Rachelle Trayer Kinesiologist / Neuro-Trainer and Breathwork Facilitator

02/09/2021

Nostril breathing or pranayama is one of my favourite nervous system regulation tools. Through habit and repitition I find I regularly use this tool throughout the day without having to think too much about it.

I just completed 5 minutes of left nostril breathing to trigger my parasympathetic nervous system and to really calm myself down (rest and digest response).

Breathing through the left nostril stimulates the 'feminine' (flow, emotion and creativity) aspects of our body. It is also linked to the parasympathetic nervous system to calm your mind and body.

Right nostril breathing, on the other hand, stimulates the more 'masculine' functions of the left brain (action and doing). It is also linked to the sympathetic nervous system to energise your mind and body.

Give it a try. Cover the other nostril and breathe in and out through the open nostril, gently and slowly.

You can also do alternate nostril breathing to feel overall more balanced. Placing your index finger of your left hand on your forehead between your eyebrows for balance and blocking one nostril at a time with your thumb and middle finger. Breathe in and out through one and then cover it, breathing in and out through the other. Keep repeating and alternating for 3-5 minutes.

15/08/2021

When we make decisions from a place of fear and lack (or "shoulds") they often aren't aligned with our highest values, beliefs and needs . This creates stress and in turn stress hormones, such as cortisol. An example of this would be staying in an unhealthy relationship just because we fear being alone.

On the other hand if we move away from the "shoulds" and make decisions from a place of trust and abundance (from an embodied perspective), it allows us to ensure that they're aligned with our highest values and needs.

Not only will this lead to a more sustainable outcome, but also produces vastly different hormones in the body. So compassion and trust and abundance produces oxytocin (the love hormone) whilst fear and lack produces cortisol (the stress hormone).

So... next time you're making a decision,
I encourage you to pause and just check in as to the intention behind it.

13/08/2021

Hello everyone, I am collecting some responses to a survey for a program I am creating linked to health and wellbeing.

This survey has been created for women aged 30-60 years old. If you fall into this group and you can spare 2-3 minutes I would so appreciate your feedback. The answers will remain anonymous - feel free to pass it on to friends too:

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11/08/2021

In love with all of the incredible flowers in-bloom at the moment in Sydney. These Azaleas remind me of my childhood home where they grew. So soft and delicate but highlighted with such intricate beauty in their bright pink rouge highlights.

Azaleas symbolise abundance along with feminine beauty and developing passion.

Happy almost Spring to my fellow Southern Hemisphere friends 🌸

#🌸

08/08/2021

I've been in go-mode for the last couple of weeks and to be honest I almost felt like I was going to explode on Friday. I've been working so hard - trying to get through all the tasks, keep up with everyone around me and I really lost a bit of spark. I felt cranky and knew this wasn't where the joy was.

Yesterday I had some delicious conversations with which brought me back to me. I remembered that it is so important to stop, check in, to simplify, to stop trying to do everything all at once as what are we racing towards anyway?

Long story short - I woke up today feeling so inspired. I had a spring in my step. I walked for hours - not to get anywhere nor to use the time to listen to anything but just to be present - listening to the birds, the trees, the people walking past. Before long I noticed I had been walking for hours and that I had been humming and singing as I walked.

This is a message to remind you to slow down. To rest with intent, to laugh with intent, to play with intent. We do not need to race all the time and sometimes the most "productive" days are the ones where we wander, rest and play.

Sending so much love - make sure you make some time for play this week.

Lots of love 💕

06/08/2021

Read it once, read it again, and again 🙌

03/08/2021

The world needs more right now.... rather than , , , , and . I think Brene Brown sums this up best:

"May we find the courage to let go of who we think we’re supposed to be so that we can fully embrace our authentic selves – the imperfect, the creative, the vulnerable, the powerful, the broken, and the beautiful.

May we show ourselves and others the compassion that comes from knowing that we are all made of strength and struggle.

