In our work together we will start to understand the importance of the – P a u S e – or the space in between – the deeply nourishing and nurturing part of our nervous systems, the Parasympathetic. In this pause, the invitation is towards
I n t e g r a t i o n – the part that most of us miss when running from yoga to work, to lunch, to work, to the gym, to dinner, to that forgotten email at 11 pm at night... We will learn how to manage our nervous system with tools that can be accessed easily, instantly, and effectively - These tools include TRE® (Tension/Trauma Release Exercises), Breath practices, Vagal Toning, Jaw and Pelvic bowl Release, Psoas Softening, Fascia Hydration and Release, Taoist Sexual Energy Practices - Nourish Your Nervous System.
Choice is not a given. Choice is a privilege.
As a woman, choice is one of my greatest assets. I respect all who offer me choice in every arena of my life - to express a 'yes' or 'no' - to invite in what is good for me, and reject all that is not useful.
My body helps me with choice; it reminds me of what's right and wrong. It has little 'people' or 'internal voices' that pop up every second of my living day, sending advice back and forth through the interoception of the body's communication system.
We are privy to these signals or voices. How or if we hear them is dependent on how much we block out or zone out from our feeling bodies and gravitate more towards the external world that guides us from an external place, which brings us into external living.
Choose differently.
We will begin understanding how healthy sympathetic (high intensity) activation via play, can be exciting, elevating, enjoyable..even relaxing, rejuvenating, and regenerating. We offer space for the archetypal magical child who acts from a place of AuthEnticity and still believes in MaGiC. Play involves spontaneous movement, creative practices, music/sound, and presence. We will learn the implications of how overwhelming, stressful, or traumatic sympathetic responses, combined with fear, anxiety, depression or just dealing with the daily stressors of life can have the opposite effects of positive sympathetic intensity.
When we begin to PuRRRR we become more relaxed, regulated, and integrated into our nervous systems, and in our bodies. We should be able to move between parasympathetic and Sympathetic states and have an easy return to baseline, where we can manage life. Once our bodies learn to let go of defense responses, fight, flight, and freeze, we become more successful in significant relationships, family relationships, work relationships, and communication and connection in general daily life. This is a movement towards internal Re-Organisation - to be and feel moved, from a place of stress and stuckness towards a place of spaciousness and peace, in body and emotions. The PuRRRR is how you vibrate in your body and out in the world.
By the way... cat expert Professor Leslie A. Lyons, Ph.D., explains:
“For the purr to exist in different cat species over time, geographical isolation, etc. there would likely have to be something very important (survival mechanism) about the purr. There also would have to be a very good reason for energy expenditure (in this case creation of the purr), when one is physically stressed or ill. The vibration of the cat’s diaphragm, which with the larynx, creates the purr, requires energy. If an animal is injured they would not use this energy unless it was beneficial to their survival. If purring is a healing mechanism, it may just help them to recover faster, and perhaps could even save their life.”
“Because cats have adapted to conserve energy by means of long periods of rest and sleep, it is possible that purring is a low-energy mechanism that stimulates muscles and bones without using a lot of energy.”
“Scientists have demonstrated that cats purr during both inhalation and exhalation with a consistent pattern and frequency between 25 and 150 Hertz,” according to the article, Lyons says that these are frequencies that promote healing. She notes that domestic cats and wild cats alike produce strong frequencies at “exactly 25 Hertz and 50 Hertz. These two low frequencies are associated with the promotion of bone growth and fracture healing.”
Bone Growth, Fracture Healing, and Pain Relief - recent “research on frequencies that promote bone growth, fracture healing, pain relief and relief of breathlessness and inflammation, show that frequencies between 20 Hertz and 150 Hertz are healing frequencies.
All cat species have purr frequencies between 20 Hertz and 150 Hertz with the exception of the cheetah.” The cheetah purrs at 25, 50, 100, 125 and 150 Hertz. “This corresponds exactly with the best healing frequencies.”
Lyons notes that the purring of a cat lowers stress — petting a purring cat has a calming effect. It decreases the symptoms of dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing) in cats and humans. It also lowers blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease. Cat owners have 40% less risk of having a heart attack.
A large part of my life has been dedicated to those in crisis. It is heartwarming to assist beings being moved to more comfortable places within their own bodies. Much research, study, and learning have been devoted to finding solutions for those who do not have Western incomes, and those who live in diverse communities without access to basic facilities to manage stress, trauma, and overwhelm. As a designer, there is always a plan in action to create structures for easier living, gentler lifestyles, and more capacity for wholeness - the idea of being educated and knowledgeable to offer skills to others seems to be how we've been designed - to ultimately "help walk each other home".
I understand that I've been gifted with an education - both at the University of Studies and at the University of Life. I've been blessed with being able to study Design, Psychology, Fashion, Illustration, Sexuality, Taoism, Cranio Sacral Therapy, Kinesiology, Kabalah, Love, and Humanism. Ive had the pleasure and pain of emanating from a family of fucked up Jews, forced out of Russia at the start of the 20th Century, and who landed up displaced and somewhat disgraced - the laws of my land clearly began generations ago when discourse was the norm and religion used as the excuse for being weird. Nowadays, I resonate with distributing my time and energy on special projects that change and grow myself and others.
Every winter, you will find me in South East Asia at my happy, happy place. This is where I go mainly off-grid on an island in a bay between the sea and a jungle. It is here that I rest, rejuvenate, meet, and engage wonderous souls on exquisite journeys around the globe and around their bodies. Here is the place where I walk barefoot, feel the ground, talk to the insects, engage with little pieces of green glass on the beach, watch the sky meet the sea, and jump on and off little wooden boats to get to the mainland. It is here where I overcome my fears - I do all the nơ's my mother told me not to do - my rebel child throws into some situational situations, and nature holds space. Yes, I can breathe.
