We’ve all had an interesting year. Part of what’s so interesting is how we’ve each reacted. We’re learning to adapt to the circumstances. I’ve been fortunate; I could afford to ‘semi-retire’, play in my garden/yard, and be close to nature when I couldn’t interact with people. If anything, this year gave me a time to get a bit closer to myself. Those of us who didn’t have to add the stress of money worries have had a pretty good year. It wasn’t the year I might have wanted, but it’s been a good one nevertheless.
But: I’m back! Last week I had two absolute workdays, back to back. On Friday last I drove to Columbia, MO and spent a day with Albino Sandoval, who is the newest addition to our CORE Instructor roster. Albino is planning to offer the “Top Ten Hot Spots” course in October…possibly in Kansas City, Jefferson City, and St. Louis, MO. It’s a great six hour day dealing with my favorite spots in the body to make changes quickly. Albino and I spent a day discussing teaching strategies, then he both treated and talked to me/taught me about what he was doing. A satisfying treatment, and a satisfying learning for him.
The next day I moved on to Jefferson City to offer my newest class, “Resetting the Nerve of Safety and Well-Being. This class deals with the vagus nerve and what I’m calling the Evolutionary Vagal Complex, or EVC. I’m getting more and more interested in trying to sort out how, in these troubling times of the past year, one can stay resilient, and live in a state of self-soothed parasympathetic ability to take it all in without getting stuck in whatever ‘it’ is. We’ve all had a stressful year; how have we dealt? Did we simply shut down and play dead? Did we try to resist and fight at every step? Did we just give up and run away? Or did we try to find, face, feel, and free and forget the trauma? To me, that is the definition of resilience and what some would call ‘self-soothing’ and what I think of as resetting the vagus system or revitalizing the social engagement system.
Anyway, we had a lovely space thanks to Rose Grotjan, massage therapist and mentor in the Jefferson City area. Fifteen students gathered for the six hours of talk about not only the vagus, but the complex, and the various techniques and schools that in some way or another contribute to vagal health. All who came to the class seemed stimulated and challenged, so I left VERY tired, but very happy. After two work days and two three hour drives, Monday was a definite day of rest!
We’re adding an additional section of this vagus class on May 15 (Saturday) in Kansas City, MO. This class will soon be on the website if you’d like to enroll. Thought: This class isn’t only for massagers! I frankly wish everyone in the world would stop to think about the vagal complex and learn what they can do to help self and other heal that system. I’m interested in getting doctors, nurses, any health professionals, but anyone who wants to help self and others feel better! A rather lofty goal, don’t you think? But the good news is: Coming back to the teaching world is getting me juiced again. I’m back!