Charlotte Grysolle, Author at Body-Based Performance with Charlotte Grysolle

12 Sep 3 ways to use your eyes to shift your nervous system state

Posted at 12:42h in Real-Time Regulation by Charlotte Grysolle

Our visual system is perhaps the strongest lever by which we can shift our state of mind and body. (Andrew Huberman) Soften your gaze for a moment. Without moving your head, guide your eyes in a slow, deliberate circle – as if you're tracing the edge of a clock on the wall. Feel the smoothness of this movement, the subtle stretch as your eyes reach each corner. Let your eyes slowly close halfway, then three-quarters, then open them wide like you've just seen something surprising. You can direct them up toward your eyebrows, down toward your cheeks, or dart them quickly from side to side. Play with these micro-movements. Now focus on one single word on the screen. One single letter. And now expand your visual field, taking in as much of the space around you as possible without moving your head. Notice how you can easily switch between these modes. This conscious play with your eyes is more than just an exercise—it's a rediscovery of a powerful tool you've always had but perhaps never fully explored. These delicate organs that move automatically throughout your day are completely under your conscious control. Each movement sends ripples of information through your nervous system, influencing your entire state of being. How come the eyes...

12 Sep Box Breathing: how to adjust the technique to your unique nervous system

Posted at 12:34h in Real-Time Regulation by Charlotte Grysolle

Box breathing is one of the most popular breathing techniques, because it’s famously used in Navy Seals training to get their nervous system under control, and stay focused and precise during critical operations. It’s a simple technique: It involves taking an inhale, holding your breath at the top, exhaling, and holding your breath again at the bottom. But, there’s one big caveat. Well, there are a few but I’ll start with this one: There is a wrong and a right way to do it. The wrong way is to blindly follow the instructions online. Most guides tell you to do inhale for 4 - hold for 4- exhale for 4 - hold for 4, or 5-5-5-5. The problem is: the duration heavily depends on your individual nervous system. People who are highly stressed or anxious, or who are completely new to breathwork and have dysfunctional breathing patterns (without being aware of this), will really struggle with those durations and push themselves too hard too quickly. It’s like going into the gym for the first time and picking the heaviest weight. The right way to do it… is to first measure your CO2 discard rate, and use that to determine the duration for your box breathing. Here are the instructions...

12 Sep Cortisol: the hormone of rhythms & resilience

Posted at 12:19h in Real-Time Regulation by Charlotte Grysolle

Out of all the chemicals and hormones, learning about cortisol has probably changed me the most. It helped me realize something I have never been taught: I’m made of rhythms. And so are you. We cycle through energy highs and lows roughly every 90 minutes. Our breath moves in waves. Body temperature rises and falls. Even immune and repair functions follow daily patterns, peaking while we sleep. Cortisol plays a central role in all of this. It shapes your sleep-wake cycle, your focus, your motivation, your recovery. It helps you rise to meet challenges, and rest when the challenge is over. What’s made the biggest difference for me is learning to work with those rhythms instead of trying to override them. When I feel a dip in energy, I don’t force or push anymore. I run. I nap. I breathe. Then I return clearer, sharper, and more motivated. I now finally understand and appreciate that this isn’t indulgent, selfish or weak. It’s not about “self-care.” It’s about working with your body. And the irony is: you end up getting much more done, and you have more fun doing it 🙂 Cortisol: the rhythm & resilience hormone Here's something I really dislike about social media: oversimplification. Labeling cortisol as purely a "stress hormone" and implying...

12 Sep Get unstuck: Kidlin’s Law + no phone, no brain drain + slow breathing = movement

Posted at 10:21h in Sustainable Performance & Habit Integration by Charlotte Grysolle

You read the books, you listen to the podcasts, you gather advice, to-do lists, strategies, frameworks. And yet, you stay stuck. Why? Not because you’re missing something out there. But because you lack access to what’s already in here—the tools and resources hardwired into you. So if you’ve been circling a specific problem or decision, try the below formula for one week. I guarantee you’ll make progress. If not, get your money back. Every morning or evening, right after or right before going to bed, block 15-20 minutes and do this: Step 1 — Kidlin’s Law: write it out Write out in detail what the problem is. What do you know? What assumptions are you making? You’re not necessarily solving it right away. You’re simply describing it in as much detail as possible. Bringing some order to the chaos in your head. Very important: pen and paper only. Then every day, add any new thoughts, ideas, and insights. No editing. No judging. Just write down exactly what comes up. Step 1b - Keep your phone far away from you A study testing the “brain drain” hypothesis showed that “the mere presence of your smartphone occupies limited-capacity cognitive resources, thereby leaving fewer resources available for other tasks.” In simple terms: when you try...

03 Sep The brain-breath loop: change your breath, change your brain.

Posted at 17:49h in Functional Breathing Foundations by Charlotte Grysolle

It’s funny how often people are skeptical about breathwork. Then as soon as I tell them a few facts about how breathing actually works, their whole attitude changes. They’re surprised. Intrigued. Because even though we breathe all day, every day, most of us know shockingly little about it. Here’s one of my favorite “well… did you know…” When we think of breathing, we typically think of the lungs. And while the lungs are a critical organ, they’re just the site where the gas exchange happens. Oxygen in, carbon dioxide out. But… they’re not what drives your breath. The real engine of your breath is in your brain. Deep in the brainstem, there’s a tiny cluster of neurons called the preBötzinger complex. It’s this group of neurons that generates the rhythm of your breath automatically, moment by moment. Here’s why this is so cool: The brain-breath loop is bi-directional. Your brain influences your breath. Your breath influences your brain. Meaning: Change your breathing pattern, and you change your brain activity. One of the most powerful ways to do that? Slow, nasal breathing. A few things happen when you breathe slowly, in and out through the nose: For one, you’re dialling up your prefrontal cortex. That’s the part of your brain that helps you focus, regulate emotions, and...

12 Sep 3 ways to use your eyes to shift your nervous system state

12 Sep Box Breathing: how to adjust the technique to your unique nervous system

12 Sep Cortisol: the hormone of rhythms & resilience

12 Sep Get unstuck: Kidlin’s Law + no phone, no brain drain + slow breathing = movement

03 Sep The brain-breath loop: change your breath, change your brain.

Breathwork is like learning a new language; it changes how you experience yourself and the world.