Calm Your Nervous System in Our Private Pilates
There are moments in time when life feels a bit chaotic. Your kids might be transitioning schools or you started a new job after a few months of searching and connecting with your network to find those hidden resources. Some may be experiencing extreme domestic labor from caring for aging parents, their family and themselves. These times are the height of stress for many of us. Making not only daily routine tasks feel like an avalanche but also while helping others can put a new strain on your nervous system.
It’s just as important to find ways that help you regulate during these turbulent times. Many of my clients experience an hour of rest with me after they’ve transitioned out of their rehabilitative pilates sessions. These sessions focus on breathing, connecting to one’s self and listening to their body.
Here are a few ways you can enjoy your private pilates sessions for regulating your nervous system.
Breathing Patterns
Often the connection with our breathing is a new concept for us in this modern world. What does it feel like to take a big breath in? Does your exhale feel a little shaky? Do you feel a tightness in your chest that you’ve never noticed before? These are often a common experience for my clients. Especially those dealing with stressful events in life and work. Why breathing changes our nervous system is through one of our key survival instincts of flight, fight and fawn.
This is researched heavily in meditation practices and yoga (eastern). Bringing the body into a state of resting and out of the fight and flight of our stress response. Through deep focused breathing our body returns back to a resting state and this allows our parasympathetic nervous system to start. This system is
“Approximately 80% or more of all parasympathetic nerve fibers are contained in the vagus nerves (CN-X), passing to the heart, the lungs, the esophagus, the stomach, and the small intestine, the proximal half of the colon, the liver, the gallbladder, the pancreas, and the upper portions of the ureters.” - Michigan State university link
Which looking at the surface level of this connection means when we rest these systems can function as they should be.
Mind and Body
It is often difficult for many of us to find a connection with our mental state and our body. This one is more focused on challenging our body so that when you return to rest you can then see into our minds. Which stems from the philosophy of yoga. This is commonly experienced for those who do a challenging task or exercise but feel calm and collected afterwards. This moment of “Ahhh” and “okay now I can focus” are some of the most influencing times for many. You may experience a new feeling in your body, how your stress was making you tense in parts of your body or you might gain insight into something you’ve been pondering over or even get inspiration for a new idea.
This moment of connection is deeper because your physical self can let go a little more and let’s your brain work at a different “frequency.” As well as enjoying the endorphin effect that body and mind gets from a focused task.
These are a few reasons that your private pilates session with us can look a little different. We really do focus on getting you back into your body and mind not just physically but also mentally.
Our MVNT Approach
A deep dive on our approach is in a previous post. Our MVNT method in summary focuses on all your past history, your lifestyle that may increase inflammation, and your goals and movement needs day to day.
These factors in mind develop into our full MVNT practice. Involved with in person or virtual pilates based training, following client education with an at home practice to continue daily. These become the stepping stones so that once each is met in ways that pain is reduced we continue to return your body to the abilities of it’s fullest potential while preventing further pain and discomfort that may involve more corrective exercises for imbalances in your musculature. Once each step is achieved we slowly progress to the movements the spine is able to do and challenge your areas of issue so that we provide the guidance and skills so that those movements no longer become an issue!
Our goal is to get you back to moving as your best self while preventing future set backs. So if this was informative to you and may interest you in becoming a client with me. Find our studio and see us for a consultation any day.