Thank you for joining the Fall cohort of NSM ~ we’re thrilled to have you on board for this inward adventure!
Right now we’re finalising the guest experts and timings ~ but expect to hear back from us on Sept 20th with specific instructions for how to prepare appropriately and join the NSM cohort.
🙋♂️ In the meantime…
Core NSM Sessions:
- Welcome Session – Monday Sept 25th, 10am PST
- Live Session #1 — Friday Sept 29th, 10am PST
- Live Session #2 — Friday Oct 6th, 10am PST
- Live Session #3 — Friday Oct 13th, 10am PST
- Live Session #4 — Friday Oct 20th, 10am PST
- Live Session #5 — Friday Oct 27th, 10am PST
Expert Q&A Deep Dives:
- Our Upcoming Guest Speakers for Cohort #4
- 👨🏫 Exploring Your Psychograph and the Bio-Emotive Framework with Doug Tataryn ~ Wednesday Oct 4th, 10am PST
- 🦸♂️ Self-Regulating in High-Stress Situations with BASE jumper & Executive Coach Brett Kistler ~ Wednesday Oct 11th, 10am PST
- ⭕ An Experiential Introduction to Circling with Sofia-Jeanne ~ Wednesday Oct 18th, 10am PST
- 🚀 Q&A with a Psychedelic Guide: Dr Michael Yang ~ Wednesday Oct 25th, 10am PST
🛒 NSM Recommended Purchases
There are a handful of products that will enhance your course experience and long-term mastery of the material. These have been carefully selected based on research as well as my own experiences.
There are multiple options to suit a variety of budgets.
Please note that none of these products are mandatory for completing this course or beginning mastery of the nervous system. You do not need to purchase anything at all to create regulation in your system.
However, these items should be viewed as things to experiment with (if you have the budget available) to see if they are supportive and/or interesting.
All items should be readily available across the US and Europe but might require creativity in other parts of the world.
1. 🫀 Track Heart Rate Variability
Why: An incredibly effective tool for HRV + sleep tracking (know why it is you feel the way you do). It's expensive but honestly in my opinion well worth the investment.
Jonny’s Recommendation:
- The most sophisticated and minimalist health tracker that I use daily. This tracks sleep quality, resting heart rate, HRV (valuable information), breathing rate, 02 saturation, and more.
Alternatives:
- Apple Watch // $199+
- Fitbit Sense // $329
- Whoop 3.0 // Varies + $30 Monthly Subscription
2. 😎 Get a Pair of Blue-Blocking Glasses
Why: For evening screen-viewing or artificially lit rooms. You'll want to find a pair with amber-tinted lenses, not clear ones, to reduce the maximum amount of blue light coming through.
Jonny’s Recommendation:
Alternatives
- Amazon ($-$$ - variety of styles)
- BlueBlocker ($$ - classic styles)* – use code "NSM15"
NB. assuming you’re at home post-sunset most of the time, changing to downward facing and dimmable lightbulbs ~ or even better candles, will have the same effect of allowing your adenosine (which creates the feeling of sleepiness) to naturally arise. Also, if you must use screens after sunset, definitely install f.lux or similar software.
3. 💊 Supplement Magnesium
Magnesium is one of the human body's primary electrolyte minerals involved in about 40% of all enzymes.
In 2012, there was a study that found that instead of the constantly regurgitated 325 processes, Magnesium is used in 3174 processes within the human body and has been lost from many natural sources that our ancestor had access to.
Optimal intake as portrayed by Mildred Seelig, Ph.D. and Carolyn Dean, MD is about 5-10mg ELEMENTAL Magnesium per pound of body weight (NB. this is likely a LOT more than you are currently taking).
If you are just starting Magnesium supplementation, you will want to start slow and low with about 400mg Mg glycinate orally or 1/4-1/2 tsp Mg chloride in drinking water and see how you respond (watch out for the classic ‘bowel flush’ in the beginning).
