupt and interrupt it. Let's be VERY CAREFUL and conscious of the interruptions.
Join me Tuesday at 10am est for Gentle Kundalini Yoga to open and strengthen our hearts and spines.
As someone healing from C-PTSD, I understand cortisol (stress hormone) all too well. Perhaps my daily yoga, love of massage and hugs, nature, water, and breathing practices have helped to lessen the effects with some feel good hormones, but it still felt like an uphill battle at times. Time. It's a precious commodity. And if we feel like we are in a race, we will never get there. Learning to slow down and tap in to the present, and sometimes harsh reality of the moment is required to traverse these times.
As I now find myself in perimenopause, empty nesting with a smaller business to manage, I've been going through my own stress detox and it's paying off. Perhaps just in time to allow my precious nervous system to support me in standing up and out with an open heart and strong backbone. I've learned how to be more efficient with my energy. Calmer and stronger.
Please join me in the necessary detox and in this building and growing resistance.
SO...it's time to take advantage of all we can. Take advantage of any privilege we have. That's important utilization of our response-ability. It is not useful to continue in the cycle of seeking or creating more violence to support a toxic and broken or breaking down system. Disrupt it and give it a rest. If and when violence, chaos or harm gets close - this is when our reserves of oxytocin come in handy. Then we rest and reset and replenish.
Be it an able body, able mind, loving heart, strong voice...let's become resistant, together.
OXYTOCIN is our antidote. It's considered the love and connection hormone and it shuts down cortisol! So, how do we get it? How do we get our daily dose leading to more immunity? We generate and share love. That's it. We can do this through touch, sound, movement, energy - you pick the flavor of the day. Just take your medicine! I much prefer to make medicine together and if other humans aren't available, we can source this good stuff on our own.
Here are a few daily dose suggestions:
Dance it out. Shake it out (the way our animal friends do). Let out a good cry (sad movies help). Laugh it out (Jamie Brown is a lovely local resource). Paint a messy picture. Give and get as long of a hug as possible. Splash some water on your beautiful face.
And please join me for a FREE GENTLE YOGA PRACTICE tomorrow 10am on Zoom. We will practice the Kriya for Nervous System Regulation.
Register HERE and read more below.
Lauren
And February 14th for some sweet partnered breathing and co-regulation practices...
Lauren
As a human, mother, birth doula, trauma aware touch educator, infant massage trainer, somatic sex educator, and relationship coach, I've spent the past thirty years studying and experimenting a lot with Oxytocin. My work is tending to people going through extreme transitions - be it birth, death, illness, divorce, etc.. And one thing each and every one of these humans and instances have in common is the requirement to bravely soften and surrender in order to make the transition. I have been synthesizing and distilling these studies and practices and would really love to share them with you so we may make this transition together - with the least amount of harm as possible.
Tikkun Olam. In order to heal the world we must first heal ourselves.
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