Understanding Your Nervous System

Tending Our Humanity:
Understanding Your Nervous System to Foster Safety, Regulation, & Connection
w/ Mary Veerkamp, Ph.D, PCC at Revolution Community Yoga
Sunday, Feb. 26th @ 1:30 – 3:30pm in the Upper Studio
$35 Pre-registration / $45 day of workshop
A min. of 5 people must register by Feb. 22nd in order for this workshop to run.
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“The…nervous system responds moment to moment to what are often competing needs to survive and to be social. In a state of protection, survival is the only goal. The system is closed to connection and change. In a state of connection, health, growth, and restoration are possible.” ~ Deb Dana

Many of us, particularly after the last few years, regularly find ourselves distressed, harried, dysregulated, or perhaps simply knocked a bit off balance by the demands of our everyday lives, the constant onslaught of horrific news, the political climate of our country, and myriad other concerns. It’s natural that under these circumstances, we might find ourselves in a state of protection – perhaps an ongoing hum of anxiety or difficulty being still, a close-to-the-surface anger that comes out with little provocation, or even a sense of complete exhaustion, numbness or overwhelm.

Our brilliant biology is always working below the level of conscious awareness on behalf of our safety and survival.

While all our nervous system states are functional and necessary, ongoing, and prolonged states of protection diminish our capacity for connection, growth, and well-being. This, in turn, shrinks our ability to engage in life in meaningful ways, to be vital and fully alive.

Guided by the wisdom and application of Polyvagal Theory, we can become familiar with our unique patterns of protection, recognize our personal cues and anchors of safety, and learn to move flexibly between states of protection and safety.

Through lecture, guided exercises, and group discussion, you’ll learn and take away from this workshop:

• A basic understanding of the autonomic nervous system (ANS)

• How to apply the three organizing principles of Polyvagal Theory

• Clarity around your own cues of safety and danger across three domains – internal, external, and relational

• Your personal ANS profile map to continue working with appreciation and compassion for your nervous system’s function

• Identification and embodiment of your unique anchors for safety, regulation, and connection

Please wear clothing that allows you to feel warm and comfortable. Bring a notebook or journal, something to write with, and, if you’d like, colored pencils or markers.

Mary Veerkamp, Ph.D, PCC, is a Life and Emotional Wellness Coach with a passion for helping people who feel lost in the woods of their life navigate their way back home to themselves. Her exposure to Polyvagal Theory has created a deeper and even more compassionate understanding of herself, her clients, and all those with whom she is connected. Mary is new to the area, having moved from Freeport, Maine in July 2021 with her husband and son, and is a recent and reluctant empty nester, dancing with this new phase of life.