Mindful Movement: Regulate Your Nervous System And Find Calm

This is a recording of our "Daily Mindfulness with Diana Mirs" live event, which explores the profound Mind-Body Connection, detailing the neuroscience behind how emotions manifest as physical tension and how mindful movement regulates the "fight-or-flight" nervous system response. You'll learn about the concept of embodiment, and discover the scientifically backed benefits of mindful movement for stress reduction, emotional regulation, and increasing creativity and focus. The session includes a 15-minute guided mindful movement exercise for direct practice.

Perfect for beginners and anyone seeking to develop greater self-awareness, emotional resilience, and overall well-being by harnessing the power of the body.

I invite you to check the "Daily Mindfulness with Diana Mirs" playlist for the recording of other events and guided meditations from this series.

Transcript

Hello guys!

Hello!

Good evening or good morning,

Good afternoon depending on where you are joining us from.

I'm glad to see you all here and if you can see me do not worry why I'm in a crown because I'm in Brazil and it is the carnival time so I thought well I will bring this mood into our life event today.

So I hope you will also appreciate a little bit of sparkle during this live.

Also please guys feel free to share a little bit about yourselves,

Your name,

Where you are joining us from and whether it is your first time joining our lives or maybe not and how are you feeling today.

It will be really nice to connect in the beginning with each other.

Some are saying hello,

Hi,

Nice to see you here as well.

Well thanks for asking.

I am feeling great today despite some of the life challenges that I still embrace.

I was really looking forward to this life and to meeting you guys and embracing this part of my offerings.

I'm feeling very energized as well.

Yes,

Thank you for the compliment.

Alright,

I hope you guys are all doing well as well and I would like to remind you that today's live event is a part of the series of events that I'm hosting this year on Insight Timer called Daily Mindfulness with Diana Meyers and during these lives we are discussing various aspects,

Well let's say of life,

Of self-growth,

Of how we can improve the quality of our lives essentially and if I'm not mistaken it is the fourth event.

All of the events are recorded and I'm uploading them as talks here on Insight Timer and a part of the event with guided meditation as a separate guided meditation so you guys can always access it,

Go back,

Re-listen or to catch up with what you have missed in my profile so please follow me so we will stay connected and you will stay tuned for the following live events.

Kristen,

Hello from Rhode Island USA,

Hello to Rhode Island as well and Micah,

Hello lovely crown,

Thank you.

Micah,

Nice to see you again here if I'm not mistaken you were here last week as well.

Excellent to see you guys.

I would like just to mention once again that it is a safe space to express yourselves,

To communicate with each other and interact with me.

Feel free to ask any questions if you are open to some recommendations or advice and just to be yourself.

This is what we are here from,

I always prefer our lives to be more like conversation of course rather than just me speaking about the topic and sharing some knowledge let's say.

I would like to dedicate this live event to the Mind-Body Connection.

I should also probably mention a few words about me,

My name is Diana,

I'm a Mind-Body Connection coach,

A psychosomatic specialist and a meditation teacher.

Today I would love to spend this hour that we have together discussing the Mind-Body Connection,

Personal life experiences,

Science-backed benefits of mindful movement and Mind-Body Connection and at the end of the live there will be again a guided practice but not just meditation but more like a physical practice.

I will be showing some of the movements that might be helpful and of course if you will be really listening later it will be uploaded as meditation and you can follow just the audio instructions.

Stay till the end if you are interested and to make it clear for the ones of you who are here for the first time perhaps or haven't been in close touch with the Mind-Body Connection it is an idea that our body and mind are interconnected and one influences another and vice versa.

So these two parts of us are in constant communication and for example I'm sure that all of us have experienced that our emotions can influence our bodies.

For example when we are feeling very nervous perhaps before giving a presentation or before an exam we kind of have the butterflies or some sensations in our stomach right and perhaps we would also like to go to the bathroom before the event just to help ourselves feel better and lighter.

That is how emotions,

Our minds can influence the physical body and vice versa.

For example when our bodies are stressed,

Tired it can contribute to anxiety or the racing mind but if we calm down,

If we relax our bodies we can also gain a calmer state of mind.

So today we will be specifically talking about how we can regulate the nervous system through our body to also enhance our mental or emotional states.

As I already mentioned the nervous system when we experience stress or strong emotions not necessarily negative emotions but something overwhelming maybe crazy happiness or overexcitement our sympathetic nervous system the part of our system in the body turns fight or flight mode so this response kicks in.

It can lead to cascade of physiological changes for example increased heart rate,

Rapid breathing,

Even muscle tension and the release of stress hormones in the body like cortisol for example and this response of course is designed by nature with evolution to help us cope with a stressful situation and it is useful if you need to sort of protect yourself or think sharply at the moment but when the situation goes back and you are just left in this fight or flight mode it doesn't serve us so it can also influence not only physical health but also our mental health.

