KayaYogini

Life moves in phases. It’s cyclicaI. To be in the flow, we have to move with the cycles, the changes, the ebbs and flows of life. In this blog, I will reflect a little on how the nervous system moves in waves and how life moves in waves and how it kind of goes together. Keep in mind that this is just me reflecting, not a scientific report, I am not an expert on the nervous system. But I like to see a broader perspective and reflect on how the things that I’ve learned apply to my life. I like to widen my perspective and see how things are connected. So this is about my summer and moving with the flow of life. 

The last semester, I went through a lot of stress. Because of that, I chose to go to somatic therapy to heal from the chronic stress. I also took initiative to learn more about the nervous system. I wrote about this in the last two blogs, one includes a process for regulating the nervous system, the second (the one before this one) is about how to receive, to fill up your cup and gain greater capacity. 

Summer vacation is for me a great opportunity to do just that, fill my cup up with whatever I want, to relax, to take in and recharge. And I can truly say that I had an amazing summer this year. The best summer in years. The last few years, I haven’t really had a break. Every vacation, I worked or took courses. Everytime I traveled was to take a course abroad. This year, I needed a break. I wanted to live life and do something just for fun. I decided to do the things that I have been wanting to do, put them into my schedule, spend some money on myself rather than on my career, and last but not least, relax! 

My summer this year was filled with travel, sunbathing, bading in the ocean, shopping, meeting old friends, family and colleagues, attending workshops and being in nature. I went to both Copenhagen and London, but also spent some time in my hometown, Arendal which is so lovely during summer. I also visited my family in the eastern part of Norway. 

I feel like every place, every city has its own vibe, its own climate, pace and smell. I love traveling and experiencing new places and meeting new people, just being somewhere different. Although Denmark and Norway are neighbors, there is certainly something different about Copenhagen. Copenhagen is my third home. I love that although it is such a big city (for a Norwegian), it’s still a place to take it slow and enjoy life. London has a completely different vibe. It is huge and super fast and intense. Where being in Norway feels a bit like being cut off from Europe (and the world in general), being in London feels like being right where everything meets and where everything is happening. I have only been in London once before and didn’t really know it at all. To be honest, I felt a bit like I didn’t know why I picked London as my travel destination. But, being there only for three days, I absolutely fell in love with it and want to go back as soon as I can renew my passport. And hopefully I will have the opportunity to stay a bit longer, because there are so many things to do and see.

After I was in London, I went to see my family on the eastern side of Norway. It’s such a relaxing place to be. I spent a lot of time in nature. Nothing is as healthy for the body as being in nature. It’s good for the immune system, walking in nature is good for the musculoskeletal system, it’s also calming for the nervous system and the mind. 

Being in a flow state means being able to experience both positive stress and to take a break. By positive stress, I mean stress that helps you to be active, but not so much stress that you go into a panic state. The stress levels should go up and down again by itself. The sympathetic state and parasympathetic state take turns so to speak and should be able to work harmoniously in a constant flow. We are on the go and we slow down. We need to move with our natural instincts, move with the upward wave to create movement and take action, but also move with the downwave to slow down again, rest and digest. Not always on the go, nor always relaxed. 

The last few years, I have been exhausted. I felt like I didn’t have the money nor the time to slow down and take a break long enough to recharge. Although I miss all the people I met and the places I went to, it feels ok to go back to university and back to work. I have more energy, enough to move with the next upwave of my life. 

Life can be challenging at times. Sometimes it throws things at us that we are not prepared for. Society isn’t really made for the health of the body, rather the body has to adjust to society. Sometimes, the body tells us to rest, when we need to work. It can be hard to deal with, especially if we are going through something. But learning to listen to the body and act on its signals can help to cope with it as best as possible. Yoga (and therapy this last semester) is my savior. How do you handle stress? Are you good at listening to your body? Do you agree that life moves in cycles?