Today I want to talk about conditioning, something I think about a lot.
Conditioning is part of how we learn. Not just through teaching or instruction, but through repetition, proximity, and relationship. We are shaped, physically, emotionally, and behaviorally, by those closest to us: our parents or guardians, our siblings, our friends. Not just in what they say, but in how they move, respond, and organize themselves under stress.
Take Pavlov’s dogs. A bell, at first meaningless, was paired with food. Over time, the bell alone triggered salivation. The nervous system learned to associate. To expect and respond. And while that experiment happened in a lab, the same principle plays out in everyday life. The nervous system is always adapting.
We’re conditioned in the way we speak, the way we move, the way we brace or soften under pressure. These patterns start early. They’re not inherently bad. Many are brilliant adaptations that helped us feel safe or connected. But they’re often unconscious.
As a parent, I think about this often.
Not just what I’m teaching my daughter, but what I’m modeling.
She picks up on more than my words. She reads my gestures, my tone, my nervous system. It’s not just what I say, it’s how I show up.
And I’ll share something personal:
I don’t always handle illness well. I’ve been called a hypochondriac by people close to me. During the pandemic, I sanitized everything. I asked repeatedly if things were clean. I likely overemphasized the idea of “dirty.”
Now, my sweet girl carries some of those same fears.
Not because I told her to.
But because I showed her.
And here’s the truth: I don’t always get it right.
I don’t always live in alignment with what I know.
There are patterns I carry, physical, emotional, and vocal, that I’m still unraveling. Some I can name. Others live deeper in the system.
But that’s part of the work.
It’s not about perfection... it’s about presence.
It’s about the ongoing willingness to pause, reflect, and ask:
- What did I learn without realizing it?
- What am I unconsciously passing on?
- What’s worth keeping, and what’s ready to shift?
This shows up in our parenting, in our performing, in how we teach, move, and voice.
And in my work, whether I’m supporting a singer through vocal tension, guiding a client through a movement sequence, or working hands, on, I try to remember:
The nervous system is always learning... always adapting... always listening.
The beauty is: we can learn again. We can re-pattern. We can bring light to what was once automatic and make new choices.
That, to me, is the heart of this work. It's not just about unlocking the voice or reorganizing breath, but creating space for new patterns to emerge.
Patterns rooted in awareness, safety, and care.
With care and curiosity,
Christine
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