Emma Taylor Kinesiology

19/08/2024

Unaddressed emotions and trauma are stored in the body and can disrupt your nervous system and manifest as physical symptoms.

Recognising and healing these stored memories is crucial for restoring balance and well-being.

What’s your body holding onto?

22/07/2024

Polyvagal Theory: Understanding & Empowering Your Nervous System

Did you know that our nervous system states aren’t permanent? Thanks to Polyvagal Theory by Dr. Stephen Porges, we can understand how our autonomic nervous system regulates our responses to safety and threat, impacting both our physical and mental health.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the three key states:

Social Engagement/Ventral Vagal State: When we feel safe and connected, our ventral vagal system is activated, promoting calmness and optimal functioning. Practices like deep breathing, grounding exercises, and positive social interactions can help stimulate this state.

Sympathetic State: When we perceive danger, our sympathetic system prepares us for fight-or-flight, increasing heart rate and alertness. Quick physical activities and progressive muscle relaxation can help shift out of this heightened state.

Dorsal Vagal Shutdown State: In overwhelming situations, the dorsal vagal system triggers a shutdown response, leading to feelings of helplessness and disconnection. Gentle movements, rhythmic breathing, and self-compassion practices can help us move out of this state.

Understanding that these states are dynamic and not fixed empowers you to regulate your nervous system more effectively. Functional Neuro Approach and techniques that assess, clear and stimulate the vagus nerve and support other cranial nerves and neural pathways can enhance this process and foster resilience.

17/07/2024

The alarm blares aka. Your kid(s), jolting you from restless sleep into the chaos of another day. Breakfast is a rush of clattering dishes and overlapping voices that grate against your nerves. Getting the kids ready feels like navigating through a dense fog, each task overwhelming in its own right. Traffic noise pounds in your head as you drive, adding to the weight of deadlines and unfinished tasks waiting at work (or at home! Sat at home mums work 24/7!).
Emails flood your inbox, each one a reminder of the mounting pressures - school slips to be signed, bills to be paid, dental appointment reminders etc.
By evening, even the simplest sounds—laughter, footsteps or kids arguing and splashing in the bath, feel like an assault on your senses, pushing you further into a state of exhaustion and disconnect.

Now, imagine if you had a regulated nervous system. The alarm wakes you gently, and as you prepare breakfast, the sounds and movements flow calmly around you. Getting the kids ready becomes a series of focused, enjoyable moments, each one shared with a sense of ease and connection. Driving to work or school drop off, you navigate traffic with a clear mind, ready to tackle the day’s challenges. Emails and tasks are approached methodically, each one handled with a sense of clarity and purpose. By evening, you engage with your family effortlessly, enjoying their company and feeling present in every moment. Having a regulated nervous system DOES NOT mean you won’t feel frustrated or challenged at times, that would be unrealistic! but it does mean you have a greater window of tolerance and resilience to endure stress. Each day feels more manageable, filled with moments of connection and peace amidst what can feel like the never - ending demands of parenthood.

Which feeling and what kind of parent would you prefer to be?

Burnout, exhausted and irritable? 🫠

Or

Present, flexible and connected? 💛

08/07/2024

Monday Morning Musing: myths and truths about our nervous system.

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22/06/2024

05/06/2024

The human brain tends to seek familiarity and predictability, even if it means being in chaotic or unhealthy situations. This preference is rooted in our evolutionary past, where familiarity often meant safety and survival. So, when faced with the choice between something chaotic yet familiar versus something orderly but unfamiliar, the brain may instinctively opt for the former, as it feels more comfortable and less threatening, even if it’s not in our best interest in the long run.

Consider someone who grew up in a chaotic household where there was constant conflict and unpredictability. In their adult relationships, they may unconsciously seek out partners who exhibit similar chaotic traits because it feels familiar and comfortable to them, even though it leads to dysfunction and instability.

For example, this person might repeatedly choose partners who are emotionally unavailable or prone to drama, as it mirrors the chaos they experienced in their childhood. They may find themselves drawn to relationships that are characterized by intense highs and lows, mistaking the drama for passion.

