The Nourished Nervous System

Kristen Timchak

An exploration of stress, the nervous system, and resilience through the lenses of Ayurveda, Somatic Practice, Herbs, Neural Plasticity and much more!

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#174
Thursday · 50 min
Slow Medicine as Homecoming: Earth Medicine, Inner Authority & the Seasons of Healing with Beana Bern
Send us Fan Mail Today's guest is Beana, founder of Rootstock — a land-based healing center on 2,000 feet of north-facing hillside in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, 20 miles from the Canadian border. For eight years, Beana has been building what she describes as a canvas, a sandbox, and a laboratory for learning how to be a person on planet Earth — gathering people around fire, around food, around authenticity and truth-telling, and guiding nearly a thousand people through psilocybin mushroom work in a deeply seasonal, place-based, and earth-centered practice. This conversation is one of my favorites. Beana is wise, funny, deeply honest, and completely alive. I am already planning to have her back. What we cover: Beana's origin story — the aching hole beneath material success, the colossal failures, the humility that came with them, and the moment she moved onto the land at Rootstock and finally learned to listen Perimenopause as a doorway — a beautiful exchange about how this transition invites women to stop running the treadmill and actually become a person, an animal being, rather than a human doing Slow medicine as homecoming — what this phrase actually means: moving at the speed of nature, even with the chaos; the seasons as metronome and guiding truth; and how tiny homeopathic drops of stillness and slowness create a rewiring — like turning a radio dial out of static and into a melody The industrialization of the psychedelic space — Beana's honest and unflinching perspective on venture capital, pharmaceutical agenda, and power-over paradigms in the booming psychedelic industry, and the fire she is actively keeping burning at Rootstock: internal authority The mushrooms as teachers — not a substance but an earth medicine, an alchemical relationship; what the mushrooms are here to restore in us; and why a heroic dose of anything cannot instill the remembering that sitting on a porch swing in a rainstorm might Microdosing vs. macrodosing — the full spectrum explained; how Beana structures a three-month seasonal microdosing practice (equinox to solstice, with a beginning, middle, and end); and how the practice becomes a mirror for seeing yourself clearly The paradox of suffering — why any practitioner selling a solution that doesn't require you to learn how to metabolize pain is not being all the way honest; and how the work is about learning to suffer beautifully, not eliminating suffering Community as the active ingredient — why accountability and being witnessed may matter more than the medicine itself; and how Beana's own practice of staying visible keeps her honest in her work The resonance between Rootstock's ethos and Ayurveda — being situated in the self as the definition of health; the elemental and seasonal medicine that both traditions share; and why in the end, you are your own greatest teacher Beana's programs: Self-guided microdosing course — start today, work at your own pace Guided immersions — three-month containers, small groups of 8–12, four times a year with weekly Zooms and group accountability Website: rootstockretreat.com Important note: This episode discusses psilocybin and plant medicine in an educational context. Laws around psilocybin vary by location — please research the legal status in your area. This conversation is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#173
October 15 · 34 min
The Drying Tide: Rasa Dhatu, the Interstitium & What's Really Happening to Your Skin & Joints in Perimenopause
Send us Fan Mail I'm recording this on a rainy fall day in Maine, watching the leaves turn, and finally getting into something I've been sitting with for a while — the deep connection between rasa dhatu, the interstitium, and what is actually happening to our skin and joints in perimenopause. This is one of my favorite topics right now, and I hope you can feel that. I'm also sharing some personal news: after much thought, I'm taking a sabbatical from the podcast. Two more interviews and one final episode are coming — and then a period of rest, restructuring, and creating. I'll get into all the whys in that final episode. In the meantime: join my email list to stay connected, and watch for Somatic Stretch & Shake classes on YouTube and an upcoming live online class. What I cover: Rasa dhatu — the first of seven Ayurvedic tissue layers, corresponding to plasma, lymph, and interstitial fluid; the living juice of what we've taken in; the foundation that every downstream tissue depends on. The interstitium — the recently mapped (2018) network of fluid-filled spaces running through the fascial connective tissue of the entire body, discovered accidentally when tiny cameras revealed what had always looked like dry cracks in tissue were actually fluid-filled channels. Now understood as a distinct circulatory system driven by heartbeat, breath, and movement — and potentially corresponding to the Ayurvedic rasavaha srotas and the Chinese medicine meridian system. Hyaluronic acid and the thixotropic property — the body's built-in hydration and lubrication system, which becomes more fluid when moved and more viscous and gel-like when still. Why sitting too long creates that creaky, stiff feeling when you stand — and why movement, vibration, and massage literally return thickened hyaluronic acid to its flowing state. Estrogen, rasa dhatu, and the double depletion of perimenopause — estrogen stimulates hyaluronic acid production and collagen synthesis; as it declines, the skin's ability to hold moisture decreases and the synovial fluid in joints is disrupted. Ayurveda describes this same process as rasa dhatu depletion combined with rising Vata (drying) and the early Pitta surge (burning through rasa). Modern science and ancient wisdom describing the same thing. What I recommend — practical and layered support for rasa dhatu, the interstitium, and perimenopause dryness - listen to learn more! Resources mentioned: My Somatic Stretch & Shake classes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcNncVGWE4l4 The Ayurvedic & Somatic Toolkit for the Perimenopause Portal: mynourishednervoussystem.com/tool-kit Join my email list to stay connected during the sabbatical: https://the-nourished-nervous-system.kit.com/fe80600c2b Research I mention: 2024 paper comparing rasa dhatu with modern understanding of nutrient plasma, lymph, and extracellular fluid-https://zenodo.org/records/18149218 2025 paper in Ayush Dhara connecting modern physiological networks with Ayurvedic srotas descriptions- https://ayushdhara.in/index.php/ayushdhara/article/view/2333 Dr. Robert Schleip — fascia researcher on the dynamic, movement-dependent hydration of fascial tissue Radiolab episode on the discovery of the interstitium (highly recommended listening) - https://radiolab.org/podcast/interstitium Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#172
October 8 · 39 min
Fear Is the Root of Everything: Pathological Neural Networks & Psychosomatic Healing with Andrei Efremov
