A simple practice to regulate your nervous system

Shift your state in a minute with this regulating tool.

Welcome! Hi, I’m Marisa. I write wild-hearted - a place to land for holistic + embodied + seasonal living. If you desire a life that feels intentional, meaningful and a little wild, I’d love for you to join this community and become a free or paid member. Thank you for your presence here.

Photo by Mink Mingle

From overwhelmed to grounded.

Through the chaos that is life (especially the last few years), we could all use some daily practice to regulate our nervous system.

Learning all about nervous system regulation has been life changing for me. As I navigated a long winter season of life, I looked for ways to control my anxiety, freeze or overwhelm and understand a little bit more what was going on in my body, mind and life. I found nervous system regulation which has been the biggest blessing.

Learning and practicing nervous system regulation has brought much more understanding, compassion and safety within.

I want to share with you a practice that I do almost daily, usually even without thinking about it, my body naturally does it - and your body might do it too without you realising it’s a good thing for regulating your nervous system.

SWAYING AS A REGULATING RESOURCE

Swaying from side to side. Whether you’re standing up or sitting down, you can do this simple movement anytime during your day to move towards what we call the Ventral state in Polyvagal Theory which is our regulated nervous system state when we feel safe and present. Ground your feet (if you’re standing) or your sit bones (if you’r sitting) and allow some softness in the body to sway from side to side.

I often sway when I’m in line at the grocery store, waiting for the train or bus, in the sunshine on my balcony, during little breaks here and there throughout my day - amongst other regulating resources.

Swaying is an option that is available almost anytime. You can do it when you’re on the phone, waiting in line, as a break from being glued to your laptop, when you wake up or go to sleep, before a meeting or boarding a plane.

You can do this practice when you’re feeling stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, frozen or shut down. If you’re anxious or agitated, the intention is to feel more grounded and calm afterwards. If you’re more in shut down, feeling a bit lethargic and disconnected, you’ll want to receive some energy from the practice. You can also sway when you’re regulated too as it’s the kind of practice that the more we do it, the more our nervous system register this practice as safe. Every time we do it, it adds up - like a rep at the gym. When we want to build muscles, it doesn’t happen in one session at the gym- it happens over time with repetition. The more we practice a regulating tool, the more our bodies remember and will support us towards feeling more grounded, present and safe.

Photo by Uran Wang

We rock babies intuitively - for sleep, for comfort or to bring them back to regulation when crying. We love a good rocking chair moment. Rocking or swaying feels good to our nervous system.

Take a moment to notice how you feel after swaying for a minute.

Do you notice any subtle shifts and sensations in your body or mind?

What to look for:

If you notice that you start yawning, or your stomach gurgling, feeling more present and anchored, taking deeper breaths - those are signs that it’s working and that your nervous system is moving towards Ventral and regulation. It is your body discharging the stress and tension from your body. Take a moment to notice how you feel after the practice.

I’m a big yawner. Every time I practice regulating resources, I yawn and take deeper breaths. I love it as I can feel the stress and tension leaving my body and feeling more calm, grounded and present.

What I’ve learned the last couple of years is that the simple practices are the most potent and that it’s all about repetition. Especially regulating tools that are somatic (involving the body). Somatic resources feels more supportive than just consciously taking deep breaths when I’m nervous as sometimes this feel hard to shift the breathing pattern. By focusing on the body, it’s letting our nervous system and brain know we’re safe and we’ll often start breathing deeper or discharging energy by yawning for example. The more we repeat them, the more they become part of our daily practice, the more we move towards Ventral (feeling safe and present).

Are you a natural swayer? Try it and report back. I’d love to hear what you notice from this regulating practice. Do you feel any sensations?

If you think this practice could support a friend, feel free to share this post with them.

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