On the other hand, when presented with the opportunity to pursue a relationship with someone who is emotionally stable and offers a sense of security and predictability, they may feel uneasy or bored, as it represents unfamiliar order.

In this scenario, the individual’s subconscious preference for familiar chaos overrides their conscious desire for a healthy and stable relationship. Rewiring their brain to choose unfamiliar order would involve recognizing and challenging these patterns, consciously seeking out and nurturing relationships that offer stability and balance, and gradually becoming more comfortable with the unfamiliarity of order.

The good news is that change is possible.
Our brains nueroplasticity means we can rewire beliefs, thoughts, behaviours for the better.

The first step is identifying such thoughts and beliefs keeping us stuck. This is where the power of kinesiology and muscle monitoring comes into play .

Keen to explore further?

Send me a DM “chat” for 15min free discovery call.

04/05/2024

We have all felt it at some point: heart racing, sweaty palms, increased alertness, and that hypervigilant state of feeling on edge. It’s important to know that this feeling of anxiety is actually normal and adaptive and is our body’s signalling system designed to keep us safe and protect our survival.⁠⠀
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However, it becomes problematic when it lingers for long periods of time and if it occurs when there is no real threat or when the anxiety/ stress response is disproportionate or inappropriate to the threat being faced.

The world today is now full of non fatal threats eg) running late for a work meeting, unpaid bill, full email inbox, the list goes on… so understanding the WHY behind your anxiety is imperative to prevent it and/or help overcome it. ⁠⠀
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Kinesiology is such a powerful way to tap into the subconscious and identify underlying threat perceptions that cause anxiety.

Functional Neuro uses a brain based approach assess your nervous system and specific causes and contributing factors of anxiety.

Down regulating the nervous system and learning specific ways to manage your anxiety is key to ensure optimal health 💛⁠⠀
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01/05/2024

24/04/2024

When anxiety hits, it can feel difficult to sit still and listen to silence.

Here’s why:

Anxiety triggers our sympathetic nervous system, our fight flight stress response ,and gears us up for action, making it hard to stay still.

Our body goes into overdrive, preparing to deal with perceived threats. This heightened state of alertness can sometimes make silence seem eerie or uncomfortable because our brain interprets it as a potential danger signal.

Moreover, anxiety can disrupt our ability to regulate emotions, causing a flood of racing thoughts and worries that make it challenging to quiet the mind. So, rather than embracing the peace of silence, we may find ourselves avoiding, fidgeting or seeking distractions to escape the discomfort.

But by avoiding our body, and the physiological state that anxiety creates, this can keep us in our heads in a perpetual cycle. Leading to feelings of being stuck, disconnected and on edge.

Good news is, silence and stillness are possible. So is change.

If you’re interested in exploring root drivers of your anxiety, send a DM to arrange a discovery call.

13/04/2024

Rest + Rejuvenate.

These have been my goals this week. Safe to say, they’ve been achieved.

What do you do to reset your nervous system?

If it’s not kinesiology/functional neuro, acupuncture and/or chiro, the ocean does the job for me. 💙

09/03/2024

Avoidance may offer temporary relief, but it ultimately keeps us stuck in a cycle of stagnation. 💔

08/03/2024

When your nervous system feels maxed out, finding balance can feel challenging.

Thats when our trusty friend the vagus nerve plays a key role! As one of its responsiw for modulating our stress response (along with so much more).

Balance is achievable with commitment, patience, and self-compassion and of course, the right tools and support.

Here are few quick tips to apply now:

▪️Begin by prioritising self-care practices that promote relaxation and stress reduction, such as deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, or spending time in nature.

▪️Engage in activities that bring you joy and calm your mind, whether it’s listening to soothing music, journaling, or creative expression. (Aka ventral vagal anchors!)

▪️Let go of the belief that you have to do it all! You can’t. You’re human, not a machine. Asking for support and prioritising your own needs is your most valuable self-care piece to date! Remind yourself that self-care is not selfish, it’s a non negotiable if true balance is what you seek.

DM me ⚖️ if you want a quick and effective way to help activate your vagus nerve and help bring balance back into your nervous system.