Send us Fan Mail Today's guest is Andrei Efremov — psychosomatics researcher, author, and founder of the Efremov Method. Originally trained in medicine, psychiatry, and psychotherapy, he now focuses on the neuroscience of fear and the body. His peer-reviewed work proposes that fear-based pathological neural networks can turn stress and emotion into chronic physical symptoms — and that fear may be the foundation of all emotional states. He is the author of Unwiring Pain and Primal Fear: Somatic Echoes. This is a genuinely unusual conversation — Andrei's framework is distinctive and doesn't map neatly onto other approaches you may have encountered. I found it fascinating and wanted to share it with you. What we cover: Andrei's path from medical school and psychiatry training in Russia to developing his own method — and why none of his formal training prepared him to actually help people heal The concept of pathological neural networks — neural networks created during psychotrauma that generate symptoms in both the mind and the body, drawing their energy from the fear-based emotions stored within them Fear as the root of all emotional states — including positive ones; and why Andrei believes working with different emotions separately (grief, guilt, depression) misses the underlying driver Why you can't talk or command yourself out of real hypnosis — and what his approach does instead to eliminate fear-based neural networks rather than simply managing them The psychosomatic component of disease — why lab results, ultrasounds, and MRIs can show objective findings that are nonetheless driven by psychological neural networks, and what happens when we treat only the physical symptom The connectome — ultra-thin neural fibers connecting the brain to every organ and cell in the body, influencing whether cellular function increases or decreases, and why chronic medication can sometimes work against this system What complete healing actually looks like — Andrei's observation that when a pathological neural network is fully eliminated, people sometimes have no memory of the symptoms at all, as though they never existed Fear and inflammation — the vicious loop between stored fear and systemic inflammation, and why this matters for autoimmune conditions Andrei's books: Unwiring Pain Primal Fear: Somatic Echoes Connect with Andrei: Website Multiple Micro Hypnosis E - Book Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#171
October 1 · 40 min
Brain Retraining for Menopause: Nervous System, Neuroplasticity & the ReNew Program with Natalie Riven
Send us Fan Mail Today's guest is Natalie Rivans — co-CEO of ReOrigin, certified menopause coach, somatic practitioner, and mindfulness teacher. Natalie shares her story with us: years as a Metropolitan Police officer in London, living with undiagnosed ADHD, overriding her body's signals in a high-pressure environment, and eventually experiencing a complete physical collapse with chronic pain, digestive issues, and debilitating symptoms that no specialist could explain. Her turning point came sitting in a car overlooking the sea, listening to a podcast about neuroplasticity. That moment led her to ReOrigin — and eventually to becoming its co-CEO and co-creating ReNew, a menopause program that has produced remarkable pilot results. What I love most about Natalie is that she brings both the lived experience and the science. And she is deeply, genuinely compassionate about what women are moving through. What we cover: Natalie's story — from Metropolitan Police officer to chronic illness to complete collapse, the thousands of pounds spent on specialists, the spreadsheet tracking symptoms, and the moment sitting by the sea that changed everything What brain retraining actually is — a structured way of working with neuroplasticity to recognize and interrupt automatic patterns that keep the brain and nervous system in a heightened, protective state; it is not toxic positivity or positive thinking, it is deliberate, repetitive, embodied change Neuroplasticity explained accessibly — the brain's natural ability to adapt and change through experience and repetition; like learning to drive, new neural pathways are built gradually through practice The nervous system as common thread — why so many chronic conditions (fatigue, pain, anxiety, digestive issues) share nervous system dysregulation as a component, and why the brain-gut connection is central to all of it The window of tolerance — how prolonged stress and trauma narrow our capacity, making small demands feel enormous, and how pacing, titration, and pendulation at ReOrigin help gradually widen that window Menopause and the brain — how estrogen and progesterone interact with receptors throughout the brain, not just the reproductive system; why the limbic system becomes more reactive during the transition; and what is actually happening physiologically during a hot flash Limbic loops — the repeated cycles in which a sensation or thought triggers an automatic emotional response (the sleep example is particularly recognizable), and how ReNew helps women identify these without self-blame The ReNew program — education, neuroplasticity, somatic practices, sleep support, mindset and self-compassion, movement, community, and body kindness; built from thousands of peer-reviewed studies The pilot results — by day 90: 77% of participants described overall wellbeing as good (vs 13% at baseline); 80% improvement in sleep; depression lowered by 80%; anxiety lowered by 83% Perimenopause as threshold — a beautiful closing exchange about how this transition is not an ending but a doorway into a more authentic version of ourselves, and why being in the body matters so much right now Connect with Natalie & ReOrigin: ReOrigin ReNew menopause program Instagram Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#170
September 24 · 1 hr 1 min
The Stories We Live Inside: Nervous System, Human Design & The Unexpected Story with Shannon Presson
Send us Fan Mail Today I'm joined by Shannon Presson — author of The Unexpected Story, which includes a healing fable called "Lumina's Journey" and a reader guide called the Dragonfly Path. Shannon spent 20 years as a corporate event planner before a disruptive menopause transition cracked her open and led her into coaching and writing. Her work sits at the intersection of story, nervous system, and what it means to find your way back to yourself. This conversation went so many places I didn't expect — and I loved every one of them. What we cover: Shannon's origin story — two decades in corporate event planning, a disruptive menopause transition, and how following what she couldn't explain led her to write The Unexpected Story Brain vs. body wisdom — how the brain deletes, distorts, and generalizes reality, and why the heart and gut offer a more grounded, truthful signal How survival-mode storytelling keeps us contracted — the stories we tell ourselves that once protected us and now keep us small, stuck, and separate from what's actually possible Fables as healing tools — why indirect story (like the fable "Lumina's Journey") can reach places that direct teaching cannot Empaths and borrowed emotions — how highly sensitive people absorb others' emotional states and how to begin distinguishing what is yours from what you've taken on Human design — defined vs. open centers, energy types (projectors vs. generators), and what this framework reveals about nervous system needs and how we're designed to give and receive energy Reframing stuckness as winter — why the composting, fallow, apparently unproductive season is not a failure but a necessary part of becoming Ancestral and cultural narratives — the stories that aren't even ours but live in our bodies and shape our sense of belonging Perimenopause as threshold — including the astrological context of Chiron and Saturn returns, and why this time of life is a doorway into deeper sovereignty rather than a decline Shannon's noticing practice: Identify a repeated story you tell — about yourself, your life, a relationship — and ask: What do I get from telling this story? Not as self-criticism, but as genuine curiosity. The answer is often illuminating. Shannon's book & work: The Unexpected Story (includes "Lumina's Journey" fable + Dragonfly Path reader guide): [insert link] Website: theunexpectedstory.com Free gift: [insert link from end of episode] Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#169
