How to Balance Your Body’s Nervous System
Nurture Yourself - With Exercise
I have come to the realization that working out makes me smile. I don’t mean the occasional grimace of effort but rather a sign of overall contentment.
Blowing a fuse. Getting grounded. Going haywire. All are expressions we use to describe both humans and electrical circuits, and it’s no coincidence: We have energy coursing through us, and just like the outlets in our homes, when our systems get overloaded, we short out.
“The nervous system sends reciprocal electrical impulses between the brain and the body, causing muscles to contract or release,” explains Meredith Sands Keator, creator of Neural Resonance Therapy, a blend of Eastern and Western bodywork concepts that views muscles, nerves, meridians, and chakras as part of a single system to be treated as a whole. “This wiring is responsible for every muscular reaction, including those in response to emotions,” Keator says. “Pain and anger cause breath to shorten and muscles to tighten; joy and bliss allow us to exhale fully and release tension.”
According to Western medicine, the body’s vital functions are controlled by electrical impulses that flow through the autonomic nervous system, composed of the sympathetic and parasympathetic subsystems. When we are relaxed, the parasympathetic system can do its work, aiding digestion and decreasing blood pressure. When we are stressed, the sympathetic system kicks in, activating our “fight or flight” instinct and releasing stress hormones. One of the main stress hormones, cortisol, is necessary in small amounts to help regulate blood pressure and blood sugar, but a prolonged state of stress can result in higher blood pressure, digestive problems, and lowered overall immunity.
In Eastern medicine, the energy running through the body is called chi. This vital life force flows through meridians, which connect to our internal organs and are accessed by acupuncture points. When chi flows freely, we are healthy and balanced. When it becomes blocked due to stress or injury, the result is a deficiency in some areas and an excess in others, and we can become sick or depressed. “Stress causes the body’s energy to constrict and stagnate,” explains Maria Furlano, a licensed primary healthcare provider who specializes in chi kung, acupuncture, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. “For example, when you are stressed or angry the energy may rise to your head and cause a headache as well as shoulder and neck tension.”
what can you do when your circuits are overloading? Try being your own electrician. Here are a few simple rituals from Keator and Furlano to help you get—and stay—grounded:
1. Perfect Your Posture
Imagine there is a handle in the middle of your chest and someone is gently pulling it forward and up. (This should help broaden your shoulders.) Keeping the chin level, bring your head back slightly so that it’s aligned with your spine. Use this to gently correct your posture throughout the day. Benefits: Poor posture puts strain on muscles and ligaments, which can reduce blood flow and impinge on nerves, causing pain (such as sciatica and backaches). Correct posture improves energy flow and increases vitality.
2. Take Time to Breathe
While sitting or lying in a comfortable position, inhale and exhale through your nose, paying attention to your breath. Allow the shoulders to drop away from your ears and the belly to relax. Scan your body for muscles that are holding tension and release any tightness. Create a small daily ritual of complete relaxation, even if only for five minutes. Benefits This ritual helps improve awareness of contracted muscles, a frequent source of aches and pains. When we become mindful of where and when we’re holding our muscles, we can let go of this tension more easily and regularly in daily life.
3. Stimulate Your Ears
Gently massage your ears with your thumb and index finger in small circular motions, from top to bottom, ending with a tug on the lobes. Repeat for a total of nine times. Benefits: The ear is a particularly rich source of acupuncture points (more than 100), so gently massaging the ears helps encourage energy flow throughout the body.
4. Use Acupressure
Locate what is called in acupuncture the Pericardium 6 (P6) point—centered on the arm about 1 inch above the inside of the wrist. Gently press this point with the thumb of the opposite hand for 30 seconds to one minute. Breathe slowly and deeply, relaxing the mind and body. Benefits: Stimulating the P6 acupuncture point calms the heart, regulates chi, settles the mind, and relieves nausea and pain.
5. Visualize Serenity
Sit on the edge of a chair with feet flat on the floor. Make sure your spine is straight, and close your eyes. Breathe slowly and deeply from your belly, allowing it to expand and relax with each breath. Imagine a gentle waterfall of warm light flowing over you from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. Practice this exercise daily for 15 minutes. Benefits This visualization technique calms the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and allows the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) to respond.