That is why mindful movement the mind-body connection practices or somatic movement is a great way to help us down regulate the nervous system when we are bringing awareness to our physical sensations to the movements of our physical body with when we are just moving with intention we can tap into the parasympathetic nervous system another part of our system that is responsible for rest and digest response so that is when we can breathe out relax and yeah become calm so our bodies will literally understand that it is time to perhaps either digest food or digest emotions because when we are stressed our bodies do not prioritize these processes and of course we can notice the lower blood pressure or slower heart rate which will promote physical mental and again emotional relaxation so here I would like to hear from you guys whether it resonates with you or not whether you have found any examples like this from your experience of when you or how you were in a stressful or just overwhelming situation and maybe how you could help yourself after that to down regulate.

Micah I use long slow breaths to help calm me down during anxiety.

Yeah absolutely.

Normal inhales perhaps with a full chest and a longer exhales for example three six or four eight counts will help us down regulate.

Excellent that it helps you that you use this technique.

Frenna hi nice tiara thank you yes I was mentioning it in the beginning of our life event that it is a carnival time now in Brazil and I decided just to bring this spirit into our life today right if to speak about breathing and slower exhales it's the easiest practice for me to to do before going to sleep even when I'm too exhausted to practice a full meditation let's say body scan or doing a longer breathwork practice or again somatic movement series before sleep I allow myself just three minutes of time to breathe for three counts in and for six or eight or even longer however it takes out that will help me to have a deeper better sleep to calm my racing thoughts and just to arrive in my physical body and in my bed scientifically proven that three minutes of this breath pattern has positive effect on our nervous system and by the way I have a meditation it's called SOS breathing you can try it on just a few minutes and I'm pretty sure you'll feel the change by the end of it Christine shaking squeezing my hands and breath work right shaking and squeezing hands yeah that's very very however it may be for you very acceptable right no not acceptable which word I want to use accessible yeah in any situation wherever we are perfect yeah it like feeling perhaps pressure or giving self massage to the hands will help us become more present of the moment of the physical body and so on great and shaking one of my favorite practices yes especially when I am experiencing sort of irritation annoyance or anger shaking really helps yes thanks a lot for your comments for sharing that well I would like to mention a part of my way and professional way as well with a movement and mind-body connection I go back to that period of my life quite often when sharing my story and for many of us for me as well COVID times the first lockdown hit very hard and when I was sort of on a recovery path after all the stress that I have experienced yoga came into my life and this practice thank God I met an incredible teacher who just helped me to save myself I would say this mindful practice yoga the movement really helped me to stay sane to arrive in my body into the present moment without thinking of what was happening in my life or outside of that moment about any problems that I was going through at least these two hours of practice every morning when I was going to the yoga studio really set the tone for the rest of the day at least two hours in my day I was more relaxed more calm more at peace and of course surrounded with like-minded people who are practicing with me it was amazing so that was the first let's say bright example of how movement brought so many benefits to me the second moment is I would say it happened not that long ago maybe about a year ago when I started to struggle with anxiety usually or before that it wasn't such an issue for me let's say and neither breathwork nor meditation nor journaling none of the practices that I was doing regularly helped me to overcome or to ease the anxiety that I was experiencing especially in the morning but again somatic movement just gentle exercises slow exercises really helped not even my mind but the nervous system itself my body and I just set an intention to give myself a chance to practice it daily regularly consistently for two weeks and even after two weeks if I wouldn't have noticed the results I promised myself okay you can't give up but give yourself these two weeks and after I would say five days I noticed subtle change and I was like wow is it really working for me and I started to explore it more and more and that's when I realized oh my god yes that was the way to go from my mind into the physical body again to not even making any effort as in yoga but just being with yourself all the small tiny almost effortless at least for me movements gave me so much and I was just fascinated so after that after those two moments I of course started to explore it more and professionally and deepening my knowledge in these spheres in mind-body connection and neuroscience so I can implement it in my coaching and share it with you guys and with my clients and I hope this sharing will help you guys also I don't know to give yourself a chance to explore some movement or inspire you to try something new for yourself right and let me know if something similar happened with you or let's say for you and how it was also here I would probably like to mention the embodiment I'm sure that many of you have heard this term before and I would say for me embodiment is feeling present and connected to your physical self maybe inhabiting fully the body itself rather than just existing in the head accepting all of the sensations probably also enhancing introspection the sense of what's happening inside and how am I feeling at this moment shifting this attention from our thoughts to our body and there are so many great and amazing embodiment meditations here on inside timer that I also love to discover so you guys can also give them a try and I find the practice of embodiment very powerful for manifestation it is of course completely different topic from what we will be