September 17 · 26 min
The Harvest Season: Finding the Fullness of Perimenopause
Send us Fan Mail This one came straight from the heart — no notes, no plan, just something I had been wanting to say for a couple of weeks. I'm coming off a deeply nourishing retreat at Limina Renewal Center in Searsport, Maine — three days of Ayurvedic bodywork, classes, ocean air, and beautiful people — and I settled into this episode with something I've been sitting with all September: the idea that perimenopause corresponds not just with transition and difficulty, but with harvest, abundance, and fullness. What we explore: The Ayurvedic seasons of life — childhood as kapha (spring, building, unctuous), pitta as the long summer of life (fire, flowering, fruiting, doing), and vata as fall and winter (lighter, drier, subtler, quieter). Perimenopause is late summer — technically still pitta season, but feeling the shift toward fall. Late summer as perimenopause season — the variable weather, the hot days followed by cool ones, the storms and the sunshine. Sound familiar? The fullness of this time that we forget — the tomatoes still ripening, the dahlias blooming, the harvest happening even as some things are dying back. This is also a time of bounty: decades of experience, all the women we've been, the wisdom we're stepping into. The messy garden as a metaphor for a life — it doesn't look the way we planned. There are weeds. But if we pull back and really look, there are still flowers. There is still so much growing. And the non-traditional path has fruited in ways we might not have expected. The virgin archetype — not the uninitiated woman, but the woman who is whole unto herself — like a virgin forest or virgin wool. The archetype that lives between mother and crone. Coming into that wholeness even in the midst of still mothering, still building, still doing. Being with what is — a practice Chandra Cantor spoke about in an earlier episode. How can we see the wholeness of what actually is — weeds and flowers both — without needing it to be perfect or what we imagined? Creating our own rites of passage — our culture offers none for this transition. But we can offer them to ourselves. Guided meditation: The Fullness of All You've Been I close the episode with a spontaneous guided practice — a gentle time-travel meditation that visits the child, the teenager, the young adult, and the current self, gathers all those versions together, and finally glimpses the version of you stepping through the perimenopause portal to the other side. Previously mentioned: Erik Jackson — digestion episode Chandra Cantor — "being with what is" episode Limina Renewal Center, Searsport, Maine: liminarenewal.com Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#168
September 10 · 53 min
Dark and Tender: Filming Black Male Tenderness & Challenging the Black Brute Narrative with Aaron Johnson
Send us Fan Mail Today I'm joined by Aaron Johnson — public speaker, facilitator, filmmaker, and touch activist whose work centers on the emotional and relational lives of Black men. Aaron is the founder of The Chronically UnderTouched Project — the CUT Project — and the director of Dark and Tender, an 18-minute documentary that follows ten Black men during a retreat on Whidbey Island, Washington. It has been called one of the most quietly revolutionary pieces of film in the healing space right now. Aaron's work begins with a simple and devastating observation: that Black men in America are among the most chronically touch-deprived people in our culture — and that this deprivation has profound consequences for mental health, emotional regulation, nervous system health, and the capacity for genuine connection and community. The CUT Project exists to change that. What we cover: The Black brute archetype — the deeply entrenched cultural narrative of Black men as dangerous, aggressive, and hypersexualized, how it has been constructed and maintained, and what it costs Black men to live inside it Making Dark and Tender — what it took for Aaron, as both director and facilitator, to create the conditions of genuine safety that allowed ten Black men to be soft, tender, and vulnerable on camera — and why that safety was everything The retreat — what actually happened in the room: men tucking each other in, holding hands, singing, walking barefoot on the earth together, and the extraordinary range of men who showed up — different ages, economic backgrounds, sexualities, and life experiences Why diversity within the group was essential — how having a 24-year-old and a 77-year-old, cis and queer and trans men, men from very different economic circumstances, all in the same space together was not incidental but deeply intentional Why this footage matters — how seeing tender Black masculinity documented and made visible begins to create an alternative to the Black brute narrative in our cultural imagination, and why representation at this level is genuinely transformative The ripple effects — how the film is already moving through the world, the conversations it is opening, the permission it is giving, and why Aaron believes the impact will continue to spread Listening as the first hug — Aaron's understanding of what genuine attunement and presence offer, and why being truly heard is itself a form of touch The resonance between Aaron's work and the nervous system — what chronic touch deprivation does to a body, and what happens physiologically when that deprivation begins to be addressed Watch 9 minute preview of Dark and Tender: cutproject.org/tender Aaron's invitation: If this conversation moved you, share the film. Let someone see it who needs to. That is how the ripple spreads. Connect with Aaron: The CUT Project: cutproject.org Instagram Cut Project Instagram Dark and Tender Film Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#167
September 3 · 47 min
Why You've Stopped Feeling Like Yourself: Hormones, Nervous System,Midlife and Your Skin with Dr. Natalya Borakowski
Send us Fan Mail Today's guest is Dr. Natalya Borakowski — a physician with nearly 20 years of experience in women's health and cosmetic dermatology, founder of Desert Bloom Skincare, and creator of Unveil You, a platform dedicated to helping women understand the biological, emotional, and cultural forces shaping how they feel about themselves in midlife. Dr. Natalya combines science, psychology, and compassionate education to help women move from burnout, self-criticism, and overwhelm toward self-trust, vitality, and genuine confidence. What I love about this conversation is that it goes to the root. So much of the conversation around women's health in midlife focuses on what to do — what to take, what to put on your skin, how to optimize. Dr. Natalya asks a different question: what is actually happening underneath? What we cover: Why high-functioning women often live in chronic survival mode without realizing it — what this looks like from the outside, why it is so easy to miss, and why the women who seem to have it most together are often the ones most in need of support Why so many women suddenly stop feeling like themselves during perimenopause — the intersection of hormonal transition and nervous system overload, and why this combination creates such a profound sense of disconnection from identity Wellness as performance pressure — the difference between true nourishment and wellness