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Ep. 149 How to Listen (and be heard) Better

This is a picture of Katie Silcox. The text reads, "Spirit Sessions: Find your true spiritual home with Katie Silcox."

Katie speaks to the Harvard studies on listening. We may think we are great listeners, but most of us could use some tips! Learn why being a great listener is also good for you, as well as techniques and meditative embodied methods that help you become a great listener. It truly is the medicine we need now in our polarized world!

In this episode you’ll hear: 

~ The power of listening to connect with others

~ How social media could be hindering our ability to be truly seen and heard

~ Tangible benefits of being a good listener, backed up by studies from Harvard

~ Katie shares some personal anecdotes as it relates to listening 

~ Great listening involves being present in your own body

~ How nonverbal communication matters for both listening and speaking 

~ Actionable ways we can practice better listening

~ Katie teaches an energy practice for intentional capacity building and deep listening

~ Join Katie and The Shakti School for the Embodied Ayurveda + Mystical Mind live in-person and virtual retreat May 6th and 7th. Live spaces are filling up fast, so register now to get in! Payment plan options available.

This episode is brought to you by PAAVANI Ayurveda. Use discount code SHAKTI15 at checkout for 15% off a one time purchase on paavaniayurveda.com

Female founded PAAVANI Ayurveda is an artisan line of small-batch, pure, organic health & skincare products formulated in Northern California. 

Handcrafted with the wisdom of Ayurveda, these gals seek to raise conscious awareness of the whole by practicing the philosophy of ahimsa or nonviolence in making their products. This means that their offerings are certified cruelty free and vegan and that PAAVANI carefully selects herbal ingredients that are sustainable, ensuring that plant medicine is abundant for future generations. 

In addition to mindful formulations, PAAVANI Ayurveda packages their products in glass to maintain the integrity of their herbal ingredients. Additionally, their labels are printed on recycled paper stock, using water-based inks that generate little to no paper waste & no harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 

With every purchase made with PAAVANI Ayurveda, you are supporting a female founded, small business that strives to maintain the health of not only your skin, but also our earth. 

