Is it Better to Sense a Lion by its Roar or by its Breath?

Dr. Epstein posed this question in the first Network Spinal Analysis seminar I took from him in 2002.  I honestly had to think about the answer for a while but what he was referring to is our level of awareness.  The awareness of our surroundings includes the atmosphere, the frequency, the energy, and the emotional charge of our environments.  But it also includes the awareness of what our body is telling us—how we feel emotionally, our intuition, and all of the subtle cues our mental/emotional/ physical body communicates.

How Lack of Awareness Builds
In today’s world we deal with constant distractions that take us away from this awareness.  Cell phones, texts, traffic, noise, and constant demands of our time and energy can dull our ability to connect to our awareness.  The result of these constant distractions is an ongoing background of interference that causes imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic sides of our automatic nervous system.  We are also taught to block the messages our bodies give us with numbing behavior and medications that dull symptoms.  Symptoms can be powerful cues and information to what our body is telling us.  It doesn’t mean that there isn’t a time and place for medication, but can you listen to what your body is telling you?  Emotions may be uncomfortable, but if we constantly numb them, how can we find cues that we are on the right path, or need to shift our direction?  

My Story:
I will fully admit that I lived in this state for many years (and wore it with a badge of honor).  In fact, I used this high stress state to push through long nights of studying organic chemistry in college and eventually studying for board exams in chiropractic school.  When we started our practice, I thought that it was “cool” to work 12 hours a day and throughout the weekend.  In order to do this, I had to almost violently ignore what my body was telling me.  I had such a drive to create and build our practice, and bring NSA to our community.  And, even though I was teaching others’ the importance of listening to their own body’s cues, I ignored mine - and suffered.  I reached a place of adrenal fatigue, immune system and sleep issues, and a huge disconnection from myself.  I knew what I wanted to bring to the world, but I didn’t have connection to what would bring me joy in my own life outside of helping patients.

NSA Dramatically Increases AWARENESS
Luckily, what I had wanted to offer to our community, NSA, was what brought be back from a very depleted, very disconnected state.  With NSA, as our brain/body connection deepens, we become acutely aware of what our mind/body needs.  Eventually, my body spoke so loudly I could no longer push through to ignore it.  I (finally) practiced what I preached.  I continued very consistent, very regular scheduled adjustments but I started to truly listen to the awareness that had been created in my body for years.  That awareness led to quiet time, deeper emotional connections with others, escapes to nature, and a love for what I call my creative time (painting, stenciling, art journaling, knitting, etc.)  On a physiological level, healing came to be my natural state.  

Lack of Awareness Leads to:  
So many patients come to us with severe sympathetic overload and disconnection from their body.  That has led to a lack of awareness of what foods work for them, how much water serves their body, and when they need to move versus when they need to rest.  It can lead to missing cues from others in social situations, a lessened connection to noticing others’ needs and missing emotional connections (from self and others).  It can lead to a lack of ability to connect to intuition or follow it when necessary—in reality, they are noticing the lion’s breath, rather than its roar when it was a mile away.

Building Awareness can be Uncomfortable, but What can it Provide?
Awareness is key.  It may not always be comfortable to have increased awareness, but it is a vital component to increasing your resiliency and adaptability to the world in which we live.  In the first parts of NSA care (Level 1 and Level 2), you may notice an increased sense calm and a newfound ease.  But as NSA adjustments increase the activity of the frontal cortex of the brain and increase parasympathetic activity, your awareness of what problems exist and what emotional discomforts are present is heightened (combine this with really noticing your sense of intuition) and it can be uncomfortable.  Yes, I acknowledge that is can be very uncomfortable.  But, having been there, I will tell you that it is worth it.  There is so much magic in this process.  Just by listening to physical cues and honoring them: such as hunger, fullness, thirst, the need for rest, movement, connection, quiet—your physical health will improve.  Listen to the emotional and mental cues that are emerging.  If you honor what you are hearing, you will start taking powerful steps to become the person you want to be and create the life you desire.

Listen for the lion’s roar, don’t wait for the breath.