becoming another item on the to-do list, another standard to meet, another way to feel like we're failing Whether aesthetic medicine and wellness can become unhealthy coping mechanisms — an honest, nuanced conversation about where genuine support ends and external fixing begins What healing actually looks like beyond supplements, skincare, and optimization — rebuilding self-trust, emotional safety, and internal regulation as the real foundation of midlife vitality The pendulum between beauty extremes in midlife — a refreshing and non-judgmental conversation about the two poles women often feel pulled between: the "fixed" approach of dye, filler, and cosmetic intervention on one side, and the "natural" approach of gray hair and bare skin on the other. Dr. Natalya's perspective is that neither is right or wrong — what matters is whether the choice is coming from a place of self-expression and genuine desire, or from fear, shame, and the need for external validation. Judge neither. Ask only: is this coming from love or from fear? The resonance between Dr. Natalya's work and Ayurveda — the understanding that true beauty and vitality come from nourishing the inside, that ojas is what we're actually seeking, and that a settled nervous system is the beginning of everything Connect with Dr. Natalya: Free Gift Unveil You platform Instagram Dr. Natalya Instagram Unveil You Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#166
August 27 · 26 min
Flashback: The Low Down on Adaptogens: Herbs for Resilience
Send us Fan Mail This is a "Flashback" episode of an episode that originally aired in September of 2024. You most likely have seen the word "adaptogen" on some type of herbal product or beverage in the past few years. They are incredible herbs with an intelligence that helps our bodies adapt to stress. The thing is, they are so amazing that many companies use this word to market products that don't actually have adaptogens in them. In this informative episode I introduce listeners to adaptogens, a fascinating class of herbs celebrated for their ability to enhance the body’s resilience to stress. And hopefully give some insight into what an adaptogen truly is so that you can be more savvy when buying products with these incredible herbs. The conversation starts with the rich history of adaptogens, from their ancient roots in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine to their discovery in the West during extensive USSR research. Key adaptogens such as ashwagandha, American ginseng, and Rhodiola are highlighted, alongside the criteria that make an herb an adaptogen: non-toxic, non-specific stress response, normalizing effect, and impact on the HPA axis and SAS (sympathoadrenal system). The episode also provides practical advice on choosing reliable adaptogenic products and emphasizes the importance of integrating herbs with a balanced lifestyle. Listeners are encouraged to explore adaptogens further and consider their potential benefits alongside lifestyle changes. In this episode: Introduction to Adaptogens History and Discovery of Adaptogens Defining Adaptogens Popular Adaptogens and Their Benefits Using Adaptogens Wisely Related Episodes: Episode 55 - Nervous System Herb Allies Episode 53 - The Window of Resilience References: Winston, D., & Maimes, S. (2007). Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief. Healing Arts Press. (n.d.). The Definitive List of Adaptogens. Rasa. https://wearerasa.com/pages/what-are-adaptogens#definitive-list Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#165
August 20 · 19 min
Ritu Satmya: The Ayurvedic Art of Easing Into the Next Season
Send us Fan Mail This is a quickie episode — and honestly, the fact that it's a quickie is kind of the point. I came to record today feeling blank and tired, with a bigger episode still in the works. And then I realized: that feeling is exactly what this episode needed to be about. Because if you're feeling that way too right now — like your reserves are dwindling, like you're treading water, like everything's a little drier and a little slower — you are not failing. You are in a season. Today I'm talking about ritu satmya — one of my favorite Ayurvedic concepts, and one that feels especially alive right now. What we cover: What ritu satmya actually means — ritu (season) and satmya (wholesome, suitable, what we're habituated to) — and why the key word is gradually The concept of ritu sandhi — the junction between seasons, which like the joints of the body is both more vulnerable and more potent Why this late summer moment is such an important transition point — we are moving from pitta season (fire, heat, intensity, irregularity) into vata season (air, dryness, movement, lightness) — and how we navigate this junction shapes how we feel all the way through autumn What ritu satmya actually looks like right now — small, practical, doable shifts including warming the food a little, bringing oil back to the skin, rebuilding morning or evening routine, noticing what you actually have capacity for, and choosing movement that grounds rather than depletes Why routine is medicine for the nervous system — and why this natural re-entry into structure as summer ends is something to embrace rather than resist A gentle reminder that this accumulation of tiredness is not a personal failure — it is the season arriving in the body, right on schedule Coming soon: The Ayurvedic & Somatic Perimenopause Toolkit — practices to actually get into your body. Join the email list to be the first to know when it's available. Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#164
August 13 · 38 min
It Was Never About the Food: On the Path of Healing Disordered Eating from the Inside Out with Amber Caudle
Send us Fan Mail Today's guest is Amber Caudle — chef, author, speaker, and coach devoted to helping women heal their relationship with food, their bodies, and themselves. She is the founder of The Source Cafe, a health-focused restaurant in Southern California, and the author of Hungry: Finding Food Freedom and Reclaiming Body Peace. Amber's story is one of the most honest I've heard — decades of a very public career nourishing others while quietly struggling behind closed doors, and the long, non-linear journey toward something she describes not as being cured, but as being on the path. This conversation felt very close to home for me personally, and I think it will for many of you too. What we cover: Amber's story — 30+ years of binging and restriction, exercise obsession, diet pills, laxatives, drugs and alcohol, and the exhausting performance of looking healthy and successful while deeply unwell, and what finally cracked things open Food as emotional language — the core reframe of Amber's work: the food was never the real problem. It was the language available for much deeper unmet needs — safety, connection, worth, rest, and belonging What our cravings and behaviors are actually communicating — every impulse toward binging, restricting, or emotional eating as a divine message that something is out of alignment, and how to get curious instead of shameful The shame piece — why this lives so deeply in the shadows, how shame actually perpetuates the cycle, and what begins to happen when we name what's happening with honesty and self-compassion How nervous system regulation changes digestion — the science of eating in a sympathetic state, why up to 60–70% of our digestive capacity is cut off when we're in fight or flight, and why slowing down is one of the most powerful things we can do for our relationship with food and our bodies The practice of slowing down — what this actually looks like in practice, the pattern interrupt, talking out loud, naming what's happening, and why even pausing before a binge is meaningful progress Biohacking can't replace the basics — why red light therapy, cold plunges, peptides, and supplements become Band-Aids when the foundation of rest, nourishment, hydration, connection, and nervous system safety isn't in place first Aging strongly — what this means to Amber at 50 and why she feels more vital now than she did in her 30s and 40s The resonances between Amber's work and Ayurveda — you are not what you eat, you are what you digest A note on this conversation: If this topic touches something personal for you, Amber's work is a beautiful place to start — and specialized support is always available. The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness helpline is available at 1-866-662-1235. Connect with Amber: Website The Source Cafe, Hermosa Beach, California Book — Hungry: Finding Food Freedom and Reclaiming Body Peace LinkedIn Instagram Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#163
