How to regulate your central nervous system in 2025

This is a topic that comes up daily for me. For years, I lived in the red zone, riding the wave of caffeine, cortisol, and adrenaline that over time became the normal resting state of my being. However, being perpetually in the flight or fight stage of your central nervous system takes an incredible toll on you. For one thing, your brain is using 20% more energy than it normally would, meaning you feel fatigued even after a full night’s sleep, or you just can’t find the ability to focus on the task at hand, or you require more caffeine, breaks, or naps to make it through your day. Additionally, you begin to experience adrenal fatigue which negatively affects everything from your sleep to your mental health to your metabolism, creativity, libido, and more.

What if you could change that? What would it look like to have a healthy balance in which you spent most of the day in a neutral state? How could you deliberately activate the parasympathetic nervous system to offset the time spent in the red zone? This is a topic that I talk about a lot on coaching calls, in grad school, and with people who attend my yoga classes and sound baths.

Today is January 21st, 2025. In just three weeks of the new year, the United States and earth as a collective have experienced wars, climate catastrophes such as the LA wildfires and the East Coast blizzards, the TikTok ban then reopening, the inauguration, which was met with fear and trepidation by many communities who are unsure what the future will hold for them, etc, etc, etc. With the way that information flows into our consciousness via mass media and social media and the internet, it can be almost impossible not to be affected by all of this at any given time.

So, what I strive to do is practice yoga daily. In that practice, there is a portion of time dedicated to meditation and breathwork. I journal, I take long walks, I limit my time absorbing media content (news, socials, emails, etc.). I read books. I keep a to-do list on a notepad and I celebrate the victory of knocking things off that list each day. I drink plenty of water. I limit my caffeine consumption after 12pm. I watch the sunset with my bare feet touching the earth. I eat healthy foods that are not processed. I spend quality time socializing with friends and loved ones. I cuddle with my dog. I surf.

And, perhaps the quickest and easiest tool that I employ is using a grounding/breathing technique - these practices don’t require any space and hardly any time at all. Here are some easy grounding and breathing tools:

Grounding: 

So before I start any breathing exercise, I like to do some grounding techniques. Often times I'll start either sitting or laying down, and I'll try to notice all of the sensations of where my body is making contact with the chair, and where my feet are touching the floor.

I like to visualize myself expanding roots out of my feet and my seat, almost as if I am a tree and I am expanding my roots all the way down through the levels of my home until the roots touch the earth.

I keep imagining those roots as they expand all the way until they connect to the core at the center of the earth.

Then I start my breathing exercise - and for the first few breaths I like to imagine that with each inhale, I am breathing in all of the nutrients, energy, and life that I need from the earth. And with each exhale, I am letting go of anything that doesn't serve me and pushing it all back down to the center of the earth. I repeat this several times until I feel complete.

Breathing Techniques: 

The next breathing technique is called box breathing - in that idea it's always good to start by exhaling the air from your lungs and your belly completely. Then you start by inhaling fully for 4 seconds... holding your breath for 4 seconds... exhaling slowly for 4 seconds... pausing at the bottom of your exhale for 4 seconds... and then repeating that same cycle several times. Sometimes I increase the length to 8 or 10 seconds for each phase, but go with whatever feels right.

Another technique is called taking an "internal selfie" - this one you start out breathing normally, and while doing that you take note of 4 things: Think about how your body feels (is there any pain or tingling sensation anywhere?) Next think about how your nervous system feels (are you on high alert and feeling stressed like fight or flight mode, or are you calm and relaxed?) Third, observe how your mind feels (are your thoughts moving quickly, are you feeling awake, or are you sleepy and thoughts passing slowly?) Last, observe how your heart feels (are you feeling like your heart is open and full of love, or is it closed off, etc?) That is the Internal Selfie in a nutshell. Then you can proceed to take 3 sets of 3 deep and full breaths - inhaling first through your belly, then filling up your chest, pausing at the top, and then letting it all out and pausing at the bottom of your exhale. After completing 3 sets like that, you can do another round of the internal selfie to re-evaluate where you are at and how your body, nerves, mind, and heart are feeling. I hope that this makes sense!

For a walk through of these examples and more, check out my “how to meditate video” here.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy and hope you find your way to regulate your nervous system this year and in each passing moment of this precious little vapor of life that is here for a brief moment and then gone. Catch you later!

Safe, but ashy and heartbroken

Sending Good Vibes From Venice Beach

2025 is off to a wild start to say the least… I was out surfing last tuesday and looked over at the hillside just beyond the Santa Monica Pier toward Temescal Canyon to see a massive smoke cloud with tiny little embers of flame that had just begun to pop up. Within hours, it was absolute wildfire madness around Los Angeles with many evacuations, closed businesses, and cancelled schools. Thankfully, Venice was spared, but we did get a fair amount of smoke and ash. I’ve been so amazed by the community response to help both the first responders and Angelinos who were affected by the fire’s path. Moss has been leading the way in Venice with gathering items to support, as well as collecting financial donations to help those in harm’s way. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone during this time, and I am manifesting lots of rain to quell the fire over the coming days.

Antioch University Art Project

So update on my end - I transferred schools to Antioch University - Los Angeles to pursue an MA in Clinical Psychology, Spiritual and Depth Psychology, which will allow me to practice therapy in California and pair it with the yoga, sound healing, and surf lessons. Antioch put out a challenge to all of us to create art for their expo this year - with the theme of antiracism and student success. I wanted to honor the first inhabitants of the Americas, and I wanted to make art on my boards while keeping them usable, so that they can propel you forward (towards success as a student) That said, my first project is underway. It’s a skateboard with an image of two people meditating, their chakras aligned and activated. They are sitting under a tree that resembles Antioch University’s tree, similar to the tree of life image with the roots spreading as far and wide as the tree branches above. It has a scene of the big dipper and other constellations in the sky above, and molten lava below. The two yogis in the middle are encapsulated by the Lakota phrase “mitákuye oyás’íņ,” which conveys the idea that we are all one big family, interconnected by a shared lineage as Earthlings, connected to the collective consciousness that permeates across the universe. Next, I plan to put a layer of epoxy resin on the board and throw the trucks and wheels back on it, then I’m moving onto painting my other skateboards and surfboards - more to follow!