The Nourished Nervous System

Have you ever felt really excited about starting a new practice or new habit only to come up against some resistance a day or two in and drop it?

Or maybe it is something that you used to do a lot and are trying to get back into it and it just feels so hard.

Resistance is a normal and healthy part of change and is often a sign that the thing you are trying to do is stretching you out of your comfort zone and creating change.

But it is important to also listen to resistance, to be curious and listen to your body because there are times that resistance is asking for something else.

In this episode:

• A few types of resistance I often encounter in myself 
• Using deep listening, breath and felt sense memories to move through resistance
• Why our nervous systems are primed for resistance
• How your Ayurvedic constitution can influence your relationship to resistance

Related Episodes:

Episode 17 - Listen!  Your Body is Talking
Episode 11 - Why What You Think Matters
Episode 10 - Kapha, the Sweet One
Episode  8  - Oh Pitta, You're Hot!
Episode 3 - What the Vata?!

Resources for you:

Nourished for Resilience Workbook

Interested in 1:1 work?  Let's see if we are a good fit!  Use this link to book a free 30 minute exploratory call:  Exploratory Call

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Community Questions!
If you have a question that you would like to hear answered by the community, or that you would love to answer please write to me kristen@nourishednervoussystem.com

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

There is this time between the archetype of the mother and the archetype of the crone sometimes referred to the wild woman years.  It is also sometimes referred to as the virgin - not an as in uninitiated but more like a virgin forest - whole and unto herself.

Our society teaches us to fear aging and to resist against it, but what if we embrace the power of this time?

In this episode with Robin Shaw we talk about this and so much more.   Robin is a bodyworker, yoga teacher and life coach practicing in Massachusetts, as well as online. 

She took a deep dive into the realms of the body, mind and spirit back in 1997, and has continued to be passionate about these pursuits ever since. 

She is a practitioner, teacher, coach and mentor to many, and finds that her synthesis of hands on work alongside movement, and talking through the questions, challenges, hopes and dreams of her clients has such powerful impact. 

Always coming back to the body for inspiration, understanding and wisdom, her work supports folks to find themselves more at ease and at the same time, inspired and motivated to be their full authentic selves. 

In this episode:

• Robin's journey with a systemic health crisis and how she moved through it
• How the role of a "giver" can cumulatively effect health, even for folks with good self care practices
• The gifts and challenges of the wild woman years
• How embodiment practices help Robin to move more gracefully through this time
• Robin's unique synthesis of hands on massage work, somatic work and coaching

Connecting with Robin:

• Robin offers twice weekly by donation yoga classes online
•  Online and in person life coaching, and hands on bodywork (as well as somatic coaching and bodywork sessions) in person. 
• Robin's website: https://www.flowingintowisdom.com
• On Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/flowingintowisdom/
• On Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/robin.shaw.359

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

What is your relationship with resource?  How do you know when you are feeling resourced in yourself and how do you recharge when you are not?  

Building a net of a resource is the idea that the tiny acts of self care that you do each day create a net that can help to catch you when the inevitable challenges of life arise.

It doesn't mean that you are shielded from life's ups and downs, or that you won't feel pain.

But it can help you to navigate through these times with a little more grace and resilience.

In this episode:

• Relating to resource
• How to know when you are not resourced (using your Ayurvedic constitution as an indicator)
• Weaving a net of resource with self care practices, presence and listening
• My story of dealing with a recent health challenge and how my net of resource supported me
• Self care isn't always peaceful
• Presence as a container for self care

Related Episodes:

Episode 17 - Listen!  Your Body is Talking
Episode 5 - Transformative Self Care 
Episode 10 - Kapha, the Sweet One
Episode 8  - Oh Pitta, You're Hot!
Episode 3 - What the Vata?!

Resources for you:

Deep Rest Meditation

Nourished for Resilience Workbook

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

In this world that sometimes feels like it is pulling apart at the seams, how do you continue to walk the path of beauty?  How do you find resilience and purpose as a gift of the pain of human existence.