August 6 · 15 min
Shedding the Skin: Who You Are Becoming in Perimenopause
Send us Fan Mail We are at the height of summer here in Maine — that peak of the pendulum swing before it begins its long arc back toward the quiet of winter. And I've been feeling that shift in my own body, that sense of the tide beginning to turn. It felt like the right moment to talk about something I've been sitting with for a while. We have no shortage of conversation about the physical symptoms of perimenopause. And those symptoms are real and deserve to be taken seriously. But I rarely see the other side of this transition named — the awakening, the shedding, the emergence into a version of ourselves that is more whole, more embodied, more able to speak our truth and follow what we actually need. This episode is about that other side. What we cover: The pendulum of the seasons — how the arc of summer into autumn mirrors the arc of our own lives, and why recognizing those rhythms matters in a culture built around sameness Perimenopause as portal — why this transition is not just a hormonal event but an identity shift as profound as puberty or becoming a mother, and why the disorientation of it makes complete sense The snake shedding its skin — what it feels like to have previous versions of yourself fall away, and why the essence underneath was always there The archetypes: maiden, mother, virgin, crone — how we move through different versions of ourselves at each major hormonal threshold, and why none of those previous versions ever fully disappears The midlife virgin archetype — not sexual initiation, but wholeness. The person who is whole unto themselves, whose validation comes from within rather than without. Like virgin wool, virgin forest, virgin olive oil — undiluted, pure unto itself. Doing from being — why this season isn't about doing less, but about the doing coming from a place of being rather than the being being a result of what you do The ripple effect — how the women who are navigating this transition consciously are doing it not just for themselves but for every younger woman watching, and for the cultural narrative around what midlife actually means for women The invitation — who are you when you're not people pleasing? What actually lights you up? Who is emerging on the other side of this fire? Resources & people mentioned: Kimberly Ann Johnson — mother circle training, The archetypes of maiden, mother, virgin, and crone in women's wisdom traditions Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#162
July 30 · 46 min
The Hidden Cost of Masking: Neurodiversity, the Nervous System & Energy Healing with Nicole Theron Parks
Send us Fan Mail "You're so successful — you must be fine." But what did it cost to get there? In this conversation, psychologist and energy healing coach Nicole Theron Parks shares her journey to being diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and OCD at 32, and what she discovered on the other side of that diagnosis: that the exhaustion, chronic pain, and decades of anxiety weren't character flaws — they were the cost of trying to fit into a world that wasn't built for her. This is a rich, layered, deeply honest conversation — about what it costs to mask, what it feels like when the wellness world's advice doesn't fit your nervous system, and why energy clearing has offered something that talk therapy alone couldn't reach. What we cover: Nicole's story — growing up in a small traditional town feeling like she was observing everyone else from the outside, the emotional abuse she named while the adults around her denied it, and the high school experience that turned her autism from a difference into a disability The diagnosis at 32 — why getting a name for what she'd been experiencing her whole life felt like finally being able to breathe, and the profound release of shame that followed: "It wasn't my fault" What neurodiversity actually means — why the Rain Man stereotype leaves so many people undiagnosed, what it looks like to be "silently drowning" while appearing successful on the outside, and why "you got a doctorate, so you must be fine" misses the point entirely Is the anxiety inherent, or is it the system? — a fascinating conversation about whether anxiety is part of neurodiversity itself, or whether it's largely a product of trying to exist in a world that wasn't built for neurodivergent people Wellness practices and neurodivergent nervous systems — why the pressure to have a perfect morning routine, journal every day, and heal on a timeline can actually cause more harm than good, and what a more flexible, shame-free approach to healing looks like The connection between neurodiversity and chronic pain — Nicole's own journey with chronic migraines, the pattern of control and self-suppression she traced beneath them, and the "at what cost?" question that runs through this entire conversation Energy clearing — how Nicole describes it as moving the folder to the trash rather than opening it every day, why it works gently in the background without requiring you to re-live memories, and how it helps clear layer by layer in a way that talk therapy alone couldn't A guided energy clearing meditation for anxiety — Nicole leads us through a full practice connecting above and below, clearing anxiety patterns from the body, and filling in with light and safety. Have your headphones ready — this one is genuinely beautiful. A message for anyone who has been gaslit by a doctor, therapist, or the people around them: there are practitioners out there who will believe you, accommodate you, and meet you where you. Connect with Nicole: Website: https://www.nicoleparkescoaching.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleparkescoaching/ 1:1 Energy Healing Packages: https://www.nicoleparkescoaching.com/services Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#161
July 23 · 44 min
Not All Yoga Is Medicine: Nervous System-Centered Yoga Therapy with Liz Albanis
