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Part 3 Default to YES! - Breathe, Feel, Reset: How somatic practices accelerate change
Default to YES: From Regulation to Reinvention — For Nurses Ready for More
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Breath, Somatic Awareness, and Nervous System Reset: The Missing Piece for Lasting Change (Episode 3)
In episode three of a six-part series, we take a look at how lasting personal change happens in the body, not just the mind, and how nervous system regulation plus thought awareness creates a powerful loop for transformation. They describe how dysregulation can sabotage habits through physiology and “chemical drivers” like dopamine and cortisol, and why you can think calm thoughts yet still feel anxious. The episode highlights breathwork as an accessible tool to influence the nervous system via the vagus nerve, parasympathetic activation, and improved heart rate variability, and introduces somatic awareness—listening to what the body is holding, including stored stress and past experiences (referencing The Body Keeps Score). Practical exercises include a 4-2-6/8 breathing pattern for 2–3 minutes (coherent breathing) and sensory grounding (5 things you see, 4 feel, 3 hear). The speaker connects embodiment to scripture, emphasizes building capacity for stress and crisis, and offers reflective questions about what the body is signaling and how to feel 10% more grounded.
Reference: The Body Keeps Score, by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
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