Sometimes, our body is expressing things that our mind is choosing to be blind to, a constant tap-tap-tapping at the door of our consciousness of situations or circumstances in our external reality that need to change.
If we’re unable to sit with these problems and address them, then it’s unlikely we’ll experience changes beyond small, fluctuating shifts on a physical level also.
My work with the nervous system focuses on adaptability, the aim being to get our body and brain to a place where it’s responding appropriately to the situation it finds itself in.
What is appropriate? Appropriate could also be translated as accurate responsiveness, a state of being where I’m able to meet the situation I am in- the horse I’m working with, the conversation I’m a part of, the person I’m engaged with- and stay true to what that moment requires of me without defaulting to a pre-patterned mode of operation.
This means there is no good, bad, right, or wrong, just the response that is appropriate for that moment. If it’s appropriate to be in fight flight, or my sympathetic nervous system, then I absolutely want that. And equally so, I want to be able to transition out of it when the circumstances causing the threat has changed and I no longer need to be there.
Our bodies are the ultimate truth tellers. Sometimes the hardest work is not about addressing a set of physical symptoms or circumstances but getting you to the place where mind is able to accept the truth of what’s going on, rather than the story that’s getting in the way of seeing it. And beyond that, is willing to act of these understandings and make changes.
If what you’re experiencing in your body is reflecting reality, then the only thing that’s going to help at a foundational level is making shifts to your life and circumstance, leaving your body free to express something different.
Flee patterns are great examples of this. If we are in a relationship or job that we loathe or is compromising us, our body will express that unhappiness often before the mind is willing to accept it. The structure of our body will be set in the flee pattern, ready to leave the building, even if the mind insists everything is ok. And it’s not until the problems are addressed or we have changed our circumstances altogether that we will truly return to physical wellness.
The same is true for our horses. You can have the best of intentions, use all the supplements, even train with a focus on wellbeing, but if their true needs are not accounted for and met, forage, freedom, and friends (and I would argue so much more), their bodies will always reflect the truth of how they feel.
I can see now, over the years I’ve been practicing this work, how many stories I’ve been holding on to and let go of. I really feel this is the hardest part. Our body is constantly and always making movements towards vitality. It’s our beliefs, the stories we cling to, the should’s and the have to’s, the defense of our old ways that prevent things changing as fast as we are able.
Onwards.
❤️ Jane