May we create a just and equitable world where privilege isn’t a prerequisite for self-expression and authenticity, where everyone feels invited and safe to express their power and their vulnerability.

And last, may we experience the strength of connection, the love of belonging, and the grace of pure joy.

Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection - 10th Anniversary Edition"

27/06/2021

Slowing down and reconnecting with your body (and hence your highest values, needs and intuition) regularly - allows you to stay in your own lane and leave behind the excess "noise" from all the "shoulds" we hear on a daily basis from TV, social media, radio, newspapers, friends, family etc.

This redirects our energy and keeps us grounded.

Here are my tips:

1. Your highest values should be your energetic gatekeepers... meaning that directing energy towards the things that are most important to us will help us thrive Eg. This month my highest values are health, knowledge and family. This is where I am directing my energy. Anything that isn't in this list I say no to or do less of.

2. Emotions are the breadcrumbs to unmet needs. If we tune into our emotions we can often trace them back to some unmet core needs.

3. Simplify. This one speaks for itself!

4. Slow down and regulate your nervous system daily eg. via meditation, breathwork, exercise, journalling, gratitude exercises etc

10/05/2021

3 important aspects and practices for a happy, healthy and regulated nervous system and hence lifestyle.

1. Self-regulation (embodiment practices, breathwork, exercise, meditation, yoga etc)⁣

2. Co-regulation (community, connection, social support)⁣

3. Eco-regulation (the calming impact of nature)⁣

Have you taken part in any or all of the above today? Which ones ?

25/04/2021

The very first step to embodiment is awareness. How am I feeling in this present moment ? (moving past mental identification and the “stories” attached to a feeling to tune into the body.)

Breaking it down into sensations and emotions eg. tight jaw, racing heart, heavy head. We approach it with compassion and care and noting that it can be uncomfortable to access the body - welcoming what is there without having to change it.

💥Why do we do this?💥

Often a feeling or emotion is triggered by a specific scenario but the truth is that the feeling or emotion is often tied to something from the past and is being stirred up again by a new trigger.

Our body holds all suppressed emotions, feelings, frozen tension/ trauma that we cannot liberate at the time they arise.

For example - it may be too much or too soon or perhaps it is too hard to process at the age it happened. So by witnessing an emotion or feeling as a sensation in the body WITHOUT having to link it to a story or analysis allows us to make a choice of how to liberate this feeling without getting stuck in the mental loop or alternatively having to reach to an external quick fixes to numb it eg. food or alcohol. It also means we are less triggered by external situations and that we do not need to wallow in this for days and are able to witness it as separate to us and our stories. It allows us to become proactive and masters of our bodies before it builds up - it is easier to stop a car rolling down the hill at 1km/hr than 100km/hr.

When I begin to work with clients I ask them to do regular check ins with their body and to use the formula of

1️⃣Awareness - what I am noticing in my body (feelings, sensations and emotion

2️⃣Acceptance - not needing to change them

3️⃣Intention - how can I liberate this feeling? What do I need? What action will I take?

23/04/2021

"The body remembers, the bones remember, the joints remember, even the little finger remembers. Memory is lodged in pictures and feelings in the cells themselves. Like a sponge filled with water, anywhere the flesh is pressed, wrung, even touched lightly, a memory may flow out in a stream."

📖Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

📷: From Pinterest (unknown source)

04/04/2021

When setting a new boundary, instead of focussing on the "no" or the potential repercussions, shift the energy to the "yes". What are you saying yes to by setting this boundary ?

Eg. Instead of focussing on the "no" to a night out of drinking; focus on the "yes" to making space for a night in of self care and a sunrise 10km hike with your partner. (Of course everyone's "yes" will be different and related to their current needs and highest values).

This means you can approach it from a place of love and compassion, rather than fear and resentment. This will produce different hormones in the body - oxytocin instead of cortisol. Try it ! Really feel the "yes" in your body X