“For proper functioning, all nervous structure needs full activity followed by full rest.” — Moshe Feldenkrais
Jhana demonstrating her amazing ability to rest — yes even Border Collie nervous systems need lots!
We live in an incredibly competitive society in which doing equals success. I was in Home Depot garden centre recently and when I looked on our receipt I noticed their slogan: “Where doers get stuff done!” Doing, being busy, is a status symbol in our society — ever increasing modern demands entice us to do more, achieve more, own more and we feel like the odd one out if we don’t live up to the cultural demands What is the result? Pressure and stress. Striving to be good enough, in whatever realm, be it being educated and smart and fit and fashionable and interesting and successful and sexy, to paraphrase Kristin Neff, Self-Compassion Researcher.
According to 2021 Gallup survey data from adults in 122 countries, 41% of adults worldwide report experiencing a lot of stress. From a Somatic perspective, stress can play havoc with our our nervous systems — remember the brain doesn’t differentiate between an internal or external stressor — our own thoughts and feelings impact our Soma too (unkind self-talk, anyone?) With our never ending social media feeds, news cycles, endless phone alerts (email, text, Whats App, Signal…), deadlines and responsibilities — the constant pressure to be ON is it any wonder we’ve forgotten even how to rest? All this pressure from our environment and ourselves just ramps up our Green Light (the drive of the back of our body) until some of us reach a point of burnout/allostatic overload. Evidence shows that chronic stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system can lead to long-term physiological disregulation, resulting in problems such as increased blood pressure, cardiac arrythmias, digestive problems (often due to inflammatory processes), chronic headaches, backaches, neck pain, anxiety/depression pain and sleep issues. This level of damage to our systems is referred to as Allostatic Overload. In Somatics terms, there is a functional beakdown, our systems are no longer well-organized. Ironically, having any of these problems just creates even more stress.
So why are we so addicted to busyness? Here’s one insight from Jon KabatZinn: “ Filling up your time with busyness is another self-destructive avoidance behaviour. Instead of facing up to your problems, you ca run arund like crazy doing good things until your life is overflowing with commitments and obligations and you can’t possibly make time for yourself. Despite all the running around, you may not really know what you are doing. This kind of hyperactivity sometimes functions as an attempt to hold on to a feeling of control or deeper meaning in your life when it seems to be slipping away. But it may just do the opposite by obliterating our opportunies for rest and reflection, for non-doing.”
We may not have reached the point of Alloststic Overload when we come to Somatics. We come to this practice, this way of living for a variety of reasons. But many of us have. For some of us, we’ve had enough, we’re desperate and we finally decide that thaere has to be a better way to live and handle our stressors. Our over-wrought systems need soothing, softening and re-organising, via intentional, thoughtful Somatic Movement. We are already inherently good, it is our birthright, according to Buddhist tradition. We all have ‘Buddha Nature.’
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting–
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
— Mary Oliver
With clear seeing, we can feel the truth of Mary’s words. We do not have to be good. Or perfect. Or better. Or best. Our Somatic Movement practice is a place to drop the effort, unwind and reorganise our frazzled Soma and build heathier patterns. We do not have to be good. In my classes there are no perfect people allowed, our focus is on ease rather than effort and our focus is one of non-achievement. Compassion rather than judgement. Curiosity and playfulness rathr than that of striving todo it right. Sound good? Get in touch, or try the practice suggestions below with the intention of reducing the ‘Green Light’ drive of the back of our Soma (see the Hanna Somatics section for more information on Green Light Reflex and the other patterns):