ARE YOU SICK too?

Hi Reader

Have you ever dragged yourself to the end of a massively stressful week, finally allowed yourself to stop, and immediately woken up sick?

You spend your weeks in a state of sympathetic dominance. This is your body’s survival mode. Because your brain perceives your daily schedule as a threat, it pumps your system full of cortisol and adrenaline.

This acts as an invisible grip.

It artificially boosts your immune system and suppresses inflammation just to help you survive until the weekend. You feel this grip physically. It is the reason your neck is stiff and your shoulders sit up by your ears. Your body is constantly bracing for impact.

When you finally step into the studio, lie down on the mat, and physically let go of that grip, your body receives a signal that the threat has passed. It shifts into a parasympathetic rest and digest state, and your stress hormones plummet.

In sports science, this relates to the open window theory. When your system finally powers down, your immune system temporarily drops its guard. The illness you were already carrying in the background is no longer being suppressed, and it finally surfaces. You did not get sick because you finally rested or did a gentle somatic release. You got sick because your body finally felt safe enough to heal.

You cannot out-think this level of physical exhaustion. You have to learn how to listen when your body pulls the emergency brake.

If you are currently carrying your entire week in your shoulders, try this simple somatic reset right now:

First, unclamp your jaw. Let your mouth open slightly and release the micro-tension behind your teeth. Let out a yawn or two.

Second, drop your shoulders. Consciously slide your shoulder blades down your back.

Third, anchor your breath. Take a slow, conscious breath into your nostrils and down to your belly to signal to your nervous system that you are safe.

Building a high-performing life is not about eliminating stress. It is about learning how to release the physical grip of it so you can actually enjoy your time off.

If you want to learn how to build sustainable physical power without the inevitable nervous system crash, hit reply and let me know where your body typically holds its tension when the week gets too heavy.

PS. I am making a collection of my favourite paintings as an postcard deck. These will be available as gifts this Christmas. See Sari Owl below. Reply if you would be interested.

They will be on my Etsy shop very soon. activeshaktistudio​

PPS. My hip and shoulder reset sequence is below. It got cut off last week :(

Seema Chopra

MSc Dance Science, Embodied Strength Coach, Speaker, Founder, Active Shakti™

As seen in Vogue & The Independent

www.activeshakti.com.

Instagram @active_shakti