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Podcast

Ep. 150 The Healing Climate in Spiritual Practice (and life)

Spirit Sessions Podcast Guest for website

For the past four years, I have had the incredible good fortune to work very closely with a one-on-one mentor and therapist named Cristal Mortensen.  And today, I am so honored to share this podcast with you where I interview her. In it, we discuss what she calls "the healing climate," and why, without it, our efforts to heal ourselves and to hold space for others may work against our deepest desire. This podcast touches deep into the essence of my personal inner practice, as well as the ethos we are working each day to do our best to uphold within what we teach at The Shakti School.

In this episode you’ll hear: 

~ What the healing climate is and how it can help us 

~ Resistance and how finding ‘the spot’ within ourselves can be supportive of healing 

~ The importance of compassion and gentleness toward ourselves

~ Letting awareness be the light that shines through our uncomfortable feelings, rather than changing them

~ Our unique resources within and how we may be able to better access them

~ How these techniques can impact manifestation intentions

~ Noticing how we experience ourselves energetically and the way it can bring self-compassion

~ Being in relationship with energy

~ 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.

~ Cristal Mortensen is a trauma and nervous system specialist and Certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, in private practice for over 20 years. She helps people heal and clear unresolved trauma, attachment wounds, balance energetic, emotional and mental disequilibriums, find their way back to themselves and discover their wholeness.  Her multidimensional approach to trauma healing developed out of her own journey of healing, which began when she learned yoga and meditation at the age of 16 and henceforth dedicated her life to the path of healing.  She has healed from debilitating complex PTSD, severe anxiety and depression, addiction, disordered eating, chronic pain and physical illness and has dedicated her life to supporting others in healing from the pain of trauma and finding freedom. 

Cristal’s ability to deftly weave between and integrate the realms of the mind, emotion, physical body, subtle body, energy and spirit and bridge ordinary and non ordinary reality, along with her compassionate presence has made her unique work highly sought after.

She has practiced and studied extensively over the past 30 years with masters in the fields of trauma, attachment, somatics, meditation, breath, movement and energy healing, bringing the balance of ancient wisdom and modern science to her work.  She has developed Multidimensional Trauma Healing and Sacred Attachment work, out of the need for an approach to trauma healing that is truly effective and transformative.   Her work builds access to an organizing matrix from which inherent safety, security and an integrated mind and body can develop, creating a new template from which we can heal and our life can evolve.  Her mission is to be a guiding light for those suffering from trauma.  She believes passionately that the seeds of healing and transformation are within each of us, waiting to be discovered and activated.  You can connect with her at awarealignedawake.com

 

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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Ayurveda Certification

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From my heart to your screen,