This podcast episode with Maitreya Wolf is the story of an underworld journey, of initiatory consciousness and of cultivating beauty and joy as indispensable skills for survival.

Maitreya Wolf is a wise woman, soul mentor, and musician, whose allegiance is to embodying sovereignty with skill, tending the wild earth with honor, living the spiritual power of Beauty, prioritizing the life of Soul as inviolable, and supporting others to do the same with her teaching and art.

Her professional life began with 15 years as a ritual tattoo artist through which she endeavored to reinvigorate the ancient practice of rites of passage in the modern world.  She has been creating and performing gorgeous original music in a ritual theater format for almost two decades, and now hosts a year-long, deep-counsel and earth-ritual mystery school called The School of Remembering alongside her evolutionary counseling practice, Soul Power Mentoring.

Throughout the course of her extraordinary life journey Maitreya has cultivated a multi-dimensional skill set related to evolving the soul, as well as potent embodied wisdom, expansive compassion, and a grounded, mytho-poetic insight into the beautiful and harrowing journey of being human in a time of profound crisis and opportunity.

It is through all of this interwoven magic that she now offers wisdom teaching, soul mentoring, public speaking, classes, workshops, ritual concerts, and other events. In everything she is and does she aspires to help people learn how to transform pain into power so that they can live lives of greater presence, purpose, magic, wisdom, and passion in this most extraordinary time of human and planetary transformation. 


~To explore her work or book a free consultation visit her website:
http://www.soulpowermentoring.com
or book a call directly here:
https://calendly.com/maitreyawolf/soul-power-exploration-call

~To hear some of her music, meditations, and teachings, visit her youtube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqaltoxtDEBgib6j94dthjg

~To hear her album, Fertile Darkness, visit her bandcamp page:
https://maitreyawolf.bandcamp.com/

~Social media links are here:
https://www.facebook.com/maitreyawolfsacredarts/
@maitreyawolfmentor

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

When you pay attention to the natural world around you, it can help to inform shifts and changes happening inside of you.  Tuning into the subtleties of the seasons is one of these practices.

Our society can often feel focused on output, on showing up in the same ways day after day.  But when we tune into plants and animals in nature, it is clear that different seasons call for different ways for interacting with the world.

Last week was Imbolc, a Celtic  celebration of the the point midway to spring.  There is still plenty of winter left, spring is not upon us yet, but when I tune in, I can feel the subtle shift. 

It is often called "the quickening".  Days are getting longer, the light coming back is a tangible thing.  The winter of Solstice time feels really different than the winter of Imbolc time. 

In this episode I will get into the shifts that I notice and how I believe that tuning into these seasonal shifts can help to build resilience. 

Related Episodes:

Episode 2 - The Lens of Ayurveda
Episode 3 - What the Vata?!
Episode 10 - Kapha, the Sweet One

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

What do parenting and being an entrepreneur have in common?  Both can have fuzzy boundaries around when you are truly on and off.  Both can be all consuming endeavors that make it difficult to easily take time for yourself. 

The thing is, in order to show up fully as a parent or an entrepreneur, self care needs to be a non-negotiable.   In order to avoid burn out, you need to find that time for yourself even if it feels like it doesn't exist. 

In this week's episode I talk with Heidi Schalk about this.  Heidi is  a business strategy and leadership coach, author, speaker, and host of the Be S.H.E Podcast (Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Empowered.).  She has been featured on FOX,  ABC, NBC, CBS and The Daily Herald and has been named One of the Top 30 Inspiring Entrepreneurs to Look Out for in 2024 by The NYC Journal.  She has spent the past 5 years helping women achieve their goals and build 6 figure businesses they love through her M.O.N.E.Y Mastery System.

