4 Classes: Approx. 30-45 min. each

Spirit & Body Work gives us tools to heal our bodies as we move through our world. This course reveals how Spirit & Body Work techniques are linked to the neuroplasticity of our brain and offer insight into how patterns and habits are formed. It also examines the brain’s potential to create new neuropathways and patterns in response to novel input.

The autonomic nervous system (ANS) provides a key source of information to the brain that can help to facilitate neurosynaptic change – new links between brain cells. The idea is to have people come away with really specific ways of helping themselves, and also with a greater understanding of how they can “tend and befriend” instead of “fight-flight-freeze”.

In a state of stress (fight-flight-freeze), the ANS works to maintain equilibrium. Part of this process involves activation of the limbic brain, which compares current experiences to the past as a means of understanding present events. During a hypervigilant state, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) responds by “ramping up” the heart rate and respiration to cope with a real or perceived threat.

When the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) also called “tend and befriend” is activated through Spirit & Body Work, a thoughtful planned relaxation response happens. Spirit & Body Work elicits this relaxation response by calming the body, quieting the mind, and regulating the breath. Relaxation then allows for the opportunity to address stress, rather than react to it. Spirit & Body Work can initiate a gateway to change. It can also lessen the symptoms of anxiety and depression.