Daily movement is so wonderful for so many reasons! Yet, most mainstream exercise advice can actually be harmful for a highly sensitive system… What to do? No worries! I’ve got you.

Join me to learn 3 guidelines for exercising for sensitive folks from an Integrative Health & Ayurvedic perspective to ensure your movement is supportive and nourishing, rather than overstimulating and depleting.

Hello! Welcome to Wednesday Wisdom with Devon, I am your host, Devon, and I am so excited to share some time and space with you today to discuss exercise and movement that’s in alignment with the sensitive system’s needs so that it is supporting us, rather than contributing to more stress and exhaustion and other problems.

For those that don’t know me or need a little refresher, I am Devon and I am an Integrative Health Expert, an Ayurvedic Health Advisor, a Holistic Life Coach and founder of the InnerSpark Method where I teach you to understand, support, and embrace your high sensitivity so it may be a gift that guides you through life, rather than the source of shame, frustration, overwhelm, and something that’s “wrong” with you so you can experience greater confidence, better health, and more joy!

OK, so most mainstream exercise advice is pretty harmful – especially to a sensitive system. The whole “more is better” “no pain, no gain” and following a rigid, high performing routine all the time is neither sustainable nor beneficial.

However, daily movement IS crucial!

When it comes to transforming high sensitivity from the source of shame, frustration, and something that’s “wrong” with you into a gift, it’s absolutely vital to create a set of strategic, sustainable non-negotiable daily habits.

In my program, The InnerSpark Method, I teach my clients to develop a set of FIVE KEY DAILY HABITS to build their resilience and align with Nature’s rhythms. One of those habits is daily movement. Let’s dive into what this means, why it’s important, and how to go about it!

Daily movement is one of those five key habits for so many reasons!

It helps sensitive folks BE in their bodies, rather than their heads, it moves energy and emotions, reduces stress and feelings of anxiety, helps with sleep, and so much more!

However, you’ll only receive those benefits if your daily movement practice is one that is supportive for a sensitive system.

From an Integrative Health & Ayurvedic perspective on movement:

        – You would move to half your capacity and then stop.

        – You would exert just enough effort so that you could breathe through your nose the entire time – no panting and breath completely out of control.

        – You’d exert just enough effort to get the sweat just coming in down the back and forehead and then stop.

Some specific examples of movement that are super ideal for highly sensitive women are mindful, slow, long-held yoga sequences, tai chi, walking in nature, swimming, and dancing.

When we follow the guidelines I mentioned, we’re allowing ourselves to receive the benefits of movement, rather than having it be another way to zap our energy and lead to more overstimulation and exhaustion.

When we go over the threshold, we’re actually stressing ourselves out more and contributing to feeling even more sensitive and overly emotional, anxious, and exhausted – all the symptoms of mismanaged and misunderstood sensitivity.

On the other hand, when we follow those guidelines, we’re letting our movement practice serve us, regulate our nervous systems, and reduce stress, which all support our high sensitivity.

Rather than being rigid with your routines, it’s natural and beneficial to allow things to intuitively change with the seasons – the seasons of the Earth, the seasons of life, the seasons of your menstrual cycle – but the key is some kind of daily movement that feels really wonderful!

When we allow our movement to be a celebration of our bodies and its abilities on that day and when we enjoy what we’re doing, the positive benefits increase even more!

A daily movement practice is a way of building self-trust, confidence, resilience, and vitality. It’s you creating a deeper relationship with your body and your whole system to come to understand, support, and embrace the gifts of your high sensitivity.

The best part? It really doesn’t take much. Even with a busy schedule, there’s always an opportunity to move some energy during the day!

Dance to a song

Get up and stretch it out periodically

Do some yoga in the morning
Go for a walk after lunch

Have walking calls or meetings

Turn chores into fun by dancing along

Use evening TV time to add in some movement

Take advantage of the LOADS of free resources at our fingertips these days to find something you enjoy, and really remember – it gets to be fun, simple, and it really doesn’t take much time or effort at all!

By adopting this daily habit, your sensitivity will thank you and will supported in functioning as the superpower it truly is for you! 

I’d love to hear from you! Do you move every day? What are your favorite ways to move your body? Please share with me!

Thank you so, so much for tuning in with me today! If you’d like support in transforming your high sensitivity from the source of shame, frustration, and something that’s “wrong” with you into the superpower that it is, I invite you to join my program, The InnerSpark Method.