Heidi works with female entrepreneurs and gives them the tools and strategies to confidently build successful, online businesses, on their own terms, so they can create their dream life for themselves and loved ones.  She empowers women to be seen and heard so they can make a lasting impact on others in the world with their message and their story.

Heidi has two children ages 14 & 13 who were the reason and catalyst behind starting her entrepreneurial journey.

In this episode:

• Heidi's journey from stay at home mom to single mother and entrepreneur
• How her experience of burn out impacted her parenting and the way she approached her business
• The self care practices that have made the most impact in her life
• How she prioritizes self care in business and parenting

Find Heidi at:

Website: www.heidischalk.com

Earn 6 Figures Now Call: https://calendly.com/heidischalkcoaching/earn6figuresnowcall
Cultivate A Millionaire Mindset: www.heidischalkcoaching.com/summitgift

FB profile: https://www.facebook.com/heidi.lupischalk
FB business page: https://www.facebook.com/HeidiSchalkCoaching/
FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/femaleentrepreneursandleaders/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/heidischalkcoaching/
IG Threads: https://www.threads.net/@heidischalkcoaching
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heidischalk

Podcast: BeShePodcast.com

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Have you ever created a vision board or done a meditation that involved imagery or imaging yourself in a certain situation?  If so, then you have used the technique of visualization.  

Visualization is touted as a tool of manifestation culture, an almost magical mystical process of visioning what you want to create and drawing that reality closer.

The reality is that visualization is a powerful tool when combined with action in the world.  And here at the crossroads of woo and pragmatism, there is also science backing up its effectiveness.

In this episode:

• Why visualization works (how it affects the brain)
• Studies showing the power of visualization
• Different types of visualization practices
• How visualization strengthens abstract thinking and the default network of the brain
• Visualization to increase creative problem solving and resilience

Get your Nourished for Resilience Workbook Here:  http://www.nourishednervoussystem.com/resilienceworkbook


Related Episodes:

Episode 11 - Why What You Think Matters
Episode 14 - This is Your Brain on Meditation

References:

Slimani M, Tod D, Chaabene H, Miarka B, Chamari K. Effects of Mental Imagery on Muscular Strength in Healthy and Patient Participants: A Systematic Review. J Sports Sci Med. 2016 Aug 5;15(3):434-450. PMID: 27803622; PMCID: PMC4974856.

Carper, S. K. (n.d.). THE NEUROSCIENCE OF VISUALIZATION: HOW IT CAN IMPACT YOUR LIFE. Visiting Sub Conscious. https://visiting-subconscious.com/sci-visualize-brain

Swart, T., MD, PhD (2018). The Source, the secrets of the universe, the science of the brain. HarperOne.

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

What does self care look like for you?  Really, I'd like to know.  One of the things I have been loving about hosting a podcast has been connecting with my guests and learning from them. 

I love the accessibility of a podcast and how it weaves a web of connection and collaboration.

I love collaborating with my guests, but I'd also like to collaborate with you.  I learn so much from hearing people's stories.  There is so much collective wisdom that we all share, and so I want to try and incorporate your wisdom into my podcast.  

Right now my vision is to have a monthly question that you can email me a response to and then have a portion of the first episode of every month where I read the responses.  This is an experiment.  We'll see how it goes.

This month's question is : "What does self care currently look like for you?"  

If you feel called to answer send me an email (kristen@nourishednervoussystem.com) with the subject line:  Monthly Question
You can include your name and where you live, but if you would like to remain anonymous, just let me know.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Every year between Halloween and New Years my relationship with sugar gets tested.  This relationship has grown and evolved over the years, but I still find this time challenging.  Anyone else?  

I know I'm not alone because we are literally wired to seek out the sweet taste and industrialization has made it so that we can find it everywhere. 