Jonny’s Recommendation:
Bottom-line is that due to a ton of different reasons, it’s hard for your body to get as much magnesium as it needs, so best to start supplementing.
If you live outside of the US or are on a budget, then a cheaper option would be to buy bulk magnesium glycinate powder in bulk and consume it throughout the day (although fair warning, it doesn’t taste great).
4. 🥶 Immerse Yourself in Cold Water
Why: harnessing the power of the cold (thermogenesis) is one of the most effective and natural ways to increase your stress resilience, release dopamine, increase immune function and bolster your mental health.
Jonny’s Recommendation:
DIY Option ~~ For a while I used a 550-litre chest freezer and converted myself, but it was challenging keeping it clean and needing to empty/refill the water every week or so.
NB. Ice-baths are generally safe although not recommended for those with either circulatory issues of type 1/2 diabetes. Also, if you stay in for a while be sure that you can warm up afterwards!
5. 📱 Try a Breathwork App
Whilst I eventually hope to create a Nervous System Mastery app and record my own protocols, in the meantime I really appreciate Othership.
You can choose between guided daily practices that will up or downshift your state, as well as breathwork journeys that focus on embodiment for cultivating intimacy, athletic performance, or preparing for sleep.
7. 🎵 Use Binaural Beats
Why: Binaural beats are an evidence-backed audio technology that promotes desired brainwave states. Many tracks combine a blend of delta + theta waves that can be used to prepare for sleep, calm, or focus during your day.
📚🎙️ Additional Reading + Listening
If you're eager to dive into material about the nervous system before the class begins, you'll find trusted resources below (click the arrow to expand each section).
🎙️ Seven Podcast Episodes to Whet Your Appetite
If you’re a Spotify user, you can also subscribe to this NSM-specific interview playlist for easy listening. The link is here.
📚 Six Superb Books to Add to Your Reading Shelf
These are not required reading but will definitely support your learning journey & are highly recommended.
1 // ‘Anchored’ by Deb Dana – one of the most accessible and well-written books on the science of Polyvagal Theory & how to apply it to your everyday life with field-tested techniques.
2 // 'The Breathing Cure' by Patrick McKeown — an in-depth collection of breathing protocols backed by 20+ years of field research. You’ll never mouth breathe again after reading this…
3 // 'Widen the Window' by Elizabeth Stanley – a superb introduction to the science of trauma, what it means to increase resilience & research-backed tools for increasing your capacity in life.
4 // ‘Nurturing Resilience’ by Kathy Kain – a superb read, although more of a book for clinical practitioners or those who are looking for a deep dive into the world of somatic therapy & working through developmental trauma.
5 // ‘The Practice of Embodying Emotions’ by Raja Selvam, PhD ~ this is a book containing a treasure trove of research + practices for building greater embodied capacity to be with intense emotions. Highly recommended for those wishing to dive deeper.
6 // ‘The Myth of Normal’ by Gabor Maté ~ Fresh off the press (I’m still making my way through the 500+ pages myself) is Gabor’s attempt to distill over 4 decades of his clinical experience, making the case that the common definition of 'normal' is false & painting a compelling picture of what a saner society might look like.
🤓 Five Experts to Follow On Instagram
Fill your Instagram feed with useful information so you can learn while you're scrolling ;)
1 // Andrew Huberman @hubermanlab // — truly superb podcast episodes and IG Lives — I'd recommend starting with 'Tools for managing stress and anxiety'
2 // HHP Foundation @HHPFoundation // – well-curated studies focusing on health + breath optimization. The archive of studies and reports is absolutely superb.
3 // Jessica Maguire @repairing_the_nervous_system // specialises in repairing the ventral vagus nerve and Polyvagal theory research.
4 // Nick Health @thebreathingdiabetic // – breathing practitioner sharing nuggets of research-backed wisdom on the nervous system
5 // Eddie Ulm @scienceofttouch // – embodiment researcher specialising in Posttraumatic Stress Management.