Send us Fan Mail Today I'm sitting down with Liz Albanis — a senior yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and personal trainer based in Canberra, Australia, who has spent over 14 years exploring one of the most important questions in the wellness space: when does yoga help, and when does it actually harm? Liz works with people who don't feel supported in traditional yoga environments — people with injuries, trauma, nervous system dysregulation, or who have simply walked out of a yoga class feeling worse than when they walked in. She brings something rare to this work: a deep understanding of both the science and the ancient wisdom, combined with her own lived experience of complex PTSD, surviving two house fires, and discovering that a practice designed specifically for her nervous system changed everything. What we cover: Who traditional yoga leaves behind — why the modern Western yoga class, however well-intentioned, can be inaccessible, overwhelming, or actively harmful for a large portion of the population — and why this is not the student's fault The penicillin analogy — why yoga poses, breathwork, and even meditation are not universally safe, with specific examples including fast-paced breathwork and yoga nidra, and who needs to be especially careful What actually creates safety in the body — why candles, incense, and soft music don't automatically create a safe space, and what grounding, the ocular cardiac reflex, and eye movement actually do to the nervous system Trauma stored in the fascia — the concept of psychosomatic posturing and how a skilled yoga therapist reads the body from the moment someone walks through the door — blink rate, breath pattern, nostril dominance, posture, skin color, nail beds Liz's personal story — how Bikram yoga helped her quit a 14-year smoking habit in three months, how two house fires 20 years apart shook her nervous system to its foundation, and how yoga therapy brought her back What a trauma-informed assessment actually looks like — the intake process, discovery call, Ayurvedic questionnaires, contraindication screening, and the two-way street of building a treatment plan with a client Bottom-up vs. top-down healing — why talk therapy and medication alone are not enough for trauma and chronic pain, and why working with the body is essential The bee breath (Bhramari pranayama) — Liz's go-to practice for nervous system regulation, including the Hasta Mudra, the ocular cardiac reflex, and why she does it in traffic The beautiful resonances between yoga therapy, Ayurveda, and marma points — including the connection between pressing on the eyes and vagus nerve stimulation Free resources from Liz: Bee breath video and freebie: https://www.lizalbaniswellness.com.au/freebies Relax & Restore freebie: https://www.lizalbaniswellness.com.au/freebies Programs mentioned: Release, Relax, Restore — three-signature program combining yoga, mindset, fitness, and nutrition Life Force Yoga — accessible yoga for mental health Sleep program Wellness Designed for You — one-on-one personalized program Teachers & traditions mentioned: Jo Phee — Liz's yoga teacher, Singapore-based yin yoga and yoga therapy educator Tom Myers — fascia and myofascial release Amy Weintraub — LifeForce Yoga for mental health EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Bhramari pranayama (bee breath) Connect with Liz: Website: https://www.lizalbaniswellness.com.au Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizalbaniswellnessau/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lizalbaniswellnessau Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#160
July 16 · 32 min
Tending the Fire: Yamas & Niyamas to Balance Pitta Dosha This Summer
Send us Fan Mail This is the summer edition of something we explored earlier this year with kapha dosha — bringing the yamas and niyamas, yoga's ethical and personal observances, into conversation with the season we're actually in. And right now, we are in pitta season. Fire and water. Heat, intensity, drive, sharpness, focus — all of it turned up. Pitta's gifts are extraordinary. The clarity, the capacity to make things happen, the warmth. But when pitta goes out of balance in the height of summer — the fire can start to scorch the very life it's trying to build. These five practices are the medicine. What we cover: Ahimsa (non-violence) — how pitta's perfectionism and self-criticism are the most common forms of self-harm we never name, why Ayurveda recommends exercising to only 60–70% capacity in summer, and a simple practice of just noticing the moments you override your body before trying to change anything Satya (truthfulness) — the practice of learning to hear the voice of what is actually true for you beneath the voice of obligation, habit, and expectation, and how body-led movement like Somatic Stretch and Shake creates a small safe container to begin that listening Brahmacharya (moderation) — why pitta is drawn to intensity and how the short, brilliant Maine summer perfectly illustrates the urge to consume everything at once, and what it means to direct energy into balanced endeavors rather than burning both ends of the candle Saucha (purity) — the nervous system cost of a cluttered space, why pitta season is naturally detoxifying without any imposed cleanse, the foods that are cooling and cleansing right now (including a beloved herb sauce recipe), and movement as a lymphatic practice Santosha (contentment) — the research on why our brains are genuinely unreliable estimators of how much big achievements will make us happy, the impact bias named by psychologists Dan Gilbert and Timothy Wilson, what the hedonic treadmill actually does to us, and why collecting small daily moments of contentment — what the Japanese call Sho-Katkou, small but certain happiness — may be one of the most powerful things a pitta person can do Links mentioned: Somatic Stretch and Shake — free class on YouTube Pitta season Somatic Stretch & Shake class coming soon — join the email list to stay in the loop: Email Newsletter Research mentioned: Impact Bias — Gilbert, D. & Wilson, T. (1998). The tendency to overestimate how much future events will affect our emotions and for how long Hedonic treadmill — Brickman, P. et al. (1978). Lottery winners and accident victims: Is happiness relative? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Sho-Katkou / micro-happiness — Small but Certain Happiness in Daily Life: Structure and Relation with Well-Being. Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer Nature, 2025 The Big Joy Project — UC Berkeley study with 17,598 participants across 169 countries on micro-joys and wellbeing Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#159
July 9 · 42 min
Your Breath Is a Superpower: 9D Breathwork, the Subconscious Mind & Rapid Transformation with Tabatha DeBruyn
Send us Fan Mail Today's guest is Tabatha DeBruyn — a transformational breath master, certified 9D Breathwork facilitator, rapid transformational hypnotic therapist, and author of Ordinary to Extraordinary. Tabatha has spent years weaving together neuroscience, breathwork, hypnotherapy, NLP, and somatic healing into a body-first approach to transformation that is producing results people describe as integrating years of therapy in a single session. Her path is anything but straight — from 15 years as a high school teacher, to building a multi-million dollar international wellness business, to becoming a primary caregiver for her mother during a decade-long illness, to discovering that even with all of her tools, she was quietly carrying grief, anger, shame, and functional depression she hadn't fully felt. What shifted everything was her first somatic breathwork session — and this conversation is her sharing that story and that medicine with your nervous system. What we cover: Tabatha's personal origin story — how caring for her mother for a decade, losing her, and discovering she had been suppressing enormous grief led her to the breathwork practice that changed her life The physiological sigh — a live guided breathwork practice you can do right now, anywhere, that shifts the nervous system from sympathetic to parasympathetic in a single breath The science of breath and the nervous system — why most people are in fight, flight, or freeze most of the time, what shallow mouth breathing does to the body, and how nasal breathing changes everything Downregulation vs. activation — the difference between calming the nervous system and intentionally activating it, when each is appropriate, and what euphoric breathing actually feels like 9D Breathwork — what the nine dimensions are, why layering breath with music at 432 hertz, binaural beats, hypnotic scripts, NLP, and frequency accelerates results in a way no single modality can alone The snow globe analogy and the reticular activating system — why you have to regulate the body before you can change the mind, and the neuroscience of why 9D Breathwork produces such rapid results The subconscious mind — why 95% of our behavior is driven by programming laid down between ages zero and eight, and how somatic breathwork opens the door to changing it. Free resources from Tabatha: Click here for A 7-minute cinematic introduction to 9D Breathwork – A 5-minute nervous system reset – A 7-minute guided morning routine Book a complimentary 30-minute call Book mentioned: Ordinary to Extraordinary by Tabatha DeBruyn Connect with Tabatha: Website Instagram Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#158