In this episode:

• The Ayurvedic perspective of the "sweet taste"
• How humans have evolved to seek out the sweet taste
• How a high sugar diet rewires the brain to be less able to resist sugar
• How sugar affects the brain
• The relationship between sugar, the  immune system and autoimmune disease
•  Ways to protect your brain from the effects of sugar and find other sweetness in your life

Related Episodes:

Episode 2:  The Lens of Ayurveda
Episode 10:   Kapha, the Sweet One


References:

University of Würzburg. (2022, March 22). How sugar promotes inflammation. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 3, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220322122836.htm

Ma X, Nan F, Liang H, Shu P, Fan X, Song X, Hou Y, Zhang D. Excessive intake of sugar: An accomplice of inflammation. Front Immunol. 2022 Aug 31;13:988481. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.988481. PMID: 36119103; PMCID: PMC9471313.

Reichelt, A. (n.d.). A Neuroscientist Explains What Sugar Really Does to Our Brains. Science Alert. https://www.sciencealert.com/research-shows-sugar-can-change-your-brain-here-s-how

Fuhrman, J., MD (n.d.). Negative Effects of Sugar on the Brain. VeryWell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-sugar-affects-the-brain-4065218

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Life in the modern world can often feel complicated.  Especially after holidays and all that they entail.  But even in the day to day we encounter experiences, periods of time and symptoms in our bodies that can feel more complicated.  

What if your New Year's resolution, instead of adding more to your plate of to dos, was actually to simplify.  To say "no" more, to incorporate small manageable acts of self care into your day, to begin to weave a net of simplicity that can hold you when life gets complicated.

In this week's episode with Barbara Boyle, we talk about all of this.  Barbara is an Ayurvedic Practitioner and Spinal Release Yoga Therapist, practicing through her business, Chandani Ayurveda, where she  specialize in women's health.   And using the Ayurvedic concept of opposites balance, she dives into how to incorporate treating complicated with simple in your life.  

In this week's episode:

• Barbara's story of finding Spinal Release Yoga and Ayurveda to help her heal from chronic pain from a car accident.
• The importance of letting go and doing less (especially for those pitta folks!)
• How to use the concept of treating complicated with simple in your daily life
• The impact of daily routine and how to find freedom through boundaries
• Why simplifying the diet can be beneficial in times of stress

Find Barbara at https://www.chandani-ayurveda.com

and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/chandaniayurveda

And check out Barbara's growing collection of recipes here: https://www.chandani-ayurveda.com/recipes

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

This episode was supposed to be about sugar, but as I started it, something else emerged.  I was  thinking about the New Year and about the state of our world and how each new year just seems to be getting a bit weirder these days. 

This is the nature of the world and of nature.  Nothing is fixed and permanent, everything is always changing around us, but some years those changes are really big while other years they are less noticeable. 

It has been a few years of big changes, and it isn't comfortable, and it may be requiring us to rethink what stability looks like.

Instead of trying to control your surroundings to create a sense of stability, what if you became more resilient, more flexible and prepared for life ups and downs so that you can navigate change with the flexibility of a trapeze artist?

Download your free Nourished for Resilience Workbook here:  www.nourishednervoussystem.com/resilienceworkbook

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Tea is such a common part of daily rituals.  You may even drink tea every day.  But do you ever sit with you tea, find a place of stillness and tune into your senses.  Do you ever use your tea as tool for meditation?  

In this episode with Samantha Jones, (a trauma-informed yoga & meditation teacher, tea ceremonialist and retreat facilitator based in Cleveland, Ohio) we cover a lot of ground, but this relationship with tea is at the heart of her work and our conversation.  

Samantha's  multifaceted role as a space holder centers on self-cultivation and community healing, emphasizing the importance of mindfulness and nervous system regulation. Samantha’s work is framed by a deep reverence for the natural world, sharing practices designed to reconnect individuals to their authentic selves and the profound sacredness of existence.

