Winding Down The Day: Nervous System Reset

Part of my Nervous System Foundations series.

This guided practice helps you transition out of the momentum of the day. Rather than trying to relax right away, you’ll first give your body a chance to release built-up energy, then gently guide your system into a more settled state. Ideal for after work, parenting, or before bed.

Transcript

Welcome into this practice. I'm going to take a few moments to orient you to what we're actually doing here. So the arc of the practice will be that we start standing and halfway through we'll shift to seated and that can be on a sofa, A chair, Or the floor, Whatever feels good to you. This is also a very simple practice so it's important to remind yourself that we're not forcing anything, We're not trying to achieve anything, We're simply helping the nervous system shift gears. We intentionally do it so that your body learns how to do it naturally over time. So you don't need to set up a big practice space, You could do it in your kitchen, In your living room, Anywhere that feels good. So taking a moment to just find yourself standing wherever you are. Signal to the body that this is where we begin to arrive, Just as we are, And there's no need to change anything. We're not trying to calm anything, We're not trying to solve anything, We're not even trying to let go of the day because you're still in the day. We're simply feeling our feet on the ground, Letting awareness move up through the legs, Through the hips, Up the torso, The neck and the head, And just feel the whole body arriving where you are. Now we begin to notice what's still moving in your system. Your day has carried a certain amount of momentum with it, Whether you are working, Getting the children sorted into bed, Tending to your house, Your relationships, Whatever it is there's momentum there. So move from thinking about what it is that you have been doing and instead notice the felt sense of that momentum in your body now. There might be the momentum of thoughts swirling, Tension carried, Energy vibrating, Density. Just let it be here first, Just notice it, And as you're familiarizing yourself with the texture and the movement of the energy, The qualities, Now begin to allow the body to express that sensation in a way that feels as though it's being matched. So if the thoughts are swirling you may move your hands in a swirling expression, Or you might move the head around in the way that the thoughts are swirling. If the body feels like it's moving really fast you might walk on the spot, Moving your arms and your legs in the way that the body is carrying that momentum. If tension is expressing itself in parts of the body you might clench your fists, Showing yourself what the tension feels like outside. So we're using the body to match the energy that you're feeling from the inside. We're meeting the energy with its own energy. Now we give it a channel to start moving and that might look like keeping your feet anchored on the ground but begin bouncing slightly with the knees. So you're not jumping, You're not leaving the floor, But you're creating a pulsation through the body by slightly bending at the knees, Maybe even a little bit at the hips, And this gets to be easy, It's micro. Breathe. Now press your hands together as though they're in a prayer position with the elbows out to the side and just push together with intensity but not force. You might still be bouncing or you might have stopped, It's up to you. Press the hands together and we hold here for 10 seconds. Let the jaw soften, I'm counting, You don't need to. Now release the hands and just gently shake out the arms into the shoulders and again an inhale through the nose and an exhale through the mouth. Now engaging some of the muscles in the body, You might clench the legs, The butt, The back, The arms, The fists, The shoulders. Taking an inhale and clench, Clench, Clench, Clench and then exhale with a double sigh. Letting the body express some of the energy that's moving in it. We're giving momentum and outlet, Just gently shaking the body. Now one more time pushing the hands into each other. Bring some force but not overly exerting yourself, That part of your day is done. We're just helping the momentum shift and down gear. Hands pushing, I'm counting, You don't need to and release. Opening and closing the hands here, Rocking side to side in the body. Right foot, Left foot, Right foot, Left foot, Swaying back and forth. Inhale, Sigh and initiate a swallow. Now last practice before we move to seated, Let your eyes look around the room. This might be in your house, It might be somewhere that you're very familiar with or it might be somewhere that you aren't. You know if you're practicing this in an airport or a hotel it doesn't matter if you're familiar but let your eyes look around the room and really naming and noticing where you are. You might even say it out loud, I'm in my house, I'm in a room. Now make sure the head turns to take in the space and let it name five objects. One word object, Plant, Picture, Cup. Five objects in your space. This is telling your system the day is over, All parts of me are coming back to myself and I'm locating where I actually am. Now shift to your seated choice, Whether it's sofa, Chair, Floor. And just name a few more objects in the space but this time ones that bring you comfort or feel pleasurable to look at. Soft pillow, Warm blanket, Kettle to make my tea, Sofa to hold me, Sweater, Sweatpants to relax in. Now inviting a longer exhale than your inhale, Releasing the naming of objects. Inhale for four counts if you can and exhale for six. Exhaling six. Do it one more time. Letting the body begin to settle. No rushing, Just allowing it to downshift. Release the breath and simply feel the weight of the body being met by whatever it's sitting on. So you don't just know you're sitting, You feel you're sitting and you feel the weight of your body being received. One more inhale. Big exhale out of the mouth. And for the last 30 seconds of this practice, Just notice what's different now, Even if it's slightly different. It doesn't mean that you won't have thoughts about your day, What's to come, But noticing what's different helps the body know that it's safe to continue to soften and slow down. And now you have supported the body in shifting gears. Over time, This will become a more natural process, But it helps us move from busyness to a more relaxed state without collapsing after our busy day. It's an off ramp. So keep coming back, Keep practicing and enjoy the rest of your day wherever it takes you.