Buzzwords

Our culture loves buzzwords. I'll admit that I find them pretty annoying, but they do reflect a certain stance or thinking in our culture at the time. Maybe you remember overused words like paradigm shift, reaching out, giving yourself grace, and the recent one: it's all about your nervous system!

When I hear these types of phrases batted about, I have to smile. After all, these are not new ideas-yoga traditions have been talking about these concepts for hundreds of years. What is a paradigm shift, but awareness and the flexibility to think about things in new ways? The phrase 'I'm reaching out to you' is an attempt to make our communication sound supportive and open (which, when used by sales folks that don't even know me, feels downright nauseating!). Grace was a word everyone was using recently. To me, grace was a term I learned about in my faith journey; God would be gracious to us, despite our failings. Again, nothing wrong with treating yourself with some grace and loving yourself warts and all, but as the word became overused, it began to feel cliche and almost dismissive of the inner work one really has to do to develop a sense of compassion for self and true acceptance of who we really are.

Now we have so many helpers all talking about our nervous systems. If you haven't heard it yet, get ready, as it is becoming a very well used and likely over-used term. Again, I am reminded that this is not a new word or notion. Yoga teaches us about our nervous system all the time. When we focus on breath, we notice it can rev up our nervous system and energize us, or we can use it to calm and activate our parasympathetic nervous system or relaxation response.

Currently, for a whole host of reasons, whether it's related to political division or an overload of stimulation due to technology and screen time, we do find ourselves with nervous systems that need tending. My yoga mat is my favorite space to address my body and find ways to calm or move and use the energy I have in ways that are productive and balanced. Breath work, movement, time in nature, and creative pursuits can all bring us a renewed sense of stability and a way to re-set our physical and emotional systems.

So, if your nervous system feels out of whack today, join the club. But please remember that you are in charge of your own body and energy each day. Be deliberate about what you focus on, as where our thoughts go, so goes our mood, behavior and actions. Do one thing at a time. Rest. Listen to your own breath as it flows with each inhale and exhale. Find ways and practices that help you re-set and enable you to move and respond in ways that work for you. Be good to your nervous system.

The next time you hear a buzzword, smile. Remember that the wisdom behind the phrase is often much older than the latest trendy phrase.