The Power of Soothing the System

{donations generally range from $5-$20, please offer what you can}

                March 29, 2021

            The Power of Soothing the System

                Why understanding the nervous system is a game-changer.

            Be here with me, in the Truth.

                            Practices to support your life

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Went away for a couple of days... 

It wasn’t until I walked through the woods, slipped around in an ice-cold stream, and sat on a warm rock to just see and hear and smell and be, that I could feel my sympathetic nervous system (SNS) begin to go offline and for its tag-team buddy, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), to begin go online.

When we think we are operating in relationship to the true conditions of life, we are often wrong. 

Instead, we are thinking thoughts that are fed and fueled by the invisible (but very much FELT) experience of our nervous system.

And I don’t think that a single one of us has stepped out of the realm of SNS activation for well over a year. We have been repeatedly firing up this very protective mechanism without ever moving into the PNS/rest & digest function. 

And after this much time, we are existing, habitually, in some stage of fight/flight/freeze.

For me, this has manifested in the recent weeks as worry. I’m worried about literally anything my mind wants to pick up to worry about.

This is one way to identify if you are perceiving from neutrality or perceiving from fight/flight/freeze - when your mind looks for and attaches to only the material that supports the fear/anxiety/worry.

Another way to identify sympathetic nervous system activations is to simply notice agitation, irritability, strong and choppy energy inside... to just feel what the body is telling you.

It’s going to take a looooong time and a lot of intentional work to undo this habit, to release all of the accumulated material from these many, many months and to learn how to rest again, from the inside out.

How do you see or feel this in your life? Can you find ways to support your nervous system? 
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Curious about the nervous system and what's been (and still is) happening to it during the pandemic? This is a great podcast with Krista Tippett (OnBeing) and Christine Runyan, a clinical psychologist and mindfulness teacher. Though yoga and meditation are incredible tools to support the nervous system, it's really about understanding the "inner workings" of our whole system and how we can provide ourselves with the support and nourishment it needs in order to not only have a greater sense of well-being but also so that we can be in proper relationship to life.

, Ellie

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*LIVE* YOGA Returns Starting in April!

Y'all! I'm so excited to announce that, starting on April 6th, I will be teaching a LIVE yoga class (still via Zoom) on Tuesdays from 9:30-10:30am! 

As of today, you can sign up (or upgrade) for your monthly membership through Patreon - $65/month will get you access to the live practice every week as well as to my entire recording library (meditation, short & long yoga practices). 

If Patreon's not your thing, I will have some drop-in spots available each week for $20/class - please email me for more info on that.

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*Monday Night Meditation*
Every Monday, 7:30-8pm, via Zoom

This guided sit will offer you the opportunity to drop in to the direct experience of the moment, to rest & replenish your nervous system, and to grow awareness of the inner & outer life.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89731541924?pwd=WTdsOGlsemRkaU1xbm43SDAycHRPUT09

Meeting ID: 897 3154 1924

Passcode: 874259

To join, please send a donation* via Venmo (@EllieBurkeLife) or PayPal (ellie@ellieburke.life)

{donations generally range from $5-$20, please offer what you can}

*donations to benefit BEAM:

BEAM is a training, movement building and grant making organization dedicated to the healing, wellness and liberation of Black and marginalized communities. 

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Looking for a way to practice yoga and/or meditation at a time that works with your life?

Join me over on Patreon for new classes each week (live & recorded!) and full access to over 20 weeks worth of previously released guided meditations and short (10-20 min) & long (45-60 min) yoga classes.

New classes this week!

Long Yoga - Grounding / Balancing

Short Yoga - Whole Body

Guided Meditation - 5 minutes

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Annual Wellness Retreat

*WAITLIST ONLY*

Oct 21-24 2021

Laughing Heart Lodge

Hot Springs, NC

Request your spot on the waitlist by completing this form.

The focus of this retreat will be to support a full mind-body / nervous system reset!

You will have daily options for yoga & meditation, deep relaxation, incredible food, hiking on the Appalachian Trail, fire pits, space and time for rest & connection.

I am especially excited to be able to offer the widest range of pricing options that I've ever been able to do before, making this retreat as financially accessible as possible! Along with the main lodge which houses higher-end, private rooms, we will also have access to an incredible hostel for bunk rooms and semi-private & private rooms with shared community & kitchen space.

Pricing from $370 - $1,125 (depending on accommodation & meal choices)

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"Until we make the unconscious conscious it directs our life and we call it fate." {Carl Jung}

            “If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” {James Baldwin}

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