Flowing with the Vibes

Hello!

How are you doing today?

As I enjoy a warm cup of tea while writing this letter, I’m not only appreciating the taste but also the beautiful piece of wisdom on its tag: “The heart sees deeper than the eye.” How poetic! It’s a nice reminder that while our eyes might only see what’s on the surface, our hearts have the capacity to connect with what lies beneath–things that aren’t always visible, but are deeply felt.

Alright, I invite you to take a moment right now to check in with how you’re feeling. Feel free to close your eyes to help turn your focus inward.

Notice the thoughts, feelings, images, emotions, or urges that surface with a sense of openness and curiosity.

You may feel prompted to respond to what your body is telling you. If you notice that you’re thirsty, you might enjoy a refreshing glass of water. Or if you sense the need to stretch or move around, you may decide to honor that urge.

Checking in with yourself periodically throughout your day is a beautiful way to nurture and care for yourself. The best part is that it only takes a minute or two out of your day to check in, and respond if that feels appropriate.

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I had so many ideas swirling around in my mind for this week’s topic, and it was difficult to settle on just one. But after some reflection, I’ve chosen a topic that I hope will be valuable to you, especially as it relates to nervous system regulation.

We are going to explore what it means to flow with the vibes, and how energetic vibrations connect with and influence the nervous system.

We are all energy, and everything in our world and universe emits its own energy–this also includes objects, thoughts, and emotions. This energy moves in waves, known as vibrations. The frequency of these vibrations indicates how quickly or slowly energy moves. High-frequency vibrations travel fast, while low-frequency vibrations move more slowly.

So, how does this connect with the nervous system?

When we’re in a calm and relaxed state, our vibrational frequency naturally increases. When we are in a higher vibrational state, we’re better able to navigate and recover from stressors with greater flexibility and ease. We might experience an increase in energy, a clearer mind, sharper focus, and feel open to the abundance and blessings that life offers. When we find ourselves in a higher vibrational state, we’re better able to connect with our intuition, strengthening our self-trust muscle. Being in a high-vibe state helps us connect with feelings and emotions like love, joy, gratitude, compassion, peace, creativity, hope, and inspiration.

When we feel stressed out, anxious, worried, sad, fearful, angry, exhausted, and overwhelmed, our nervous system shifts into sympathetic activation, commonly known as our “fight-or-flight” response. This response is both natural and necessary for our survival, as it prepares our body to respond to threats, and allows us to process and express emotional energy. While this response is essential to our overall well-being, it also temporarily lowers our vibrational frequency.

It’s natural to flow between parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) and sympathetic (fight-or-flight) states at various points throughout the day. As a result, our vibrational frequency is constantly fluctuating, influenced by how we feel, which is shaped by both internal and external factors.

There are times in life when it feels like we're not flowing with the vibes, but instead, we may feel stuck in one state for an extended period of time.

The amazing thing is that we can regulate our nervous system by exploring practices that can help raise our energetic vibration, helping us realign and return to flow.

Here are a few practices that can naturally raise your energetic vibration:

1. Express Gratitude

A daily gratitude practice can influence how you feel about yourself, others, and the world around you. It helps nurture an abundance mindset, reminding us of what we already have in our lives.

If it resonates with you, try writing down three things you’re grateful for each day. You could also explore gratitude through meditation and prayer. Gratitude can also be shared by saying “thank you” to someone, or by reaching out to a loved one to let them know how much you appreciate their presence in your life. You can practice gratitude by repeating loving affirmations to yourself and by celebrating your wins.

That said, depending on what you’re going through, a gratitude practice may not feel appropriate or authentic. In those moments, it might be helpful to lean into acceptance. By honoring our thoughts, feelings, and emotions, we nurture respect, compassion, and love for ourselves, which can help raise our vibration and bring balance to our nervous system.

2. Movement

Moving your body helps release feel-good neurochemicals like serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine into the body, which can improve both mood and energy levels while promoting relaxation by reducing stress hormones. Since emotions are energy in motion, movement is an effective way to feel, process, and express feelings and emotions.

I encourage you to explore types of movement that feel good and authentic to you. What types of movement feel nourishing to you or elicit feelings of joy? Even just five minutes of movement each day can help shift your energy!

