Chapter 1: Alive While You’re Here
A Nervous System Awakening Begins
Welcome. You made it.
You could’ve stayed disconnected.
You could’ve scrolled past this.
You could’ve told yourself,
“I’m fine… it’s just stress… it’ll pass.”
But something inside you —
a deeper wisdom, a quiet voice,
said:
"No. I want to feel again. I want to live."
This is that moment.
The one where you return to your body.
To your breath.
To your life.
Why We Begin Here
Because most people aren’t living —
They’re surviving.
They move through life with clenched jaws, tight chests, distracted minds,
never realizing they’re stuck in a loop.
A nervous system loop.
Old programming from childhood.
Unprocessed pain.
Overstimulated culture.
Constant vigilance that says:
“Don’t feel too much. Don’t relax. Don’t trust.”
But you’re not most people anymore.
You’re here.
And this is your permission slip to wake up —
to come fully online in your body and soul.
What Does It Mean to Be Alive?
Being alive is not just a heartbeat.
It’s presence. Sensation. Breath. Awareness. Choice.
Being alive is knowing:
You are not your past
You are not your trauma
You are not your patterns
You are the chooser, the re-coder, the breath in motion
Alive While You’re Here means you don’t wait until things are perfect.
You breathe now.
You feel now.
You listen now.
You love now.
Because now is all you have.
And now is where you are powerful.
Why Your Nervous System Matters
The nervous system is your gateway to this life.
It controls:
Your breath
Your digestion
Your emotional responses
Your ability to connect, to move, to rest, to express
If it’s dysregulated, you feel trapped in patterns.
If it’s regulated, you feel free to choose.
This course is not about becoming someone new.
It’s about remembering the version of you
who’s been buried under the programming.
Practice: The First Return
Stand or sit. Close your eyes. Place a hand on your body.
Breathe in slowly —
Let it fill your chest, ribs, belly.
Say softly:
“I am here.”
“I am not broken.”
“I’m ready to feel alive.”
Feel what arises.
Don’t fix it. Just notice.
This is you — returning.
Reflection Prompt:
What has being “alive” meant to me so far?
When do I feel most present?
What would it mean to feel fully alive in my body — not just my mind?
Mantra of Chapter 1
“I choose to be alive while I’m here.”