Katie

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As summer’s fire gives way to autumn’s winds, As summer’s fire gives way to autumn’s winds, Ayurveda reminds us to slow down, ground and nourish ourselves with warmth, ritual and intention. 🍂⁠
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That’s why the foods, spices and practices Ayurveda recommends for this seasonal transition are all about cultivating stability, inviting us to favor warm, moist and gently spiced meals, slow-moving rituals that calm and steady the nervous system and deeply rooting spiritual practices.⁠
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This seasonal transition is less about doing more, and more about tapping into the inner stability, grounding and nourishment.⁠
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Ready to immerse yourself in more timeless seasonal wisdom to support your body, mind and SOUL?⁠
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Our 2026 Level 1 Ayurveda Certification is now open for early bird enrollment. ⁠
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Here’s what I want you to know about this program: this isn’t just another course.⁠
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It’s a living, breathing community of wise women.⁠
And a path to becoming the embodied healer that lives deep inside.⁠
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🪔  Wanna’ start learning now? Comment WISDOM for our free Women’s Wisdom & Ayurveda Mini-Course.⁠
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🌿 Curious about becoming an embodied healer in 2026? Comment AYURVEDASCHOOL (one word) to learn more about our yearlong program.
One of the beautiful gifts of dating apps is that One of the beautiful gifts of dating apps is that they can offer an expansion of the “soulmate field.” ⁠
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But they have shortcomings, too. ⁠
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Dating apps are a neutral tool. Like other forms of technology, we can use them as spiritually as our consciousness allows. ⁠
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In this episode, I’m diving into the wild world of dating apps – we’ll talk about how to approach them with sacred intention and avoid burnout.⁠
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Learn how your dosha shapes the way you move through dating, how to keep your nervous system and self-worth intact and learn some of the energetic and spiritual practices I use to turn dating into a field of growth.⁠
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From reframing rejection to the one-liner I use for breaking off connections—this episode is packed with tools to help you see dating as a transformational, spiritual endeavor. 😉⁠
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🎧 Ready to tune-in? Comment 223 to listen to the full episode now.
🪶 The Sacred is Calling: Ritual as a Way of Liv 🪶 The Sacred is Calling: Ritual as a Way of Living // A Workshop with Sisters Mary McQuate & Katie Silcox⁠
🗓️ September 25th, 10-12PM on Zoom⁠
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In a world that moves too fast, where our calendars overflow but our hearts feel empty, we’ve lost the thread of the sacred.⁠
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Our modern lives are noisy, hurried, and disconnected—yet deep inside, we long for ritual, meaning and magic.⁠
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This workshop is an invitation to step out of the chaos and remember: every moment of life can be touched by the holy.⁠
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In this event we will guide you through the art of creating rituals for life’s most profound passages: birth, death, and the sacred transitions in between. We’ll also explore how the seemingly ordinary moments of daily life can become ritual when met with intention. ⁠
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Together we’ll uncover how ritual and altar-building can hold space for grief and celebration, endings and beginnings, and the quiet moments of becoming that shape who we are. ⁠
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You’ll learn how to weave practices that honor these thresholds into your own life, creating altars that serve as anchors of remembrance, grounding and renewal... reminders of the sacredness at the heart of every transition.⁠
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Mary McQuate, Founder of Living Altars, brings her deep artistry in creating altars and embodied ritual.⁠
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Katie Silcox, renowned Ayurveda teacher, bestselling author, and spiritual guide, brings the feminine-form teachings of spiritual Ayurveda and the wisdom of living a truly enchanted life.⁠
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Together, they will guide you into the ancient, embodied technologies of ritual—made practical, personal and powerful for your daily life.⁠
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🪔 Step into ritual and reclaim the sacred in your life. Comment MEMBERSHIP for more information on joining us.
Sometimes the best investment you can make for you Sometimes the best investment you can make for your nervous system…is a $28 snake plant.⁠
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I know, I know - there’s rent, groceries, spiritual retreats you low-key regret and maybe that ⁠
collagen powder subscription you never canceled.⁠
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But I will never regret spending money on plants.⁠
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Because plants don’t just sit there looking pretty.⁠
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They breathe with us.⁠
They clean our air.⁠
They calm our cortisol.⁠
They remind us—without words—how to be.⁠
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Plants ARE the Buddhas we've been waiting for. ⁠
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In that light - here are a few of my current green goddesses of choice (AKA natural air purifiers ⁠
that do way more than just look cute):⁠
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🌿 Areca Palm – Humidifies the air + purifies formaldehyde. Great for your skin + your lungs. Also vibes like a little Florida vacation in a pot.⁠
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🪴 Snake Plant (a.k.a. Mother-in-Law’s Tongue) – Releases oxygen at night, making it a dreamy bedroom companion.⁠
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🌸 Peace Lily – Absorbs mold spores + brings literal peace to your environment. I keep one on my altar.⁠
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🌵 Aloe Vera – Not just for burns. She also clears benzene from the air (think paint fumes + cleaning supplies). Bonus: she’s juicy and lush AF.⁠
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🌬 Pothos & Spider Plants – Ridiculously easy to care for + workhorses for purifying air toxins. Great for beginner plant moms.⁠
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Plants are more than decor.⁠
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They’re medicine.⁠
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Not just for the body, but for the spirit.⁠
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They teach us that healing is slow, soft and seasonal.⁠
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That purification isn’t something you force—it’s something you allow.⁠
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✨ Want to soak in more plant wisdom and nervous system nourishment?⁠
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Join us for our upcoming Spa Day Webinar—a whole afternoon of Ayurvedic self-care practices designed to restore and renew you.⁠
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👉🏽 Comment SPA DAY to save your spot (and yes, we’ll send the replay if you can’t make it live!).⁠
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With chlorophyll kisses,⁠
Katie 💋
According to Ayurveda, glowing skin + radiant beau According to Ayurveda, glowing skin + radiant beauty don’t begin with the latest serum or mask—they start in the gut. To get an instant window into the current status of your gut-health (both physical and psychospiritual) tune into these questions:

🍋 Are you hydrated? Are you drinking water with lemon in the morning? Or do you drink ice water or cold beverages?

✅ Swap the ice water for warm lemon water in the morning and sip warm water throughout the day to gently cleanse toxins (ama) and support healthy digestion.

🥕 What are you eating?

✅ What you eat becomes both your body and your mind. Highly processed foods do not give us good prana, or energy, while whole, seasonal, freshly prepared meals nourish our tissues.

👄 Are you chewing your food?

✅ Digestion begins in the mouth. Chewing thoroughly signals your digestive system to prepare for breakdown and absorption. Instead of rushing, slow down and savor each bite to support smoother digestion and assimilation.

💐 Are you eating in a beautiful environment, in an unrushed way?

✅ The environment around you becomes part of your food. Ayurveda suggests eating in a calm, pleasant space, without distractions, so your body can digest not just food, but also the subtle energy of your surroundings.

🧘🏼‍♀️ Do you feel nourished or weighed down after meals?

✅ How you feel post-meal is one of Ayurveda’s simplest diagnostic tools. A light, energized feeling indicates strong agni, while heaviness signals undigested ama.

🔥 Are you listening to your body’s cues of hunger and fullness?
 
✅ True hunger is the body’s signal that agni is ready. Eating before you’re hungry dampens digestion, while ignoring fullness creates overload. 

These simple awareness shifts can completely transform not only your digestion, but also your outer glow. 🌹✨

💌 Want more beauty wisdom, goddess-style? Join us for our FREE Virtual Ayurveda Spa Day where you’ll learn ancient rituals for beauty + well-being from the inside out.

✨ Comment SPA DAY for the link to register and receive your free e-book gift!

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