Kristi presents the polyvagal ladder — parasympathetic (safe, connected), sympathetic (fight, flight, fawn), and dorsal (freeze, withdrawal) — and explains why it matters for understanding what happens to you in a Dance Alive class. She traces how core safety patterns form in early childhood and how they run unconsciously through your daily behavior. Crucially, she names something that trips many people up: if you feel worse or more reactive when you begin movement practice, that is a sign of healing, not failure. You are opening to what has always been present. The goal is to learn how to move yourself up the ladder, creating safety in your body — especially in the presence of other people.
