So these are the nine key concepts for you to understand about your own brain. So key concept number one is that our the nervous system is adaptable in four directions. Our nervous system does not just have an onoff switch.
It moves in four distinct directions and you've heard of these before. There's fight, right? which is where you have a grizzly bear attacking you or on the trail all of a sudden and you're ready to fight or flight or flee where you're ready to run.
You're going to outrun the threat or climb a tree or whatever you have to do. The other one is freeze which is immobilizing and going quiet and shallow breathing. This is what infants do.
So if a saber-tooth tiger had come into the cave and there was nobody around holding them, their defense could not be fight or flight. So it was freezed to be invisible and it's in a a more ancient part of our brain and a lot of people go into that. I've experienced that myself and you can experience one or more of these.
And then the fourth direction is homeostasis which is our happy place. That's our balanced regulated baseline state when we feel our best. when our prefrontal cortex comes online and we're feeling positive and happy and calm and that's where we want to be.
So at any given time we're in one of those four states and each of these has physical, emotional and mental traits and the goal of neurosculpting is helping us return to that homeostasis happy place more quickly and easily and to stay there longer. Key concept number two is our vagus nerve. It's the foundation of our nervous system.
And the Vegas nerve, which sounds like Las Vegas, but is spelled V A G U S, is the longest cranial nerve in your body. It runs from your brain stem all the way down through all of your organs in your body. And you have over 80 billion neurons in your brain, but you also have half a billion neurons or brain cells in your gut.
Isn't that amazing? And it's connected to your brain stem. And it's the main highway of your parasympathetic nervous system.
That's your rest and digest system versus your sympathetic fight and flight system. And you can have strong veagal tone of your vagus nerve just like you can have strong muscle tone in your arms and legs. So when your vagus nerve or your veagal tone is strong, you recover from stress faster just like a strong muscle tone helps you recover from injury faster.
And veagal toning exercises include things like slow breathing, humming, splashing cold water on your face. These all strengthen your veagal system. And this is why we're going to use slow breathing centrally in our meditation.
And key concept number three is the lyic system and midbrain control stress responses. So, your lyic system, which is your fight or flight, and particularly your amygdala, which you might have heard of before, that's your brain's alarm system. I call my amygdala Amy Gala.
She's my brain's TSA agent. She's scanning and constantly alert for anything out of the order or unfamiliar or any possible threat. You know, like that bottle of water you accidentally tried to sneak past, you know, airport security.
She's fast, she's efficient, and she's preconcious. She goes into action before you even think of what you're going to do or even notice a threat. And your because of that, your amydala does not need your permission to activate.
It goes into fight, flight, or freeze response before you even see that there's something moving in the bushes. And when something triggers this re region, your stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol flood your system. They make you alert and awake and ready for action so you can respond.
And it's useful when there's a real threat, like a grizzly bear and a hiking trail. But the problem is the part of the brain that can't tell the difference between a bear and an email from Bob and accounting that's getting you all upset [laughter] is still giving you the same response. And your adrenaline helps you deal with the bear, but it hinders you from dealing with Bob or rush hour traffic or crying children or long lines at the market or your in-laws and their crazy political rants at the holidays.
You get the idea. So understanding this helps us recognize why we react the way we do and why we need tools to interrupt that pattern so it doesn't just become a runaway train. Key concept number four is that the prefrontal cortex or PFC enables your emotional regulation.
And this is what sits right behind your forehead. It's where our highest level abilities live like problem solving, creativity, compassion, empathy, your impulse control so that you don't lose your temper and you can calm yourself. And it's where your emotional regulation sits.
But here's the challenge. It's slow. It's an energy hog and it gets tired easily.
It needs optimal conditions to work well. It's like a Ferrari. It needs fine tuning.
Whereas your lyic system is like a beat up, rusted out Chevy that will just doesn't care who it's going to run over or what it's going to hit on the way. It's going to get the job done. So when you're stressed, this goes in.
It basically goes offline and your lyic system takes over and you lose your Ferrari. But the good news is the prefrontal cortex can inhibit the fightor-flight response. And so that's why we're training it and making it stronger in neurosculpting.
So now I'd like to invite you to get comfortable. You can stay seated where you are and close your eyes. You could sit on the floor.
You can lay down on the bed, the floor, a couch. You can um lay lean back. I'm just going to invite you to get comfortable and just take a deep breath out.
Just comfortably letting the air out so that you can take a deep comfortable breath in. And I'll invite you to close your eyes or lower your lids so you can focus on your body and just become aware of any parts of your body that may feel a little tense or tight. Maybe you want to roll your shoulders, circle your wrists or your ankles.
