Nourish & Flourish: Supporting wellness through network care
Would you like to have more energy, sleep better and wake up more energized? How about if you could feel more connected to your body? What if you could feel better than you’ve felt in years?
When I was in my mid-20s, I was in an elevator in a Lincoln National Bank building and an older gentleman entered with a younger businessman. The older gentleman was talking about how it feels at his age and said, “You get to a point where time and the world seems to move faster and faster.” The elevator stopped on his floor and stepping off, he turned back and said, “And then, all you can do is hold on.” The elevator doors closed and the silence that remained was palpable.
I’ve thought about that gentleman and his words on and off over the years and now that I’m close to my 20-something’s perceived notion of his age, I can see that his final comment was a bit flawed. You can do so much more than just hold on. In fact, you can get out there and experience life. Granted, you have to reassess where you are, how you’re relating to your body and if you haven’t already done so, reconnect with it. There are ways to feel great and honestly, I haven’t felt this good in years.
So now, let’s go back to those questions I initially asked. I responded, “Yes” to all of them, because how could you not, and then I did something about it.
After surgery in January, I felt better, but I was still experiencing back pain, so I wanted to take my wellness regime even further. I was referred to Network Care by a friend who felt it was an important, innovative program that integrates body, mind and spirit.
In Asheville, Network Care’s special healing services are provided at Nourish & Flourish by Dr. Brian T. Lumb and Dr. Chelsea Rae Verslues.
Introduced by Dr. Donny Epstein, Network Care is a revolutionary system that enables people to reconnect with their body through greater awareness of their own natural rhythms of breath, movement and energy.
I made an appointment and met with Dr. Lumb to discuss my concerns. In addition to an overview of the program and process, the initial consultation included some interesting diagnostic tools that read your muscle tension and stress levels of your neurological system. They also take photos to analyze your posture and alignment. Following the consultation, I quickly decided that Network Care might be effective for me.
The human body is absolutely amazing and I’m certain that most of us have experienced how effective the body is at healing itself. If you haven’t, all the more reason to be curious and read on. Dr. Lumb says, “Our bodies contain the most advanced technology on the planet. There is so much emphasis being placed on technology (computers, smartphones, etc.), and the capacity of our body to heal far exceeds any technology we are able to produce.”
Dr. Lumb has worked with thousands of people over the past two decades, dedicating himself to helping them be who they truly can be and helping them transform their trauma and stress into ease, vitality and fulfillment.
According to Dr. Lumb, “True wellness can only come from your connection to your body, rhythms, and your innate capacity to feel joyous and whole.”
Dr. Verslues knows that we innately have access to everything we need to express vitality and wholeness. She says that Network Care empowers her to help others heal in an authentic, powerful and life-changing way.
Over the past several months, I’ve been treated to this amazing process. It works on retraining your body through a series of light touches that signal your brain that it’s all right to release all the stress that’s been housed there over the course of a lifetime. You can imagine the amount of stress that’s built up over the years, so it is a process, and it’s important to pay attention to what you are experiencing and what your body is telling you throughout the course of care.
Network Care combines Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) and Somato Respiratory Integration (SRI). This is not your typical chiropractic care and is, most likely, unlike anything you’ve experienced.
Network Spinal Analysis is an approach to wellness and body awareness that uses gentle precise touch to your spine, which sends specific cues to your brain. As a result, two gentle, healing waves are created that form new patterns enabling profound changes to occur in your body.
Throughout the course of receiving Network Care, a person’s breath, movement and energy rhythms emerge, creating spinal refinements that spontaneously release spinal tensions and stress. Basically, the gentle touches in the neck and lower spine cues the nervous system to reorganize. These SRI rhythms are connected with internal states of consciousness and combined with NSA, improvements in all aspects of your health and wellbeing are realized.
There are points within the course of care where the same diagnostic readings and the postural photos taken on the initial visit are updated, and you can physically see the changes that have occurred. For me, it has meant that my posture has improved (actually rather dramatically), my pain has subsided, and my sleep patterns have ameliorated. I have an amazing amount of energy and feel better than I’ve felt in years.
Throughout one’s life, we experience a variety of events that impact us. Our perceptions of these experiences, and the trauma and loss associated with many of them, are held within us, settling in the spinal area as tension and stress. Information that’s related to language, story, rules and sense of identify is stored in this area. This negatively impacts our health, our posture and our energy levels, and can be the cause of pain, illness and disease.