In this episode we talk about:

• What it means to be a trauma informed yoga teacher
• Samantha's personal journey with yoga and why being trauma informed is important to her
• Tea as a medicine and mindfulness practice
• What happens in a tea ceremony
• Energetics of tea
• How all of these practices help Samantha in working with anxiety

Find Samantha on Instagram @samanthaljones and @livingtea

And here is Samantha's affiliate link for Living Tea:  https://lddy.no/125da 
and a discount code: SAMANTHA

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Why are you interested in self care and nourishing the nervous system?  What is the long game?  Is it just to feel good or is there a deeper reason?

These are some of the questions I've been asking myself throughout my self care journey.  The answer that I come up with again and again is resilience.  To be more resilient in my body, mind and spirit.  To be able to show up more fully for my family, community and the larger world.  

For me there are three major ways that I nourish my nervous system and cultivate resilience - completing stress responses, increasing neural plasticity, and managing Vata and Ojas.   There are many small things I do each day to do this, but these are the roots.

In this episode:

• What is the "window of tolerance" and why is it important to cultivating resilience
• How the window of tolerance and the zones of hyperarousal and hypoarousal correspond to the gunas of the mind
• Why I think completing stress responses, increasing neural plasticity and managing Vata and Ojas are foundational to cultivating resilience
• An explanation of the pillars of a nourished nervous system, and ways to begin to integrate them into your life.
• The pillars are:  Move Your Body, Feed Your Body, Tend Your Mind, Feed your Spirit, Tend Your Spark, Human Connection, Rest, and Sleep

Free Nourished for Resilience Workbook  www.nourishednervoussystem.com/resilienceworkbook

Related Episodes:

Episode 3 - What the Vata?!
Episode 4 - Nuts and Bolts of the Stress Response Cycle and How to Complete it
Episode 11 - Why What You Think Matters
Episode 13 - Practice Being a Cat
Episode 15 - Vibrancy is a Long Game
Episode 24 - Don't Normalize Sub-Quality Sleep

References:

Wright, A., LMFT (n.d.). What Is the Window of Tolerance, and Why Is It So Important? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/making-the-whole-beautiful/202205/what-is-the-window-tolerance-and-why-is-it-so-important

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

What you eat is a part of your everyday life.  And you have probably found that certain foods work better with your body than others.  We each have a unique constitution that is partly genetics and partly the imbalances that have accumulated over time.

Ancestral eating recognizes the genetic contribution of our ancestors and how that may affect how we eat today.  It is learning about the foods that were eaten by your ancestors and experimenting with those foods to see what works for your body.

In this week's episode,  Lisa Mase (pronounced Leeza Mah-zay ) shares about ancestral eating practices and how they connect to intuitive eating, food sovereignty and weaving ritual into daily life. 

She also deep dives into how our guts relate to the nervous system via the vagus nerve, and why personalizing nutrition can be beneficial.

Lisa is a board certified nutritionist, herbalist, health coach and author from Italy who now lives on unceded Abenaki land. In their work and teaching, Lisa weaves Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and the Mediterranean Way to provide comprehensive and trauma-informed tools for helping the body heal itself.

Lisa is the author of The Culinary Pharmacy, which explores ancestral healing, intuitive eating, and how to create your personalized nutrition plan.  You can find Lisa's book at: https://www.harmonized-living.com/book

You can learn more about Lisa and the amazing work she does at https://www.harmonized-living.com

Or on Instagram:   @harmonized.living

or Facebook:  harmonized life

Related Episodes: 

Episode 17:  Listen!  Your Body is Talking

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

Most likely you  sleep every night, it is a part of the fabric of your life, but are you getting good quality sleep?  Do you wake up feeling rested and energized for your day without caffeine?  

Like digestion it is easy to normalize sub quality sleep - to think it is normal to wake up feeling exhausted or to need a cup of coffee to get going.  It may have been so long since you've actually gotten a good night's sleep, that you don't even know what that feels like.

I want to acknowledge that every person's need for sleep differs - some folks need more or less than others - but everyone needs good quality sleep.

Both ayurveda and circadian medicine have powerful insights into sleep and how to get the most out of it.  