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Katie

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Love really is a frequency, and it extends far bey Love really is a frequency, and it extends far beyond the romantic cliches. 💗 One of the most sacred forms of love is the love between friends.⁠
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We felt the love big time in this beautiful Galentine’s giveaway with Herbal Face Food.⁠
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Our two BFF winners, Ashton Miller + Alexa Frear reminded us what this month of love is really about: ⁠
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“My name is Ashton Miller and my best gal pal is Alexa Frear. We met on a work trip and there was something about her soul that drew me in. She’s truly my soul sister! ” ❤️⁠
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We’re so honored that we got to gift these two friends an incredibly indulgent and luxurious skin-loving bundle in collaboration with @herbalfacefood. 🪽🦋⁠
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If you missed your chance to enter, you can still experience the magic. ⁠
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Shop @herbalfacefood with our code THESHAKTISCHOOL for 30% off—or visit the link in our bio.⁠
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🌹 Make sure you’re on the Shakti mailing list so you don’t miss future giveaways like this one. ⁠
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💌 Comment MAIL to make sure you receive the next Shakti Newsletter.
Late winter in the Northern Hemisphere is a kapha- Late winter in the Northern Hemisphere is a kapha-vata crossover season - still cold, but increasingly damp and heavy as the water and earth elements begin to rise. Ayurveda teaches this is the moment to stay warm while gently stimulating circulation and clearing stagnation, so we don’t carry winter’s sluggishness into spring.⁠
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Southern Hemisphere beauties, you’re in late summer/early fall, so follow hydrating and grounding Ayurveda guidance instead of late-winter protocols (tons more on our blog for you, the link is in our bio 😉).⁠
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The sweet spot right now is warm and slightly bitter foods and gently stimulating lifestyle rhythms. Kindle agni, move your lymph and lighten up, without depleting your nervous system.⁠
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Late Winter Self-Care Checklist:⁠
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• Dress warmly even on milder days to prevent mucus and stagnation.⁠
• Get adequate sleep but avoid heavy oversleeping.⁠
• Prep for an Ayurvedic cleanse - it’s a great time to “clean out” your body, mind, home or closet!⁠
• Start dreaming up spring projects and creative plans.⁠
• Add more aerobic movement (walking, dance, fluid yoga, cycling).⁠
• Prioritize daily sunlight and fresh air for natural vitamin D.⁠
• Dry brush (only if vata is balanced) and/or practice warm abhyanga.⁠
• Sip tulsi tea to support immunity and clarity.⁠
• Leafy greens, radishes, broccoli, basmati rice and well-cooked legumes are allies.⁠
• Favor warming spices like mustard seed, garlic, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper.⁠
• Fenugreek is your friend - warming, bitter and drying.⁠
• Ginger is warming and activating helping kindle agni while steadying vata.⁠
• Consider chyavanprash for deep rejuvenation.⁠
• Hydrate with warm water and keep skin plump with a gentle mist.⁠
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Ready to live in rhythm with the seasons and your cyclical nature?⁠
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✨ Comment WISDOM and get our free Women’s Wisdom + Ayurveda mini-course and start learning right now.
💻 Did you know that we have a monthly subscript 💻 Did you know that we have a monthly subscription membership with LIVE lectures with Katie each month?⁠
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Spirit Sessions is the culmination of 20 years of research, leadership and practice in yoga, meditation, spirituality, archetypal psychology, nervous-system based healing, attachment theory, Ayurveda (and more).⁠
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This offering is for ANYONE in search of expansion, clarity and a deep connection with the Divine. With me as your guide, you’ll learn how to start a spiritual practice, or connect more deeply to the God of your own understanding through the practice you already have.⁠
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If you are ready to dive deep into your spiritual life and true healing, this is the time to join. Our next live workshop is on Thursday, March 5th from 10-12pm Eastern US Time. ⁠
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Here are some of our past workshop highlights (along with many more!)⁠
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~ The Yoga of Dreams and Psyche⁠
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~ Ayurvedic Herbs and Gardening⁠
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~ Ayurveda for the Men in Your Life⁠
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~ Yogini Bootcamp⁠
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~ Deep Microbiome: Digestion, Hormones, and The Ecology of Spirit with Dr. Scott Blossom⁠
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~ The Healing Power of Sound and Touch with Dr. David Rabin⁠
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~ Astrology for Healers with Master Astrologer, Jill Loftis⁠
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PLUS a full series on the Chakras and so much more. 💎 ⁠
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🌺 Join us in the subscription for $28/month and cancel anytime—our next workshop is coming up on March 5th. Comment MEMBERSHIP for more information.⁠
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🌟We are currently working our way through the Koshas (what Tantra teaches are our subtle energy “sheaths” or layers). Our March workshop will focus on Vijnanamaya Kosha. Join now and get access to all prior workshops.
Vata wife energy: new idea every five minutes, fiv Vata wife energy: new idea every five minutes, five tabs open in her brain, impromptu dance performances when you least expect it. 🌀

Kapha partner energy: fully seated, fully hydrated, nervous system signalling, “You can’t faze me.” 🌊

When these two get together?

✨ Chaos that’s lovingly buffered by the most stable force on the planet.

To all the kapha partners out there - thank you for being our stable, loving ground. 🌿💙✨
I love the metaphor of ojas as the body’s natura I love the metaphor of ojas as the body’s natural honey; it is the delicate and refined essence we produce from the plants and other vital essences we take in. Ojas is the force that enables us to sustain that change over time. ⁠
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Think of it as your psychophysical container or shield. These days, everyone needs a little more support in the realm of ojas. ⁠
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✨🍯 Ready to start building your ojas?⁠
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Comment LOVE TONIC for our Ojas-Building Hot Shake recipe. This warm, spicy-sweet milk with virility-boosting herbs is amazing for building your body’s natural “honey.”

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