3. Play

Like movement, play helps release neurochemicals that promote feelings of happiness, joy, and pleasure. Play encourages spontaneity, freedom, curiosity, creative expression, and laughter. Play invites us to shed our masks and embrace vulnerability, often bringing out our most authentic selves. As we engage in play, we naturally raise our vibration, helping us tap into feelings of joy, peace, and abundance.

Consider what feels like play to you–it doesn’t have to involve physical activity. You might find joy in puzzles, reading, playing board games, knitting, scrapbooking, building with Lego, watching funny TV shows, listening to podcasts, storytelling, singing, journaling, or daydreaming. Anything that brings a sense of lightness and fun can be considered play.

4. Connect with Nature

Nature is naturally high-vibrational, so even a brief moment spent outdoors can shift our energetic state.

I encourage you to take a moment during your day to connect with the natural world. Breathe in the fresh air, listen to the sounds of nature, and take in the sights all around you. You could read a book by a window, letting the sun warm your skin as you read, or you could nurture your connection to nature by caring for indoor plants or tending to your garden.

By connecting with nature, we’re reminded that we are a part of something much greater than ourselves, deepening our sense of unity and aligning us with the vibrations of peace, love, and connection.

5. Digital Detox

Have you ever felt drained, overstimulated, or anxious after spending time on social media? A lot of the content we consume can stir up some strong thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Every piece of content carries its own energy, and without even realizing it, we unintentionally absorb that energy. This can influence our own energetic vibration and can impact the health of our nervous system.

A digital detox can be a great way to help rebalance your nervous system. You can explore setting time limits on social media apps, or remove certain apps from your phone altogether. You might choose to step away from your phone for a few hours every day, or perhaps you decide to designate a phone-free day each week. A digital detox is an amazing way to reclaim your energy.

6. Mindfulness Practices

Mindfulness practices are a great way to raise your energetic vibration by helping you remain rooted in the present moment, promoting a sense of calm, and restoring balance to your nervous system.

Some examples of mindfulness practices include conscious breathing, body scans, meditation, journaling, yoga, tuning into your senses, mindful walking, visualization, and more.

7. Declutter

Since everything, including objects, carries its own energy, it can be helpful to declutter the spaces where you spend the most time. As you observe the items in your space, I invite you to ask yourself the following question: are there items I’m holding onto that no longer serve me? Or, notice how your body responds as you interact with each item. Your body’s response can serve as feedback, helping with the decision-making process. If possible, donate, sell, or repurpose the items to minimize waste.

As you declutter, you may feel a shift in the energy of your space. This shift can feel like a sense of lightness and openness. By clearing physical clutter, we create space for renewed energy, fresh ideas, and new opportunities to flow freely into our lives.

8. Listen to Music

Connecting with music that resonates with you can be a powerful way to raise your energetic vibration. Explore creating playlists that align with different moods and needs. Maybe you put together a playlist of songs that you loved as a kid to tap into feelings of joy. You can create a motivational playlist to boost your confidence and empower you. When you need to focus, you can build a playlist that helps you stay grounded in the present moment. Music has the capacity to shift our energy, helping us connect with feelings of calm, joy, peace, love, confidence, and creativity.

I invite you to explore any of these strategies to help raise your vibration, if it feels right for you!

Remember, we’re not meant to be in a high vibrational state all the time. Our energy naturally ebbs and flows throughout the day. It’s like the waves at the beach–rolling in and then receding back into the body of water.

And there’s a spectrum between the extremes, so we can find ourselves anywhere along the vibrational scale.

Even with all the tools and practices I use to raise my vibration, I have moments when I feel low, drained, unmotivated, anxious, uncertain, and just off. And that’s okay. I see these moments as opportunities to go inward, check in with myself, and become curious about what’s surfacing. I choose to sit with the feelings and emotions, and offer myself love and compassion–even if it’s something as simple as a self-hug.

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Today’s somatic yoga practice will guide you toward a sense of inner calm and balance, soothing your nervous system and helping you connect with a higher vibrational frequency.

I’d love for you to join me on the mat for this somatic yoga practice for nervous system regulation. You can join by either clicking on the image or the button below.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter!

I am so grateful for you and this amazing community!!

Wishing you a lovely day and week ahead.

With love,

~ Rachel