During the practice, she had a panic attack.
Her heart began to pound. Her breathing quickened. Her body said: RUN.
But she did not run.
Why does this happen?
Why do you have a panic attack during something that is supposed to be relaxing?
Your nervous system has been in survival mode for years. Action, distraction and keep going. And when you suddenly stop, really stop, it feels unsafe.
Your body thinks: ‘Wait, this isn’t right. Something has to happen, doesn’t it?’
So it activates the alarm. Heart rate goes up, breathing becomes shallow and panic sets in.
But here’s the beauty of it: that’s okay. That’s when the work begins.
So what did she do?
She stayed lying down and kept breathing. She listened to my voice and guidance. No forcing, no fighting. Just feeling and staying courageously present.
And slowly it subsided. Her heart rate slowed down. Her breathing became calmer.
At the end of the practice, she shared in the chat: “What a lovely meditation and voice! 
You helped me through a panic attack.”
Not necessarily a panic attack, but that feeling of: calm feels unsafe.
You lie down for a restorative practice and your head starts racing.
You try to meditate and your body starts to tingle, itch or move.
You take a day off and you feel guilty, restless, as if you should be doing something.
That’s your nervous system. It has learned that rest is not okay.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
That’s exactly what we’ll be working on over the next 7 weeks with Journeys Within.
Not forcing, not fixing, but teaching your nervous system that doing less and rest is safe.
That you are allowed to feel what is there. That tension can ease away. That your body is allowed to recover.
It starts next week November 5th. Seven weeks of live sessions on Insight Timer, one hour each, together, consciously breathing, moving, resting and feeling.
If you want to join us, sign up here.
And if you want to get a taste of how I guide people first, try this yoga nidra.
Who knows, maybe you’ll get through it too.
