Paris Latka is an incredible Bowspring guide, and WEALTH of wisdom about fascia and the human body.
My favorite takeaway from our chat is the bidirectional relationship between our environment, and our nervous system.
As a refresher, we have 2 general states that our nervous system utilizes:
Sympathetic: fight or flight; to spring into action or protection
Parasympathetic: rest and digest; to heal and restore
Our body relies on both of these states at different times. We need fight or flight to spring into action or protection when there is a threat in our environment. We also, however, need rest and digest to allow the body to heal, restore, and rest.
This is demonstrated through our movement, posture, and tightness of our fascia. In a state of fight or flight, we typically become tense and protective of our body and organs. In a state of rest and digest, we become relaxed and open. In a balanced state, we can bring a more confident stature into both fight-or-flight and rest-and-digest.
The goal is to be able to come into each state of nervous system function at the appropriate times, and be able to regulate back to this balanced baseline state soon after.
The problem arises when we live in a state so chronically that our baseline shifts, instead of falling somewhere in the middle like it should.
We can become “stuck” or dominant in a particular state when these signals become dysfunctional.
We can and should approach regulating our nervous system back to baseline from both angles: creating a regulated environment, but also, building regulation within our body, despite our environment.
Here are environmental / external changes that can help to regulate the nervous system:
Reducing stressors - practicing saying no
Reducing screen time & information overload
Limiting blue light exposure
Limiting processed food intake
Prioritizing nourishment through food
Healthy movement
Sunlight & grounding
Time in nature
Reducing toxic exposures through environmental and household sources
Regulating our environment can make a huge impact on our nervous system health, but again, it is also important to address dysregulation from within ourselves - because our reactions don’t always align with the threat at hand.
For example, those who are stuck in chronic patterns of fight-or-flight might be easily triggered into an extreme stress response from very small things - maybe they dropped something and it made a loud noise, or they are simply thinking about getting up for work the next morning.
They seem to be always on the edge of a stress response that elevates their heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, cortisol, and down-regulates things like healing, digestion, and fertility.
Bowspring works by regulating our nervous system from within.
The more you “practice” and train the muscle of holding your body in a safe and confident posture, the easier it will become for you to find that safe and confident posture.
You begin to respond to your environment differently. Just like practicing gratitude opens up a whole new lens on what you have to be grateful for, practicing safety, confidence, and openness through movement opens up a new lens on what you have to be safe, confident, and open about.
On a deeper level, the chemicals in the body that are associated with certain feelings and emotions can be triggered by how we move and hold our bodies.
Yes, we smile WHEN we feel joy & happiness - but what if we can smile TO feel joy & happiness?
There is research to support this phenomenon, and we can apply that concept to how we hold our posture and move our bodies.
What story is your body telling you about your environment?
What story is your environment telling your body?
Are your inner and external environments coherent?
I have a simple mobility video under the mobility tab here on Substack where I gently utilize the Bowspring model of holding openness through the ribs and hips as we move through some joint circles and reposturing.
If you are excited to start a Bowspring practice, I HIGHLY recommend Paris and her free YouTube content!
She also offers a Bowspring primal movement course to go more in depth and intentional, along with a membership and other great resources which you can find on her website.
I hope you resonated with this conversation as much as I did, Paris is such an inspiration, and radiates light and passion for health and the human body!
Be well,
Syd