Just imagine more than 50 years of accumulated trauma settling itself as stress in our muscles and the nerve endings around our spine, the stress tightening in the lower back causing an increasing amount of pain and discomfort. This impacts our energy levels as well as sleep and our ability to enjoy life.
Now, imagine throughout the course of your NSA care the changes that can be felt and seen as your posture improves and your energy and vitality increases. You become more attuned to your body as the stress is released and your mind becomes clearer as you experience more energy and joy.
Throughout my course of receiving NSA, I’ve experienced some rather interesting dreams, feelings of great sadness and happiness for no apparent reason, followed by calm and clarity. The process has been fascinating and Dr. Lumb has encouraged me to allow my emotions and let things go. The energy that you have when you feel great, sleep well and experience joy combines to bring positive things into your life.
If you have more awareness and you’re more connected, your body is in a better position to access its own healing capacity. This then, is where the magic happens.
In combination with Somato Respiratory Integration, NSA can have a profound affect on your health and wellbeing. SRI translates as the Integration of Body and Breath. It incorporates touch, breath, energy and movement to open pathways and access your body’s resources. SRI educates you to your body’s rhythms and inner wisdom.
According to Dr. Epstein, “Through reconnecting a person’s breath, touch, focused movement and attention, you are able to experience the body more fully and instantly shift your state of consciousness to one that supports trust for the body-mind and your life experience.” SRI provides a tool for focusing your attention in a way that works for your healing and empowerment.
We’ve all spent a good portion of our lives learning how not to pay attention to our bodies. Our culture actually is set up to distract us from our bodies. We have to change this and we have the ability to do so. Network Care is helping people’s bodies better connect and in so doing, remembering how to live and heal.
Just because we’re over 50 doesn’t mean that we should feel like we’re much older. The difference in how we feel is not tied to age, but how connected we’ve been and are and how we’ve treated our body over those 50+ years. And, it’s never too late!
When we feel well, we feel joy and we’re able to get out and experience life, not just continue to hold on. At this time in our lives, it’s important to engage, enjoy and experience what life has to offer. This really can be the “time of our life.”
I highly recommend that you check out Nourish & Flourish’s Introduction to Network Care talk and demonstration, which will provide you with more information. They conduct these every month and you can check their website [nourishflourishnow.com] for the exact time and date. This month’s Introduction will be held at Nourish & Flourish on August 16, at 7:00 p.m.
Other Nourish & Flourish Programs and Services
In addition to Network Care, Nourish & Flourish offers Nia, a wellness program that has fundamentally changed lives with its evolutionary approach to fitness and self-healing. This exercise program encourages creativity and self-expression through movement. Nia is the first cardio workout that incorporates a mixture of yoga, martial arts, healing arts and dance that engage your mind as well as your body. For more than 25 years, Nia has offered participants a fun way to cultivate fitness, health and wellbeing. It increases energy, strength, flexibility, mobility and agility and is a great fitness and wellness program regardless of age or physical condition.
The Nourish & Flourish Organic Juice and Tea Bar offers a respite from the outside world; a calm place to enjoy the health benefits of organic juices or brewed teas. It’s a place for people to connect and enjoy the healthy benefits of organic, locally sourced juices. A variety of organic teas are also available. Their tea is provided by Rishi Tea and Asheville’s Tima Tea, which supports Rwandan tea growers with its organic, ethically sourced teas.
Dr. Lumb has also created the Genius Generation program, which helps entrepreneurs, business owners and top performers access their Genius and live as aligned, authentic and energized leaders. Dr. Lumb believes that genius goes beyond mental intellect. While there are different kinds of intelligence, there is also a connection between intelligence and energy. Of this program, Dr. Lumb says, “There is this capacity to tap into energy and information that’s beyond our minds.” He feels that, “The more you understand the nature of you, the more power you have to impact and influence yourself and others.”
Nourish & Flourish understands that the body’s habitual range of movement and capacity for breath, play a significant role in the expression of illness or wellness in individuals. Through a combination of spinal care, wellness education and exercises, Drs. Lumb and Verslues partner with you to create short and long term outcomes that produce immediate healing and sustainable transformation.
Nourish & Flourish is located in Asheville’s River Arts district at 347 Depot Street.
For more information, check out their website at nourishflourishnow.com or call them at (828) 255-2770.