concentrating on today but just feeling how you will feel in the future when you have something and you embody it in your body now helps you to let's say attract it much faster but of course again it is how our brain works and neuroscience has a lot of research on that nowadays speaking of embodiment and manifestation you guys can also explore the course that I have here and don't remember how exactly it is called but I'm sure you'll find it there are two to five day-long courses if you are interested in this topic please feel free to explore it as well all right of course if there are any questions you are welcome to ask and for now before we move to the scientific benefits of the mind-body connection and mindful movement please let me know guys what benefits of movement maybe just in general physical movement or of mindful movement or the mind-body connection you have experienced yourself let's say firsthand maybe there are also some examples of how it helped you I'm sure it will inspire all of us and many of us could perhaps connect to it and resonate with it I would love to mention in the sort of it that suits you will bring incredible results it doesn't have to be a two hour long yoga session each day perhaps just five to ten minutes of consistent daily practice will show the positive impact on your states well I think the most obvious one and perhaps the most important is stress reduction our modern life is full of different kinds of stress and it is inevitable the question is how we handle or how we live with this stress and mindful movement can help us regulate the nervous system we already talked about it a little bit before so any type of the movement that brings you to the present moment will help you manage the daily stress and even prevent burnout even if we talk about for example professional burnout or in whatever sphere of life it may be Kristen quick little walks helped me so much amazing yes that's great and again quick little walks exactly it doesn't have to be an hour long walk somewhere specifically in the park that is probably located far from home no but just being mindful and in your body when you're walking to your office or to a subway station it will be already a great contribution to your well-being thanks for me I love of course to walk in nature even if it is just a little park nearby or observing trees on my way somewhere but my favorite practice is walking barefoot on the grass oh unfortunately I don't have this opportunity often but when I do that is incredible so I recommend you guys to practice it just to give it a try well the second benefit I would like to mention is improved sleep when we calm our mind and body with a mindful movement we can pave the way to more restful and restorative sleep especially if you practice this type of movement in the evening maybe as a part of your evening routine it can help to regulate the sleep cycles and reduce insomnia so please guys also give it a try I know that nowadays again a lot of people are struggling with sufficient sleep or with getting enough sleep or deep sleep whatever the challenge may be mindful movement can and does help the third benefit is increased body awareness so we can tap into our bodies become more connected with the physical self and it can not only help us recognize any areas of tension or discomfort but even help us prevent chronic problems which is a huge benefit imagine that instead of maybe leading to some chronic pain or sickness physical illness we can we have the opportunity and the tool to prevent it isn't it amazing isn't it a chance isn't it a good reason to give it a chance the next benefit here in my list is greater emotional regulation which can help us enhance our relationships and of course the relationship to ourself so we will become more aware not only of the physical tension but also emotional tension of emotions in our body and the moments when they arise and manifest in our bodies and rather than reacting impulsively to some triggers people situations in our life we will be able to give ourselves space and time to respond to a trigger or stress in a way that we choose to do so rather than the reaction that is living in our body another benefit is boosted mood and self-esteem yes even enhanced self-esteem when we are practicing mindful movement regularly it can and it has the positive effect on our mood it reduces the feelings of anxiety and depression we generally feel better and as we become more embodied and connected with our physical selves we also often develop a greater self sense of self-acceptance and as a result self-esteem i find it also incredible self-acceptance is so powerful it is definitely not easy but again with baby tiny steps it will it will grow also here i'm speaking not only from what i'm observing from my clients but also from my personal experience and the last benefit that i would like to mention that might be not so obvious and probably surprising enhanced creativity and focus when we quiet our mental chatter with the mindful movement when we cultivate the present moment awareness we unlock and free the space for creativity we get we free the resources from our brain from our mind that probably anxiety or rambling thoughts were draining us from we can now use these resources and energy to improve our ability to focus to concentrate and to create well i hope that you guys are also fascinated by the research by these benefits that i mentioned previously and that it will also serve you as a as an invitation to practice mindful movement or inspire you to be more consistent and keep going for now we can move to our guided practice it will be slightly unusual than we generally practice here during the lives again dedicated to mindful movement to establishing or to strengthening the mind body connection you will find the recording of this practice that you will be able to follow just listening later let's take a deep breath in to the belly ribs the head and exhale all of the tension thoughts any unnecessary sensations or feelings from your body with a long exhale may close your eyes and repeat this cycle two more times even sighing out and allowing your body to sink deeper into the surface beneath you set an intention to connect with your body and your breath in a gentle and supportive way we will be exploring a series of simple movements designed to bring awareness to your sensations and nourish your well-being this practice is about gentle exploration not simple exercise so