Have you ever experienced feeling so stressed that you feel there is no space in your body or mind? You feel squeezed from your head all the way down to your toes. You have no patience for yourself and others, you can’t breathe with depth, and you feel like you may explode. This is what I refer to as being right on the edge.


Unfortunately, many of us experience moments like this, which can be indicative of where we have evolved in our human conditioning, to a place of complete dis-ease and lack of space in our neurological systems. Negative experiences destroy the health of our cells because negative experiences are like velcro, while positive ones are like teflon. The negative life experiences of our ancestors and ourselves have experienced are built up in our nervous system.


Moreover, the health of our cells and DNA is attributed to the quality of life experiences and consequences that our ancestors and self have encountered. Since we are in the midst of a paradigm shift in how we view the body and our understanding of the brain and nervous system, this news isn’t necessarily bad news. Actually, it can be viewed as an exciting time to tap into the intelligence of neuroplasticity and witness the unfolding of positive transformation within yourself, on a deeper level than what your yoga asana or meditation and pranayama practices have offered you up to this moment in time. 


When you create movement in your fluid body and neurological processes, it is important to focus on different areas in the body. I like to start down in my feet and legs and work my way up. What I have learned is that one area can be experiencing relaxation, while other areas are activated with stress. This is why it is important to attune to the whole body.


It is also particularly important to focus on what are referred to as “end points” of the body’s primary pathways. Our end points are those that extend out into the world and your external space and include the face, pelvic floor, hands, and feet. If energy is blocked in these areas then the negative won’t be able to flow and move out of the body. This practice is about creating flow response while using the momentum built through the flow state to release and let go. Neurologically speaking, the end points contain the highest concentration of sensory neurons in the body, so are a great place for us to bring concentration and awareness to the effects of the practice.


When engaging in self-care practice, it is common for people to feel things move up to the surface. When this happens, it can feel invigorating and sometimes overwhelming. It can be helpful to engage in the following practices to help with the release and clearing out of energy.

  • Engage in a cleansing breath (deep inhale in the nose, with a audible exhale from the mouth)
  • Shake an endpoint or roll a joint in circles (ankles & wrists)
  • Wiggle toes
  • Create fast moving strokes along the skin, away from the midline
  • Scrape your tongue at the roof of your mouth
  • Scrub your scalp with your finger pads