In this episode:

• A little bit about the four sleep chronotypes to illustrate that every body is different and there are always outliers
• Each dosha's relationship to sleep
• Why managing Vata can help improve the quality of sleep
• The circadian sleep-wake cycle, what it is and how it impacts sleep
• Some ways to reset your circadian rhythm
• Ayurvedic sleep hygiene

Link to Deep Rest Meditation:  www.nourishednervoussystem.com/deeprest
Link to Self Abhyangha Guide:  www.nourishednervoussystem.com/oil

Related Episodes:

Episode 2:  The Lens of Ayurveda
Episode 3:  What the Vata?!
Episode 8:  Oh Pitta.  You're Hot!
Episode 10:  Kapha, the Sweet One


References:

Petrowski K, Buehrer S, Niedling M, Schmalbach B. The effects of light exposure on the cortisol stress response in human males. Stress. 2021 Jan;24(1):29-35. doi: 10.1080/10253890.2020.1741543. Epub 2020 Apr 6. PMID: 32160826.

O'Byrne NA, Yuen F, Butt WZ, Liu PY. Sleep and Circadian Regulation of Cortisol: A Short Review. Curr Opin Endocr Metab Res. 2021 Jun;18:178-186. doi: 10.1016/j.coemr.2021.03.011. Epub 2021 May 5. PMID: 35128146; PMCID: PMC8813037.

Shurkin, J. N. (n.d.). Trouble Sleeping? Go Camping : Artificial light sources can negatively affect circadian rhythms, scientists say. SCIAM. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trouble-sleeping-go-campi/

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

So many parents that I talk to agree that parenting is hard, but I think that is only part of the story.  I think there are so many reasons that parenting is hard.  Many of the parents I know are parenting differently than they were parented, healing generational trauma and breaking cycles - this is deep and hard work.  Then layer that into a world were so many of us are parenting in isolation with limited support and so much pressure.  It's actually quite amazing we are making it through our days.  

I honestly don't have the answers to this conundrum but some musings on:

• Why "parenting is hard" is an incomplete thought
• What we can learn about parenting from hunter gatherer societies
• Nervous system regulation as a parenting tool
• Interdependence in parenting 
• Thoughts on my independence being a deep subconscious form of people pleasing

Related Episodes:

Episode 5 - Transformative Self Care Practices   
Episode 17 - Listen!  Your Body is Talking


References: 

University of Cambridge (n.d.). Hunter-gatherer approach to childcare suggests that the key to mother and child well-being may be many caregivers. Phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-hunter-gatherer-approach-childcare-key-mother.html

Doucleff, M., PhD (2021). Hunt, Gather, Parent. Simon & Schuster Audio.

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

One of the reasons for doing self care is to build resilience.  When you are more resilient you are able to move through life with more flexibility.  We all have traumatic experiences big and small at some point in our lives, but when we cultivate resilience we can find a more graceful process of healing from trauma.

In this week's episode with Efan Hsieh we get into some of the nuances of trauma and post traumatic growth.  Efan  is a certified functional health coach, Biology of Trauma professional, and nature connection guide who facilitates retreats around the world. She shares tools for adventurous empaths to regulate their nervous system, maintain mindbody coherence, and connect deeply and authentically to nature and their True Self so they can go from burned out to thriving.

In this episode:

• What trauma is and isn't
• What it means to heal from trauma
• The tension between authenticity and attachment
• How to trust your intuition
• Somatics and nature connection for regulating the nervous system, building resilience and healing trauma

You can find Efan at https://www.CoachEfan.com   and on Instagram @thrive.with.efan

To check out her newsletter,  The Thursday Thrivestyle Newsletter - Practices, Tools and Insights to Reconnect with the Wisdom of Nature, Your Body, Mind, Spirit, and Energy.
click here :  https://mailchi.mp/eebe27e3cf23/thrivestyle

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

There is a lot of focus in our culture on what we eat.  There are so many different types of diets each with claims to support health and vitality in different ways.  What you eat is important, but more important is how you digest what you eat.  You can eat the healthiest foods but if you aren't digesting them well, then you won't get all of the health benefits from them.