listen to your body and move in ways that feel good for you let's start with the neck rolls drop your chin towards your chest feeling the stretch in the back of your neck explore if there is any tension how it feels at this moment and slowly roll your right ear towards your right shoulder and as you do this notice the stretch in the left side of your neck inhale as you roll your head forward and exhale as you roll it back continue this gentle movement and notice the sensations in the neck and in your shoulders and if you feel any discomfort you can stop and simply rest your head in a comfortable position it should be a gentle and slow small movement and let's repeat it on another side exploring just one side of the neck right now and let's repeat it on another side rolling your left ear towards the left shoulder and notice the stretch in the right side of your neck and perhaps how different it feels compared to the other side and breathe deeply and evenly throughout the whole movement and feel the gentle release of tension with each exhale you may stop the movement and bring your head and neck to the neutral position in the center and notice what is present in that area at this moment for our second exercise we will move into shoulder shrugs please lift your shoulders up towards your ears and feel the tension in your upper back and in your neck hold it for a moment and then slowly release the shoulders down and let's repeat it again together shoulders up and as you release notice the feeling of relaxation spreading through your shoulders and upper back repeat this movement coordinating it with your breath a few more times inhale as you shrug your shoulders up and exhale as you release them down and feel the gentle rhythm of your breath supporting this movement you may move your neck left and right to release the remaining tension to soften the muscles to stretch them a little and spend a couple of moments here just being with what is in that area of your body whether noticing any changes or experiencing the current physical sensations now let's try a seated cow-cat stretch you may place your hands on your knees and as you inhale arch your back gently lifting your chest and looking slightly upwards feel the stretch in your abdomen and your chest and as you exhale round your back talking your chain towards your chest and feel the stretch in your spine continue this flowing movement again coordinating it with your breath in and out inhale as you arch and exhale as you round again you can make your exhales a bit longer than inhales this is a great way to gently mobilize your spine and bring awareness to your whole core and as you do this feel the gentle flow of energy through your whole body with each breath you may stop this movement and notice how differently the muscles in the back of your torso and especially in your shoulders and along the spine feel let's move to our next exercise and bring your attention to your wrists and ankles extend your arms forward and gently rotate your wrists either clockwise or in any direction that you feel comfortable you may join your hands together and do this as well notice the movement in your joints and feel the muscles in your forearms and hands engage feel the gentle circulation in your wrists and in your shoulders you may stretch them a little bit if it feels right in both directions you may relax your arms and put them on your laps and extend now your legs forward and gently rotate your ankles in whatever direction you want feel the movement and sensations in that area of your body you may stretch the small but very powerful muscles of the ankles and your feet however it may feel for you and notice the connection between your breath and these small and gentle movements as a little game or a curious experiment try to connect your breath and your ankle rotation you may notice that it is a little challenging or perhaps not but rest assured that this practice helps to strengthen your mind-body connection and let's conclude this practice with a few deep breaths and gentle arm stretches inhale deeply extending your arms overhead feel the stretch in your sides and upper back and exhale slowly bringing your arms back down to your sides let's repeat it one more time coordinating the breath in movement up breath out and movement down there is no rush in this movement neither in the breath and as you inhale imagine that you are drawing in energy and vitality and as you exhale imagine you're releasing any tension stress or anxiety thoughts unpleasant sensations or whatever you want to let go of now and feel the gentle expansion and contraction of your body with each breath repeat it a few more times perhaps adding stretch a little bit more to the sides of your body left and right be gentle with your physical self and be present with your breath you may close this movement and allow yourself a few moments of complete stillness feel the gentle rhythm of your breath perhaps your heartbeat and the sense of connection with your mind and body that you just cultivated and carry this awareness throughout your whole day and your whole life and remember that mindful movement is a constant practice and even small moments of mindful connection can have a profound impact on your well-being thank you guys so much for practicing with me it was slightly different for me to guide you physically here on inside timer sometimes i give the mind-body connection sessions here as well but generally it is just guided meditation so it was also a very nice experiment for me let me know how this went for you guys whether you enjoyed it maybe some moments were challenging whether you found any mom changes anything that you would like to comment something that didn't feel right perhaps all is welcome kristin lovely thank you thanks a lot it was a big pleasure yes thank you guys for your hearts for your support for our discussion today thank you guys so much for your presence that was a lovely practice and discussion today thank you so much guys for being here i wish you to enjoy this day and i can't wait to connect with you again here in two weeks for the next live session of this series please feel free to explore my profile with all of the free tracks of guided meditations the courses the mind-body connection practices the playlists and feel free to leave any feedback i love hearing your experience and it helps me to serve you better and to contribute better for all of us thanks a lot and i will see you later bye