FAQs Archive - Page 9 of 21 - SmartBody SmartMind

Q: 3. Is morning sickness dysregulation of the gut nervous system? And to avoid that, do we just have to keep doing this exercise, or is there anything else?

In general I would say no. Morning sickness is a normal part of pregnancy that happens because of the changes in hormone production, though it is possible that unresolved trauma could make this more intense, or last longer. Because morning sickness is very normal, I’m not sure this exercise will have an effect or not, but continuing with all the other program work to get greater regulation on board should help in general.

Q: 2. I have constipation and I wanted to know if the meditation that Elinor did, taking us through the whole digestive system, is the reason I went to the bathroom right after? Is that what made me poop? If so, I might have to try that one again.

Most likely yes! Just paying attention to ourselves in this way can be enough to get things moving.

Q: 1. I can tell that my ‘icky stomach-stuck’ feelings have come back. I'm wondering if that's partly why I've been hyperventilating this week. Is my gut sending distress signals to my brain?

Yes, this is likely. Our gut is the first way in which we sense the world around us, so when we’ve been through trauma, it’s not uncommon to have old, lingering sensations of unease, even when everything is fine, and the gut does indeed send those messages of distress to the brain, and the other survival centers will respond.

Q: 3. This lesson brought me into a state of feeling very young, like a baby, with lots of intense emotions and feelings of helplessness. What’s going on here? Why would just rolling my head be so intense?

Resting on our back while rolling the head to look around is one of the very first things we do as a baby. If your environment didn’t feel safe when you were an infant exploring these movements, then doing this lesson can easily bring those body memories flooding back.

Q: 2. Can this exercise help with physically loosening the head and neck, or is this more to ‘loosen’ emotions stuck in that area?

Yes and yes. Unless there was a physical injury or deformity, the reason our head and neck feels stuck, painful, or tight IS because of the held emotions and survival energy in those areas. As we work with the physical structures, we can loosen up the emotions and old energy, and vice versa.

Q: 1. I really enjoyed this practice, and slowing down. I am so used to being in high activation, I find that even when I do a practice and feel calm, I jump back into my usual habits, which lead to reactivation, such as spending time online, or 'doing' one thing or another. It's like I can't stay in stillness for long. How can I change this way of being?

This reminds me of that old story about the tourist visiting New York for the first time. They were going to a performance at Carnegie Hall, but by the time they got off the subway and made their way to the street, they were turned around and didn’t know where they were, so they asked the hot dog vendor how to get to Carnegie Hall. He smiled and said, “practice, practice, practice.” It really is that simple, and that hard! It just takes practice and more practice, and there are two primary ways to do this. One, keep doing the audio lessons whenever you can, especially the ones that help you slow down. Two, practice the basics ALL the time. This means keep coming back to your feet, and the feeling of support they get from the ground, keep orienting to the environment around you and following your biological impulses, keep noticing your posture. Do it while shopping, chopping vegetables, walking in the park, down the street, etc. It takes a lot of practice to change these deeply ingrained survival strategies and behaviours, and it’s very important to bring that practice into the world. Finally, keep working to release old trauma -- by yourself and/or with a practitioner.

Q: 4. I didn't understand what she meant about head being more erect -- did she mean upright? Like a string pulling up the top of our crown?

Yes. Feel the elongation and strength of the spine. Imagining a string pulling at the top of the head is useful too!

Q: 3. Love the voos and ahhs!!! Is it possible to do too much if it feels good/right? Should we only do a couple at a time?

Nope. You can feel free to do it as much as feels good to you. Just be sure to keep an eye out for other emotions that may arise, and make room for them too.

Q: 2. How do I move the jaw during this? What if there is tightness?

This section addresses the following questions: When we do this are we alternating between Voo and Ahh back and forth (Voo Ahh, Voo Ahh, Voo Ahh), or are we doing Vooooo and going into Ahhhhhh, and making the Ahh sound the rest of the breath opening, and closing the jaw? When doing the Voo-aaah again what do I do with the tightness in my jaw? Just allow it to be there, or do I try to change it while doing the exercise? We want to start with the Vuuuuu, and then slowly move into the Ahhhh. Some people may be able to move straight to the Ahhhh without problem, and if that is the case, then go ahead and focus on sustaining that, and exploring how you can let the lips snarl and eyes narrow as part of the expression. Many people have a lot of tightness in their jaw, and if this is the case then we want to titrate the opening, so we open our jaw only to the place where we feel resistance, and then we back off. Then back again to the point of resistance, and back off. Again. Like that. When we do this we may notice that we can open our mouth a little bit more each time without strain. The resulting sound will be like, “wwwaaaaaawwwww-wwwwaaaaaaawwwww-wwwwaaaaaaawwww.”

3. Is morning sickness dysregulation of the gut nervous system? And to avoid that, do we just have to keep doing this exercise, or is there anything else?

3. Is morning sickness dysregulation of the gut nervous system? And to avoid that, do we just have to keep doing this exercise, or is there anything else?Irene Lyon2019-11-14T14:58:25-08:00

2. I have constipation and I wanted to know if the meditation that Elinor did, taking us through the whole digestive system, is the reason I went to the bathroom right after? Is that what made me poop? If so, I might have to try that one again.

2. I have constipation and I wanted to know if the meditation that Elinor did, taking us through the whole digestive system, is the reason I went to the bathroom right after? Is that what made me poop? If so, I might have to try that one again.Irene Lyon2019-07-27T17:25:51-07:00

1. I can tell that my ‘icky stomach-stuck’ feelings have come back. I’m wondering if that’s partly why I’ve been hyperventilating this week. Is my gut sending distress signals to my brain?

1. I can tell that my ‘icky stomach-stuck’ feelings have come back. I’m wondering if that’s partly why I’ve been hyperventilating this week. Is my gut sending distress signals to my brain?Irene Lyon2019-11-14T14:57:37-08:00

3. This lesson brought me into a state of feeling very young, like a baby, with lots of intense emotions and feelings of helplessness. What’s going on here? Why would just rolling my head be so intense?

3. This lesson brought me into a state of feeling very young, like a baby, with lots of intense emotions and feelings of helplessness. What’s going on here? Why would just rolling my head be so intense?Irene Lyon2019-07-27T17:26:22-07:00

2. Can this exercise help with physically loosening the head and neck, or is this more to ‘loosen’ emotions stuck in that area?

2. Can this exercise help with physically loosening the head and neck, or is this more to ‘loosen’ emotions stuck in that area?Irene Lyon2019-11-14T14:56:43-08:00

1. I really enjoyed this practice, and slowing down. I am so used to being in high activation, I find that even when I do a practice and feel calm, I jump back into my usual habits, which lead to reactivation, such as spending time online, or ‘doing’ one thing or another. It’s like I can’t stay in stillness for long. How can I change this way of being?

1. I really enjoyed this practice, and slowing down. I am so used to being in high activation, I find that even when I do a practice and feel calm, I jump back into my usual habits, which lead to reactivation, such as spending time online, or ‘doing’ one thing or another. It’s like I can’t stay in stillness for long. How can I change this way of being?Irene Lyon2019-11-14T14:56:27-08:00

4. I didn’t understand what she meant about head being more erect — did she mean upright? Like a string pulling up the top of our crown?

4. I didn’t understand what she meant about head being more erect — did she mean upright? Like a string pulling up the top of our crown?Irene Lyon2019-11-14T14:55:19-08:00