Your digestive system is intricately interwoven with your immune and nervous systems, so tending your digestion can ripple out into the rest of your body.

In this episode:

• The connections between the gastrointestinal tract, the immune system and the nervous system.
• The importance of digestive health through the Ayurvedic lens.
• The concept of agni or digestive fire, and how to tend that fire.
• What it looks like when agni is out of balance.
• Why listening to your body is more important than following diet trends.

Related Episodes:

Episode 2 - The Lens of Ayurveda
Episode 3 - What the Vata?!
Episode 8 - Oh Pitta, You're Hot!
Episode 10 - Kapha, the Sweet One
Episode 15 - Vibrancy is a Long Game


References: 

English, J., MA, & Bush, J., BScN (n.d.). Diet and Lifestyle — What is the Gut-Immune Connection? Fullscript. https://fullscript.com/blog/gut-health-and-immune-system

(n.d.). The Brain-Gut Connection. John Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-brain-gut-connection

Lad, V., M.A.Sc (1990). Textbook of Ayurveda, Fundamental Principles (Volume 1). The Ayurvedic Press.

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

We have access to so much information these days, that there is a lot of inner growth work that can be done alone.  But what about those times when you need a helping hand from someone with a particular skill set?  Who do you turn to?  Or do you just manage for as long as you can, procrastinating the work that can help you thrive?

I admittedly have spent a lot of time in the procrastination boat because I felt too busy to see someone or the costs felt out of reach.  But I have also found getting help from trained individuals, (whether it is a natural health practitioner, a therapist, a coach or chiropractor) so incredibly helpful in helping me to truly thrive.

In this episode I talk about coaching.  But what exactly is the deal with coaching??  There are so many coaches out there with so many specialties and it can be overwhelming and also a bit confusing.

What exactly is coaching and how is it different from therapy?

What is the scope of practice for a coach?

Who can benefit from coaching?  Are there people or situations that aren't appropriate for coaching?

We'll get into these questions and more in this episode.  I hope to give a little clarity about what coaching is and isn't and also share a bit of my story.

 

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

How many of us are living in an energy deficit, putting out way more energy than we are receiving or generating for ourselves?  I think this is especially true for parents.  The basic foundation for vibrancy is nourishment but I think the true long game is resilience.  

In order to become more resilient you first need to understand the relationship between nourishment and resilience.  

In the first episode of Vibrancy is a Long Game, I talk about the Ayurvedic concept of Ojas which is the vital essence of Kapha Dosha and is a part of immunity and true deep nourishment on all levels.  

Like many Ayurvedic concepts, Ojas is a part of a trinity.  The other two counterparts are Prana (the vital essence of Vata Dosha) and Tejas (the vital essence of Pitta Dosha) and I think for true vibrancy, we need to look at all three of these vital essences.

In this episode:

• Why it is important to be resilient
• The relationship between nourishment and resiliency, why nourishment needs to come first
• What Tejas and Prana are and how they relate with Ojas
• Why all three of these are important for long term vibrancy
• Ways to cultivate Prana and Tejas

Related Episodes:

Episode 2:  The Lens of Ayurveda
Episode 3:  What the Vata?!
Episode 8:  Oh Pitta, You're Hot!
Episode 10:  Kapha, the Sweet One
Episode 15:  Vibrancy is a Long Game

References:

Lad, V., M.A.Sc (1990). Textbook of Ayurveda, Fundamental Principles (Volume 1). The Ayurvedic Press.

Brashear, S., MA,CAP (n.d.). Tejas: 6 Daily Practices to Spark your Inner Glow. Banyan Botanicals. https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/blog-the-banyan-insight/details/boosting-tejas/

Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com

and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram