Face up or face down

Someone reacently asked why we sometimes have you go back face down after being faceup on the table, and I figured more people might have this currisioty.

Face down care is typically Discover care where you are able to connect to and release stored stresses in your body. Its goal is to add stability to your body/ Nervous System. (Early transform care is also done facedown). If you come in with lots of stored stress/ tension, we will typically work in Discover or discover integrate to increase the ease and flexibility (decrease tension/stress) in your body/Nervous System before potentially going on to work in Transform or Awaken. Discover care helps you process stress to have more fuel for transform and awaken care.

When we have you lay faceup, we are working with either late Transform or Awaken care. The goal of these seasons is radically different than in discover care. These seasons are about growth and making effective change. They add a temporary reorgazational instability to your body/Nervous System. This combined with the new energy your system has from processing stress allows your system to reorganize to a higher level of function. As a practical example of processing stress, think about the energy that goes into holding a muscle spasm being redirected in a more useful way as your body relaxes during an entrainment.

The reason we might have you go back face down, is so we can recheck your spine, muscles and how everything is moving to make sure you are in better shape than when you came in, especially if you experienced a lot of instability or had really big changes in your body that day (ie: came in with a lot of stress in your body.)

As a reminder – instability with a new energy source or more energy = upgrade the system. Instability without a new energy source or more energy= downgrade the system or dis-ease.

If your spine is has large amounts of instability after going back facedown, we will usually do 1 -2 quick discover contacts to help your system organize to a higher level of stability.

Stability and instability

Network Spinal is a reorganizational healing modality. Its goal is to help you go from one level of stability in your spinal health/ area of life to a higher level of stability in your spinal health/ area of life. There must be a level or period of instability in-between levels of stability. It’s very much like having a messy garage or closet that you know where most things are (lower-level stability). You pull everything out, throw away the trash and figure out how to put it all back better(instability). When you finish reorganizing, the closet or garage is at a higher level of stability.

Why is it good to reorganize?

Simply releasing the buildup of tension and not changing anything, allows it to build back up. Said differently, if we keep making the same choices and doing the same things, we will keep getting the same results.

Growth in areas of life comes throughs stacking levels of stability and instability.

Stability means resisting change. You get the same output no matter the external stimulus or demands. Or I always do things this way. Examples include doing the same workout or stretching routine no matter how our body feels or always sleeping in the same position or way. Another example is getting pain in an area of your body over and over and either ignoring it or doing the same treatment for it over and over ie medication. Think if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

Instability means open to change in a way the adds energy. Think maybe I can do this instead. Continuing the examples above- adding new workouts and stretches or trying a class or new gym. You could try sleeping in a different position or using a new pillow. You could even try sleeping on the floor. As for the recurring pain, you can try and notice what brings the pain on and change your activities or the way you stand or sit at work. You could also try new ways to deal with the pain such as foam rolling, stretching or getting adjusted. These might help the pain move to a new location which would be a positive change.

The goal is to get to a higher level of stability or way of doing things. This simply means it works better for you than the way you used to do things.

From our previous examples- You could sign up for workout classes, change your workouts based off of a schedule or how you feel. You could find a healthier way to sleep- maybe transitioning to your side from your stomach or to your back from your side. You could also get a pillow that fits your current body better. You could commit to regular chiropractic and self-care to alleviate and prevent pain. You could get a standing desk or fix your ergonomics in another way.

Checking in with your body

We often hear people say that they did not hurt until they laid down on the table. This happens to me all the time. Here is part of why that happens,

We tend to disconnect from parts of our bodies that hurt when we are going about our days. In other words we are too busy to stop and check in with our bodies, and we are unaware of things that have misaligned or tightened.

When we lay on the table, this is a chance to intentionally check in. We become aware of things that need attention.

Make sure to pay attention to your body and breath. Notice where you feel your breath and if you feel it moving up your spine. Try your best to be present.

You will likely become aware of more areas that need attention during your entrainment. We encourage you to feel whatever comes up and to try to listen to what your body needs. For example, if you become aware that you are laying crooked on the table, it is up to you to straighten your body out. If you become aware that your neck is really tight, you might want to stretch a certain part of it. If you notice one side of your pelvis is higher than the other, you might lift your pelvis and move it around to let it adjust itself.

Overtime, our bodies learn that laying on the table equals self care and healing. The cool thing is that this learned ability to check in and heal can be activated anytime we stop and pay attention to our bodies with focused attention, breath, and movement. Over the years, many people have reported that their bodies started to unwind during mediation or breath work as if they were on the table.

