MINDFUL MONDAY pt 3 | the nervous system

Many yoga, meditation, wellness and mental health practitioners will talk about the nervous system, but what is it?

Simply put the nervous system (that we are looking at) helps our bodies complete its unconscious functions. Every time we breath, or our hearts beat and the blood flows it is the nervous system that controls it (although we can learn to control the nervous system, but more on that later).

Now so far we have referred to it simply as 'The Nervous System' however it is far more complicated than that, so lets break down the different nervous systems.

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM: the brain & spinal cord

PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM: the nerves that come from the CNS to the rest of the body

AUTONIMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM: part of the P.N.S which is responsible for the regulating how the body functions: breathing, circulation, digestion etc and is comprised of 3 further parts

ENTERIC NEVOUS SYSTEM: related to the gastrointestinal tract

PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM: rest & recovery mode, conserves bodily resources by slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure etc

SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM: fight or flight mode, prepares the body by speeding up the heart rate and dilating pupils

Usually the P.S.N.S and S.N.S work in sync, when the body or mind receives what it perceives to be a threat the sympathetic nervous system will kick in and once the threat is passed then the parasympathetic nervous system takes over and the body begins to 'calm down' and recover. The problem begins when the 2 become out of sync, we risk being 'stuck' in one mode or the other.

HOW DOES THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM GET IT'S INFORMATION?

As the A.N.S is part of the larger nervous system it receives messages from the brain and organs (and sends messages). There are also 2 neurotransmitters: ACETYLCHOLINE and NOREPINEPHRINE.

HOW CAN WE EFFECT THE S.N.S & P.S.N.S?

If you feel you are experiencing significant issues with your nervous system it is important to seek medical advice! This is not a diagnostic article or medical. However if you feel the symptoms of stress or anxiety present (racing thoughts, elevated heart rate etc) you are likely entering the S.N.S, the mind is perceiving a threat where there may not be one. If this occurs then changing the way we breath can help the mind and body come out of that by replicating the P.S.N.S.

Longer inhales = Sympathetic nervous system becomes engaged

Longer exhales = Parasympathetic nervous system becomes engaged

Shallow breaths = triggers S.N.S

Deep breaths = triggers P.S.N.S

There is scientific evidence now to explain how and why this works where before this knowledge was based on years of experiential wisdom.

To learn more ways to create a toolkit of change check out my Mindful Mondays on my YouTube channel and Instagram

Have a beautiful day x