You got a little soreness in your neck, you can give it a little a little rub. Give your body a little love. that's been there working for you hard all day, all night.
And as you center yourself in a comfortable spot, I invite you to become aware of any parts of your body that you want to release a little t tension or tightness in. You just tease the edges of it. And as you're doing that, just see if you can see in your mind's eye or feel what is it that you might be holding.
Is it stress s res or sadness or anger or fear or something else? Maybe you're feeling happiness or contentment. But what are you feeling?
And your breath keeps breathing itself. And though it may be a mild feeling or a strong feeling, any feeling we have like that and any tension we have is actually only trapped energy. And I wonder if you could see it having a color.
And if it had a color, I wonder what color would it be? Your breath keeps breathing itself. And to any extent you desire, I invite you to release any or all of that tension and to just watch that color leave your body like a party balloon rising and floating up to the ceiling.
And if it had a shape to this balloon, like a carnival balloon that could be twisted around to make shapes of animals or toys or objects, what might yours look like? And as you're seeing that, you might notice how it feels to breathe in and feel your chest rise and fall and your torso rise and fall with your own breath. Allowing air into your lungs and into your lower belly and back out again.
And I invite you to notice your in- and-out breath. Is it shallow? Is it deep?
Is it long slow breath or shorter deep breaths? Is it easy or labored? And you can slow or deepen your breathing what to make but what it but however you can make it comfortable for yourself.
Perhaps you notice with each breath in and out that your breath breathes itself effortlessly continuously with or without your attention. Isn't that an amazing wonder? The fact that we don't have to focus on our breathing or we can put our attention on whatever we want and our body will take over and breathe itself.
Notice that your breath continues to provide you fresh air in and every moment. allowing your bottle body and notice that your breath continues to provide you fresh air in in each moment allowing your body to settle into gravity's full support. So whether you're sitting or laying back or fully laying down just feel how the the surface underneath you is supporting your body.
And think of all the ways just become aware of the ways in which your needs are met. the air in the room, the temperature. Perhaps you see, you know, a safe roof over your head, or if you're outside, you see the sky, which allows the sun to come down onto your your face and the and the earth, or you're under the moon, and you can count on the sun rising again.
And perhaps if you're inside, you're noticing that you have shelter from harsh elements or heat or cold. Maybe you can take note of your access to water and food. And as you're aware of these needs being met, you can be aware that these needs will remain being met as you move your attention to something, some curiosity about your space.
What if you noticed the back of your neck? What might you notice? Do you feel any air on it from an air conditioner or the wind?
Can you feel hair on your neck? If you're laying down, do you feel a pillow or a couch or the carpet on your against your neck? Do you feel hair on your neck?
What might you notice? And now what if you notice your pinky toes on each foot? One on the left and one on the right.
What sensation might you notice about them? Are they cool or warm? Are they covered with shoes or socks?
or are they free? What might your pinky toes feel? And with your breath breathing itself and your needs met and your attention heightened through curiosity about your body and environment, you can be assured that anything in this meditation is for you to accept or change as you desire.
You are the owner of your experience. And you can take comfort knowing that this experience is uniquely yours. And with your breath breathing itself and your body supported, I invite you in this moment to draw to mind how you feel safe s a f in your environment and in your life.
What are the ways you feel safe? And as you envision that, see if there's any recurring thought or story. s t o r y or perhaps a thinking habit h a b i t about not feeling as safe as you would like in one area of your life.
And if feeling safe is a hot air balloon, what sandbags might be on it? Just see the sandbags and see the word on them of what might be keeping you from feeling 100% or have the highest level of safety that you want to have. Is it a name?
Is it a place? And just observing it outside of yourself because it's not here. It's not in the room.
Just it's a memory. You're just becoming aware of how that might be not allowing you to feel as safe as you would like. And so for you to feel safer, you'll be able to untie these sandbags.
And to make sure that they don't have an ongoing effect, instead of keeping them inside the hot air balloon basket with you, you're going to picture how you could dispose of them. Maybe you're going to want to put them into a trash can. Maybe you want to put it into a fire pit and light it on fire.
Maybe you want to place it back where it happened so it's not with you in your present life in your present circumstances and recognize that that was a different place in a different time. And maybe you notice of this feeling how it might be affecting your body. leaning in to this wonderful feeling of safety and security and privacy in your surroundings that you have right this minute and looking at how you can release and change anything that would hinder you from staying here.
