Most people try to regulate their nervous system by thinking differently. But the nervous system doesn’t respond primarily to thoughts. It responds to sensations. Here’s what’s happening in the exercise I showed in this video. When you bring your attention to the palm of your hand, your fingertips, the temperature of the air, the bones in your hand… you activate a part of the brain called the insula. The insula is responsible for interoception. Interoception means your brain’s ability to feel what is happening inside your body. Your heartbeat. Your breath. Your skin temperature. Your muscles. When your attention moves into sensation like this, something powerful happens neurologically. You shift brain activity away from the threat centers of the brain like the amygdala and back toward the sensory cortex and prefrontal cortex. In simple terms: Your brain stops scanning for danger and starts mapping your body instead. And when the brain starts mapping the body, the nervous system begins to downshift. Heart rate stabilizes. Breathing deepens. Muscles soften. Your system moves closer to parasympathetic regulation. This is why somatic practices work so well. They don’t fight the nervous system. They redirect attention into the body, which naturally brings the system back toward safety. And your hand is the perfect place to start. Your hands have one of the largest representations in the sensory cortex of the brain. That means focusing on the sensations in your hand sends a very strong signal to your nervous system. Your brain suddenly has something real and physical to organize around. So when you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or scattered, try this: Raise your hand. Feel the temperature of the air. Feel your fingertips. Feel the back of your hand. Feel your fingernails. Feel the bones inside your hand. Notice how your nervous system shifts. This is a tiny practice with huge regulatory power. Follow me and comment UpSpiral and I’ll send you more information about my unique manifestation program where we teach you how to regulate your nervous system, master your energy, and UpSpiral your life. #nervoussystem #manifestation #somatichealing #brainhack #selfregulation - @upspiral.life