July 2 · 39 min
Rest Your Gaze: Pitta Dosha, Eye Care & the Practice of Turning Inward
Send us Fan Mail This episode started with an accident — or what felt like one. I went to the eye doctor, had my eyes dilated, and sat down to write my newsletter only to find I couldn't see my computer screen. So I closed my eyes, started voice-dictating, and something unexpected happened: I dropped inward in a way I rarely do during a regular workday. The forced pause became a teaching. That experience sent me deep into a topic I've been wanting to explore for a while — the relationship between pitta dosha and the eyes, and what it means not just physically but philosophically when we learn to rest the outward gaze. What we cover: Alochaka pitta — the subdosha of pitta located in the eyes, responsible not just for physical sight but for perception, discernment, and the ability to distinguish what is right from what is wrong. When it goes out of balance, the effects show up in both the body and the mind. Why summer intensifies eye strain — summer is pitta season, and the combination of environmental heat and the fire already present in our eyes means alochaka pitta is especially vulnerable right now Screen time and the eyes — the research on digital eye strain, blue light, reduced blink rate, and circadian disruption — and how Ayurveda would frame all of it as pitta and vata aggravation through the misuse of the sense organs Practices to support eye health — eye palming, feeding the vision with natural beauty and greenery, herbal compresses with chamomile, rose, lavender, and eyebright, rose water, netra basti, netra suddhi, and the 20-20-20 rule Herbs for the eyes — triphala internally and externally, its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and what the research shows, as well as a gentle honest look at eyebright's traditional use and emerging science Pitta vision and the world — the gift of pitta's focused, forward-moving gaze that drives action and builds things — and the shadow of what happens when prana is always streaming outward through the eyes without rest Vata vs. pitta vision — why vata carries the intuitive, spirit-connected inner vision while pitta carries the focused, purposeful worldly gaze — and why we need both Pratyahara — the fifth limb of yoga as genuine eye medicine. The research showing that sensory withdrawal reduces anxiety, modulates stress response, and activates the brain differently than other relaxation techniques — and why closing your eyes is one of the most direct ways to call your prana home Practices mentioned: Eye palming Herbal eye compresses (chamomile, rose, lavender, eyebright) Rose water eye spray Triphala eyewash and internal use Netra basti & netra suddhi The 20-20-20 rule Pratyahara — eyes closed or soft gaze in meditation and daily life Research & references: Maharishi Ayurveda — The Five Subdoshas of Pitta: mapi.com Aggarwal & Saba (2024). Digital blindness: the hidden cost of excessive screen time. EXCLI Journal Haghani et al. (2024). Blue light and digital screens revisited. Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering Peterson et al. (2017). Therapeutic uses of Triphala in Ayurvedic Medicine. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine PMC review: Mind-Stuff and Withdrawal of the Senses — Pratyahara research Resources Mentioned: Prana Boundary Meditation Deep Rest for Perimenopause Meditation Somatic Stretch & Shake 20 Minute Practice Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#157
June 25 · 51 min
What "Feel Your Feelings" Actually Means — and Why Most of Us Are Getting It Wrong with Chelsea Horton
Send us Fan Mail Today's guest is Chelsea Horton — a board-certified dance and movement therapist, somatic practitioner, educator, and founder of Healing Embodied, where she trains wellness professionals and leaders to integrate somatics, creativity, and emotional healing into their work. Chelsea has a master's degree in dance and movement therapy and has worked with over 2,000 clients, specializing in relationship anxiety, shame, and nervous system healing. She is also one of the most alive, funny, and genuinely embodied humans I've had the pleasure of talking with — and her story, from evangelical worship leader to pole dancing somatic therapist, tells you everything you need to know about what it actually looks like to come home to your body. What we cover: Chelsea's path from conservative Bible college and worship leader to dance movement therapist and somatic coach — and why religious trauma, earth-shattering heartbreak, and the saving grace of dance were all part of it What "feel your feelings" actually means — and the concept Chelsea calls "thought-feeling fusion," where we think we're feeling our emotions but we're actually just rehearsing a story about them Sensation without explanation — the practice of staying with pure bodily sensation without needing to label, justify, or explain the emotion What it looks and feels like when an emotion has truly been processed versus managed or suppressed — and why the body has a natural arc of completion when we get out of the way The shame and anxiety cycle — why shame is not an emotion but a belief system about our fundamental worth, and how anxiety functions as shame's exhausted bodyguard, always scanning for evidence that we are not enough Working with shame somatically — externalizing the shame voice, activating the inner advocate, and the groundbreaking work of David Bedrick (The Unshaming Way) Creativity as healing — why creativity is not a talent or skill but the most fundamentally human thing we do, and why it is essential — not optional — to nervous system regulation and emotional processing The Artist's Way, morning pages, and a shared love of authentic movement — a beautiful tangent about reclaiming creativity in midlife and motherhood What practitioners most commonly miss when adding somatic tools to their work — and why learning to trust your own body and creativity is the foundation of being present with clients Books & resources mentioned: The Unshaming Way by David Bedrick The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg Dr. Russell Kennedy — "sensation without explanation" Connect with Chelsea: Website Instagram Facebook Our free resource library for helpers, healers, creatives and leaders Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#156
June 18 · 27 min
The Body Already Knows: Shaking, Fascia & the Interstitium