Maybe you want a big dump truck to come and pick up the sandbags or sandbags and take them off. And maybe you want to hire a security guard or a team of security guards to keep it out. Maybe you want to build a castle wall.
Maybe you want your security team to be dig a moat or put out a security system that you envision to keep you safe in your inner safer circle. And allow yourself to feel the feeling of now having this safety that you have in this moment with the additional safety of your safer circle and your security. Knowing that something that might have once scared you, might have even once harmed you, is in fact a memory with very strong chemicals in your body, but that it's not in front of you right now and that you have put yourself in a safe place.
And you can touch your arms together or hug yourself. And you can allow yourself to feel the safety of being in an inner circle. What does this feeling of being protected and being safer feel like?
Is it warm or cool? Is it a color? Blue or red or purple or white or brown or black or some other color?
Does it have a texture? What does this feeling of safety feel like? Is it smooth or rough?
Is it slippery or prickly? And your breath is still breathing itself. And you're still feeling your chest and your abdomen move with the rhythmic breathing of your body in this safe space in this present moment in this now.
And if you could imagine looking right through your body as if it were clear, I wonder what you might visualize this color and texture looking like inside your body or temperature. Where do you see it? What do you see?
What does this safety feel like to you? Do you find it in your chest or in your back? Is it in your belly or your head, your arms or your legs?
Or is it somewhere else? Is it filling your whole body or just in the end of your of your middle or first finger or your thumb? And what might you notice about the sensation?
Is it light or heavy? What does safety feel like? Is it warm or cool?
And now I want you to imagine some container that is strong enough and secure enough to hold whatever you want to give it so that you can put anything preventing you from this feeling into that container. What's the rest of what you would like to put in there? So that you know where it is but it does not cannot get to you.
It is under your lock and key. You have agency over it. What would you use the container?
Is it a locking box? Is it the fire pit? Maybe it's a drain pipe you're going to flush it down.
Maybe it's a rocket you're going to launch into space and your breath is still breathing itself as your body is still supported by gravity. And I wonder how you might imagine using your breath to exhale and release as much or as little as you want into that container. What might you notice about this release?
And if your mind perceives release from your body, you're invited to recognize that by tapping that area with your non-dominant hand or making a gesture with your non-dominant hand if that's comfortable. You might tap your chest. You might rub your belly, might rub your fingers and thumb together or something else.
And while you're doing that, know that you're linking this gesture to this vision that you can release this old story or this old memory whenever you want. And as your breath breathes itself, I wonder what you might now notice about your space. What might you notice about your body now?
Where do you feel any sensations or temperature or lightness? And if your mind imagines this feeling anywhere in your body, you're invited to tap that area with your non-dominant hand or tap your fingers together, linking this gesture to the vision and cultivation of feeling safer, of living a safer, better life today. And I wonder how you might use your inhale, your inhale to brighten this vibration or sensation and how you could use your exhale to allow it to spread inside your body.
And all the while your security team and your wall and your moat and anything that you put together as your security system is still protecting you. And as that happens and you inhale and allow this feeling of safety to spread throughout your body, how far might it spread? What might you notice about your body and your space now?
And I invite you to name this meditation with a word or a phrase so that each time you said it or heard it or read it, you could continue to deepen this story with a word that makes you feel safer and calm and centered so that you can respond to anything in your environment. that your preffrontal cortex stays online and that you with curiosity can see what is happening and respond to protect yourself and stay safe and make the choices that will keep you safer. So what is that phrase or word?
I wonder what would you call it? And all the while your breath keeps breathing itself. And you're invited to continue to deepen this story more and more tomorrow and the next day and next week and next month as you continue to use this visualization and your own somatic cue and word to make yourself aware of how you're making yourself safer and your life is becoming safer and that you have more and more of the safety and security that you want.
All the while your breath is breathing itself. And you can take a few more easy breaths as you become aware of your surroundings. And as you begin to come back and open your eyes, you can end your meditation.
And I invite you to continue to practice this to listen to just the neurosculpting part again. And this part is really important in how you can retrain your brain. Use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth and say the word in your head.
Stir your coffee or scramble your eggs or eat your cereal or pour your drink with your non-dominant hand and say the word. Every time you say your word out loud or in your head and trig and use your non-dominant hand, you are using this powerful pairing. And you're literally lighting up new neural networks in your brain that are leading you to what you need to do to have a safer, better life.
So, I invite you to every day, every morning, every night, if you brush your teeth this way twice a day, you're literally rewiring your neural network 60 times a month. It's a powerful powerful exercise that compounds as you repeat it so that you feel safer, you make safer choices, and you protect yourself better than you ever have.
