Marie’s Story – The Day Everything Changed.
When the Body Finally Speaks Up
For so many of us, “I’m fine” has become a reflex.
We say it while we keep showing up
We say it while we keep giving
We say it while our bodies quietly hold the weight of everything we haven’t had time – or permission – to process.
Since 2020, so many of us — teachers, caregivers, parents, helpers—have been stretched way beyond what our nervous systems were designed to carry.
Marie Martin is one such person.
A first-grade teacher and lifelong theater lover, Marie has been part of Mojo since 2016, dropping in whenever school was out and her schedule allowed.
But over the past few weeks, something shifted.
Marie has become one of our most consistent, determined, and energizing presences — almost as if she were dancing for her life.
When I asked her what changed. She told me she was taking a sabbatical to get herself back. To help others learn from her experience, she was kind enough to share the (scary) reason why…
It starts when Marie found herself lying on the floor of her school building, practicing box breathing while waiting for an ambulance.
Her body had reached its limit.
Marie was experiencing emotional overload from years of chronic stress, nurturing, giving, and caring until her system couldn’t buffer it anymore.
Marie’s body had been signaling to her for years. That day…it finally spoke up while she lay on the floor.
“You can’t ignore your body right now.
You are unable to perform your job at the moment,
and you need to take care of yourself—
because you are worth it, and if you don’t do it, no one else will.”
Our vagus nerve has many voices, and it speaks to each of us differently.
Many of you know that I had a scary vagas syncope episode a few years ago, when I fainted in a restaurant and was sent to the hospital over night for tests. My issue was related to gut sensitivities and dehydration. Since then, I have changed my diet, avoiding foods that my body has been hinting at for years.
Two different triggers.
Two different lives.
One shared messenger: the vagus nerve saying, “Slow down. Listen. I’m trying to protect you.”
Meet Your Silent Bodyguard: The Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve is the main communication highway between the brain and the body.
It runs from the brainstem through the throat, heart, lungs, diaphragm, and deep into the gut — constantly helping regulate things like:
- heart rate
- breathing
- digestion
- inflammation
- emotional recovery after stress
Think of it as the body’s built-in stress regulator.
When vagal tone is strong, we recover from stress more easily.
When vagal tone is depleted, we stay stuck in fight-or-flight or feel chronically exhausted.
This is why the vagus nerve shows up in so many different ways — fainting, anxiety, gut issues, migraines, emotional shutdown, or burnout.
It doesn’t judge the source of stress.
It responds to the total load.
Marie’s Aha Moment: “I Teach Regulation, But Never Give It to Myself.”
One of the most powerful insights Marie shared was this:
“I help my students regulate —
I give them breaks, tools,
breath work, sensory resets.
But I never gave myself the same care.”
So familiar!
We recognize dysregulation (difficulty regulating stress responses) to what’s happening in everyone else…except ourselves.
How Movement (and Mojo) Helps Rebuild Vagal Tone
Marie’s sabbatical has become a chance for Marie to rebuild her nervous system — gently, consistently and intentionally.
- Movement regulates us.
- Music regulates us.
- Rhythm regulates us.
- Community regulates us.
Vagal Movements Embedded in Mojo
- Shaking / bouncing → resets stored tension
- Voice / whoops / singing along → vibrates the vagus nerve
- Breath → long exhales downshift the system
- Spinal twists & stretching → release the diaphragm
- Community regulation → co-regulating in a safe, supportive group
Every class becomes more than a workout.
It becomes a full-body + nervous system reset.
Whether that message shows up as fainting, anxiety, tightness, gut issues, migraines, emotional exhaustion, irritability, or burnout — it’s all communication.
You are not fragile.
You are adaptive.
You are resilient.
Your nervous system isn’t asking for judgment.
It’s asking for support.
What Strengthening the Vagus Nerve Actually Looks Like
A reset can start anytime. Small, consistent habits matter.
Marie’s anchors include:
- Mojo (3x/week)
- Outdoor time
- Dancing
- Talk + art therapy
- Posture and migraine PT
- Gratitude journaling
- Doing less
- Giving herself grace
Life gets loud.
The body quietly tries to get our attention
And when we don’t listen, the body speaks louder.
The good news – We can rebuild and retrain our nervous system.
The simplest first step is:
Turn the music on.
Move your body.
Give your nervous system a reset.
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