Send us Fan Mail This episode comes from two threads that have been weaving together in my practice lately: training in Polarity Champissage — a beautiful Ayurvedic marma-based body therapy developed by my friend and mentor Caroline Crichton — and developing Somatic Stretch and Shake, the movement class I've been teaching at Soma in Belfast, Maine. I want to be upfront: these ideas are still in process for me. I'm researching this both academically and in my own body, and it doesn't feel fully cooked yet. But there has been so much synchronicity around this topic lately that it felt like a sign to share what I have so far — and keep exploring from here. What we cover: The neurogenic tremor — the natural, involuntary shaking response that animals use to discharge stress (and that we've learned to suppress), and why somatic shaking gives this built-in mechanism somewhere to go What shaking does to fascia — the connective tissue web running through the entire body, richer in nerve endings than muscle tissue, and how trauma and chronic stress can cause it to tighten, thicken, and lose its fluid quality Mechanotransduction and hyaluronan — how vibration triggers cellular responses in fascia, including the cycling of hyaluronan, the gel-like substance that keeps fascial tissue hydrated and gliding freely The interstitium — the recently mapped, fluid-filled connective tissue network discovered somewhat by accident in 2015, and why it was invisible to traditional biopsy methods for so long A possible bridge between systems — emerging research suggesting the interstitium may be the physical substrate for the meridians of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and how this connects to marma points and Polarity Champissage The rasa dhatu connection — why interstitial fluid flow decreasing with age (especially after 50) may be one physical mechanism behind the dryness and depletion of rasa dhatu in perimenopause, and how movement and shaking help keep this fluid circulating How to actually shake — shaking in sets of three to six minutes, followed by a minute of stillness to let the body integrate; why subtle shaking is just as effective as big movement; and why consistency matters more than intensity The synchronicities: Thinking about a chapter on the interstitium in Abigail Rose Clark's book Returning Home to Our Bodies — and getting an email from her about an emboided anatomy class she is teaching on the interstitium hours laters. A New York Times article on the interstitium. An interview with Dr. Neil Theise, the NYU pathologist at the center of the 2015 discovery, on fascia, the interstitium, and consciousness. All arriving within days of each other. Somatic Stretch and Shake: In-person classes are held Thursdays from 9:30–10:30am at Soma in Belfast, Maine. Online on-demand classes and a live series are coming soon — join the email list to stay in the loop. Bibliography & References The Interstitium — Discovery & Research Benias, P.C., Wells, R.G., Sackey-Aboagye, B., et al. (2018). Structure and Distribution of an Unrecognized Interstitium in Human Tissues. Scientific Reports, 8, 4947. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23062-6 Theise, N.D., & Mahler, S. (2024). Fascia, the Interstitium, and the Living Matrix: Implications for Consciousness Research. [Interview/lecture referenced] Fascia & Mechanotransduction Effectiveness of Vibration on Myofascial Trigger Points. World Journal of Yoga, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation. https://irispublishers.com/wjypr/pdf/WJYPR.MS.ID.000583.pdf Dynamic Responses of Human Skin and Fascia to an Innovative Stimulation Device — Shear Wave Stimulation. PMC/NIH. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11351488/ Understanding Fascial Tissue on the Molecular Level — The Calcium-Hyaluronan (CHA) Axis. PMC/NIH. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12785924/ Interstitial Fluid Flow & Aging Interstitial fluid flow decreases with age, especially after 50 years. NMR Biomed, 2024 Jul;37(7):e5030. PMID: 37675787. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38796942/ Regulation of interstitial fluid flow along adventitia of vasculature by heartbeat and respiration. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258900422400628X Somatic Shaking & TRE Research The Science of Shaking Medicine: Unlocking Neurogenic Tremoring for Trauma Release and Nervous System Balance. https://www.shakingmedicine.com/science-of-shaking-medicine The science of somatics: how shaking resets the nervous system — Rori Cross Brown Yoga. https://www.roriyoga.co.uk/resources/the-science-of-somatics-and-shaking Books Mentioned Clark, A.R. Returning Home to Our Bodies. [Chapter on the interstitium] Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram
#155
June 11 · 38 min
Breathing as a Reset: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Life & Making Practice Stick with Charlie Baldwin
Send us Fan Mail Today I'm sitting down with Charlie Baldwin — a breathwork and meditation teacher with the Art of Living Foundation, over 1,000 hours of teaching experience, and a real gift for bringing these practices to people who never thought they'd be interested. He's taught in prisons, firehouses, universities, and retreat centers in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and he has a way of making ancient wisdom feel completely relevant to modern life. I really loved this conversation. Charlie's path began with a book his mom left in his dorm room — Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth — and a breathwork retreat he almost didn't go to when he was considering dropping out of college. Within six weeks of beginning a daily practice, everything shifted: more energy, more confidence, and the overwhelming things in life became manageable. Nine years of teaching later, he is one of the most thoughtful and non-dogmatic voices in this space. What we cover: Charlie's personal origin story — how a book his mom left in his dorm room and a retreat he nearly skipped changed the entire direction of his life Breathwork in law enforcement — how Charlie and a fellow Art of Living teacher began offering programs to community leaders in North Carolina, how the police chief had a profound experience, and why this demographic has become so receptive to these practices right now Sky Breath Meditation (Sudarshan Kriya) — the rhythmic breathing practice Charlie has taught for nine years, featured in James Nestor's book Breath, and what makes it different from other breathwork approaches Technology, overstimulation & Vata imbalance — a rich conversation about how the optimization of social media for endless scrolling has created widespread nervous system dysregulation, and why breathwork is one of the most powerful resets available to us Apps vs. in-person learning — where technology genuinely helps people enter a practice, and why certain teachings carry an energetic transmission that cannot be fully replicated by an app Why wellness habits don't stick — the two things Charlie has seen make the biggest difference: community and the willingness to have faith before proof arrives The breath-emotion connection — the simple but profound insight that every emotion has a corresponding rhythm of breath, and that this street runs both ways: we can use the breath to shift our emotional state, not just the other way around The straw breath — Charlie leads us through a beautiful, portable breathwork practice specifically designed for anxiety and overwhelm. Five or six breaths, and you will feel it. Connect with Charlie & the Art of Living: Art of Living Retreat Center, Boone, NC Art of Living Part One Course (Happiness Retreat) Instagram Books mentioned: Breath by James Nestor A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle Resources: Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.mynourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

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