Welcome to spring session's last Sunday Round-up! Whoa - time flies, doesn't it?

Summer is a fabulous time to fall off the mat...and many of us do.

I sure had my fair share of off the mat falls in the past...

I've stopped this falling off the mat habit a few summers ago: it took a few agonizingly challenging Falls (and falls), complete with full blown insomnia and out of control pain to recognize that the seeds of my fall and winter wellness are sown - you've guessed it! - during the summer.

It also occurred to me (once I started studying this nervous system stuff) that those of us gifted with a sensitive nervous system have to be a wee bit more proactive about our health management and planning.

I mean, it is a whole lot harder to climb back to balance once you've started spinning out of control, and your nervous system acts like a cranky toddler in the middle of a full blown tantrum attack.

I learned that if I slacked on self care come summer, I paid for my lack dearly come fall.

And all too often that climb back up to my spring - level health felt as grueling as your last few meters before summiting Mt. Everest (not the I have ever tried that, but it looks real hard in the movies!)

Sometimes if felt like I never recovered all the way till the next spring - right when I was about to fall off the mat again. Ugh, I don't even want to remember what that vicious cycle felt like.

That falling off part, of course, goes against all of the rules of pacing and gradual exposure that the modern pain science is so very adamant about...

Yet our summers are so preciously short.... and a delightful time to unbusyfy, kick back, and relax.

Answer is (this, of course, coming from a yoga teacher!) - by being flexible, prioritizing what's important, and also changing how we yardstick our progress.

Over the years of teaching I (finally!) worked out a summer schedule that walks the fine balance of keeping things on track yet allows you ( and me) to kick back and relax.

All summer classes ( Pain Care classes on Tuesdays and Ball + Yin classes on Wednesdays) are run on class-by-class basis - meaning you don't have to register for a session - although you'll save a few $$ if you book a set of 3 classes.

There are also a couple of half day intensives - Pelvic Floor and Core Restore - scheduled for July and August for those of you who have missed them earlier in the year. All class and intensives info is here.

I have struggled with this one for a while.

I mean, honestly, how do you measure the progress when dealing with the nervous system?

The nature of the sensitive nervous system is such that it is constantly changing and unpredictable (this is a whole new interesting topic for discussion - why it is so? - to be explored in the near future.)

Those of us who live or have lived with persistent pain know that it is right next impossible, really, to predict how the body is gonna act tomorrow.

Is it gonna hurt?

maybe it won't?

did I do anything to trigger this?

did I eat anything to trigger this?

You can have a great day today and all of your hopes up, and a completely yucky day tomorrow - with absolutely no reason of why it should be that way or the other.

It is scary, annoying and frustrating.

What's more, this unpredictable changeability keeps on following you once you begin to move out of realm of chronic pain and to better function, making it right next to impossible to structure your further training or track your progress.

I have banged my head on that wall for a while till I realized that the yardstick has to be different.

We simply cannot apply the same measurement tools - better flexibility, more muscle mass, more reps, etc, etc, etc - to the person with a sensitive nervous system.

We have to measure the progress of the nervous system IN TERMS of nervous system.

Do I feel more at peace? at ease?

Do I sleep better?

Do I feel more safe? more in control? more self-assured?

Are there days when my symptoms are less severe?

Are seasonal fluctuations of my health less pronounced?

Am I less reactive? less threatened / unnerved by my environment?

Does my nervous system respond more appropriately to the challenges life presents?

Understanding this has been a real game changer for me, and I hope it can sort out some of your progress questions as well.

Well, in lieu of kicking back and relaxing, I won't bore you today with neuroscience or biomechanics (even though I just registered myself for a course that combines the two and am feeling utterly excited!)

If you have a few moments of free time, I would really appreciate your feedback on this session - what worked, what didn't, any comments or thoughts you'd like to share, any upgrades you'd like to see? Thank you so much!

Have a fabulous summer.

See you on the mat!