AAA vs taking Action

This post was originally written in late 2020. 2020 sure has been an interesting year. I think it is probably safe to say that this year has been too much for all of us.

We have all had to deal with normal life stresses compounded with massive amounts of uncertainty and fear surrounding Covid and polarity surrounding the election. For most people, this combination has been too much many times over.

When life is too much over and over again, it can start to shift our Nervous System to “survival mode.”

If we fail to notice, or if we are not willing to acknowledge that we are overwhelmed, it is easy for our subconscious or auto pilot to become stuck in survival mode. It is at this point that people tend to stop doing their healthy habits and default back to old bad habits. Once healthy habits stop, forward healthy momentum will slow and eventually stop before beginning to slip backwards.

If we are able to realize when we are overwhelmed, and we are able to acknowledge it, it becomes much easier for us to accept it.

Sometimes this magic formula of AAA (aware, acknowledge, and accept) is enough to let you feel and process everything in real time. This allows your nervous system to dissipate the extra energy instead of storing it as stress.

Other times, action is needed after AAA’ing. Some great action steps include:

Kick starting healthy habits even when you don’t want to.

Doing something that makes you happy.

Workout (vigorous if you can)

Increase meditation time and/or frequency

GET ENTRAINED!!! Not only will getting Network entrainments help to instantly shift your body out of stress, but it will also help shift your brain function back to where it is easy and enjoyable to do our healthy habits! Our habits help determine our long-term health.

E-states and New Year’s Resolutions

Here is a simple look at how your energy state, or the amount of energy you can embody and coherently use, can affect your outlook on New Years resolutions, health and everything else.

Your energy matters- especially how much you have/can use.

If you are energy poor, your focus will generally be on less of something.

For example. “I am scared of getting sick” or “I want less of _____ in 2021.”

If you are energy neutral, you would focus on staying the same- not getting any worse but also not getting any better.

Examples of this E state would be “I want my health to stay about the same- no better or worse” or “I want next year to be about as good as this last year.” Setting the same or similar goals would also fit here.

If you are energy rich, your focus will generally be on more or something new.

Examples of this E state are: “I want to be the healthiest I have ever been!” or “I want to be so healthy that my immune system can fight off sickness.” or “This year I’m going to build my dream home!” Energy Rich resolutions look at doing something new or adding a layer of richness to what you have already done. They are not concerned with staying the same.

As you can guess, it is a good idea to be aware of your Energy when making decesions or setting goals. Network Spinal care is a great way to boost your energetic bandwidth and awareness.

If you notice you are lacking energy for richness, here are some things to do,

If you are poor ( super lethargic, no drive, all about survival), you can jump around or move your body in other ways. This should help you get to neutral.

If you are neutral, focus on something you are grateful for or on your larger mission and the impact it will have.

If you are rich, great! The next step is to figure out what you need to do with that energy. You do not need to stay rich all the time, but it is important to be able to jump there when needed.

Cultural Field

Donny Epstein, the creator of Network Spinal, often talks about the cultural field (cf) or the average energy of a population. The specific quote he repeatedly says is, “the cultural field is a weak field”. This is a good thing because the cf can influence your energy and your mood, especially if you are energy neutral or below.

In todays world, the cf is being affected by things like covid and the elections. This has not done wonders for it by any means. All of the collective fear and aggression lowers the overall energy and gears the cf for fear and anger. You might notice this as an uneasy feeling in the air. Or you might notice yourself more prone to getting caught up in anger over the elections or fear with covid. These emotions can then leach into other parts of your life.

If you notice yourself caught up in anger or fear, do your best to make it on the table extra this week.

Other great ways to help yourself include AAA and to connect with your why or your reasons for being energy rich or above.

Movement post Network Entrainment

People often need to move or stretch post Network entrainment to more fully feel the effects. Sometimes it can be hard to figure out the “right’ movement. Luckily you don’t need to if you let your newly calibrated auto pilot do the work.

Start by doing anything simple that is at least minimally physical. This can be as simple as making a cup of tea or getting a glass of water. You could also go for a short walk or go stand outside.

As soon as you stop thinking about your pain or discomfort and start focusing on your simple task, your auto pilot can kick in easier. You might find your self stretching or holding a position. The key is to notice what you are automatically doing/ what feels good, and then consciously do more of it.

Being Stuck

I saw a cool quote online this morning. This is what is said: I told my friend I was emotionally hitting a wall and she said, “Sometimes walls are there so we can lean on them and rest”

What if being stuck was not always a bad thing? What if being stuck in life was the universe saying that we need to stop and reevaluate the direction we are trying to go. That the direction we are trying to go is ultimately not the right direction for us. A repeated forced pause is a great opportunity to discover other options or directions.

Stage 3 in Donny Epistein’s Somato Respiratory Integration (SRI) is all about being Stuck in a Perspective. The classic stage 3 experience is: I am stuck or blocked in my body (shoulder or back for example) or in my life. I keep looping or coming back to this same stuckness in my body or life. This occurs in middle to late discover care, and this is where we start to take personal responsibility for the way things are. We begin to see how we are contributing or causing our troubles and stuckness. Some times, the stuckness is simply us trying to force something that is not right for us.

The stuck in stage 3 is what allows energy to build up for a breakthrough (often this breakthrough is the stage 4 experience we talked about last week).

The goal with this stage is a peaceful waiting while the energy needed to breakthrough builds over time. I am not saying stage 3 feels good or is a fun experience in any way. However, being stuck is a part of healing and life, so we might as well get the most out of it. A good way to do this is to pause and AAA your stuckness. As a reminder, AAA stands for being Aware, Acknowledging and Accepting the way things are. Doing this and knowing that being stuck can ultimately be part of your path, can help us be more comfortable in the uncomfortable place of being stuck.

Network Spinal care can also help you move through the 12 Stages of Healing /SRI stages.

Let us know if you feel stuck and would like to do stage 3 breathing at your next visit- 14200 Midway Suite 110 Dallas, Tx 75244.

Is more energy always better?

Having more energy is usually better than having less energy. However, more energy is not always better. More energy is only better when it can be efficiently and coherently used.

Here are some simple examples of more energy NOT being better:

Too much energy at bedtime and not being able to sleep.

Cooking Dinner at 1000 degrees instead of 350.

Drinking too much coffee

Having too much energy manifesting as anxiety

Lighting a birthday candle with a welding torch

Network Spinal care helps you have more energy AND more energy efficiency/ coherence.

Most of the time people feel relaxed immediately post entrainment and then find themselves with more energy shortly after. Sometimes, a different response is needed from your body and you will find yourself tired or with seemingly less energy. During these times, it is likely you were operating very inefficiently with too much energy, and your body needs to recover/ balance. We recommend listening to your body during these times and taking the rest you need. Doing so, can help you avoid breakdown and sickness. Come see us at Next Level Chiropractic in Dallas Tx for Network Spinal care! We can work together to help increase your energy and energy efficiency.

Epienergetic Seasons, AAA and The Gap

Whatever Epienergetic season/s you are in, it’s important to remember AAA for a more efficient energetic life experience. As a reminder AAA stands for being Aware, Acknowledging and Accepting where you are or how things are. The key to accepting is to do so without judgement or wishing things were different. Acceptance of things we do not like is how they can change. After the season overview, we will offer a way to accept yourself as is AND to desire change at the same time.

Discover- In discover, energy states range from energy poor to energy neutral. Some perspectives in this season are, this sucks, this is overwhelming or this is a threat to me since I can’t get everything done that I SHOULD get done, There is no preceived gift or benefit to the situation. Non healthy coping strategies for stress causing extra stress. Examples include drinking or sulking.

Transform- Energy levels in this season range from energy neutral to energy rich. Perspectives in this season revolve around making change happen. This change happens initially with force and evolves to more of a big picture/optimization viewpoint as you progress. There is a gift but you have to make it/earn it. Examples include adapting and taking on new projects or figuring out ways to get what you need done despite or even because of the weather.

Awaken- Energy rich to super rich. In this season, things simply are as they are. The gift is already there and being experienced. Awaken by itself is pure energy and is not sustainable for very long. Moments of gratitude, love and appreciation are great examples of this energy. Awaken is almost always a great addition to either Discover or Transfrom mentioned above. Integrating awaken brings the gifts of awaken to the seasons of Discover and Transform.

Ideally we live our lives through all lenses in the Seasons of Wellbeing, Problems arise when we become stuck or fixated in 1 or 2 seasons. When this happens, we are missing out on at least 1 season. If you are missing Discover, you can not find the problem. If you are missing transform, you can not fix the problem. If you are missing awaken, you can not find the gift. Network Spinal care helps you move and flow through the seasons efficently so that you are not missing any seasons/ perspectives.

The Gap

Donny Epstein talks about something called The Gap. This gap is the energetic space between where you are currently and where you are called to be. The key to filling this gap and moving toward the latter is AAA.

We must AAA where we are currently with NO JUDGEMENT!

We must also AAA where we are called to be/ the higher version of us that we need to be to fulfill our purpose.

Alternate focusing and AAA’ing one and then the other. go back and forth until you can focus and accept them both at the same time. This will allow free energy from the universe to fill the gap.

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