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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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The Shakti School Subscription

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From my heart to your screen,

Katie

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Damiana has long been called the herb of love - no Damiana has long been called the herb of love - not because it forces desire, but because it restores the warmth, circulation and nervous system ease that allow pleasure to arise naturally. ⁠
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Through an Ayurvedic lens, damiana supports agni, moves stagnation and gently nourishes reproductive vitality, especially in colder seasons when the body needs more warmth and flow. ⁠
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🌹 Remember: Pleasure is a physiological state tied to hormonal balance, digestion and emotional regulation. ⁠
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🍯 Comment ELIXIR for my Heart-Opening Damiana Rose Elixir recipe to start experiencing it for yourself.
When your agni is turned on, your digestion is thr When your agni is turned on, your digestion is thriving and your body is well-oiled from the inside out. 😉🍯

Ayurveda has been teaching that your glow starts with digestion for thousands of years. When we tend our agni through simple daily rituals (tongue scraping, warm water, warm and spiced foods and yes… complete elimination 💩), assimilation improves, toxins clear, hormones regulate and vitality improves from the inside out.

Radiant wellbeing emerges when the system is supported.

✨ Want to learn the foundations of Ayurveda that help women feel clear, energized and luminous - in mind, body AND soul?

🌸 Join our free Women’s Wisdom & Ayurveda mini-course now. Comment WISDOM to start learning the language of your body.
You can never have too many aphrodisiacs. And thes You can never have too many aphrodisiacs. And these passion-inducing foods might already be in your kitchen: 🥑

Maca is known to enhance fertility and energy and boost libido with its adaptogenic properties.

Saffron is worth more than its weight in gold and has been used in Ayurvedic medicine as a women’s fertility support and hormone balancer for hundreds of years.

Chocolate, the quintessential ancient Aztec aphrodisiac, contains compounds that boost mood and arousal (phenylethylamine, serotonin and anandamide). It’s rich in PEA - “the love chemical.”

Strawberries (along with figs, plums, apples, pears and berries) have long evoked images of Eve and the feminine body. On a physical level, berries are packed with antioxidants.

Honey reminds us of our vital, life-bringing sap-the sweetness of passion and pleasure. It’s condensed effort, much like our human baby-making substances.

Arugula, also known as “rocket,” gives salads a boost of fire. In Italy, it’s said to enhance passion due to its peppery flavor.

Truffles are prized for their musky, earthy aroma and reputation as stimulators. Some even claim they have a pheromone-like scent that drives pigs wild - make of that what you will.

Ginseng, the holy grail of Chinese medicine, is a powerful nervous-system tonic shown to help the body adapt to stress and build vitality.

Avocados are rich, oily and deeply lubricating—supporting supple skin, collagen preservation and overall nourishment.

Walnuts resemble the brain and nourish it, too. They’re rich in omega-3s, vitamin E and polyphenols that reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.

Oysters, food of the lovers, are rich in B12, C and D, omega-3 fats, iron, selenium and copper-nutrients essential for sensual vitality.

Anything can be aphrodisiac if it builds Ojas - the subtle essence of youth, immunity, satisfaction and vitality. These foods help preserve that creative sap and that, Ayurveda says, is what makes us truly turned on. ✨

🌹 Comment ELIXIR for my Damiana Rose Elixir recipe.
🍫 Comment BROWNIE for my Aphrodisiac Sweet Potato Bomb Brownie Bites recipe.
🍯 Comment LOVE TONIC for my Ojas-Building warming date + almond shake recipe.
I’m so honored to be speaking at the upcoming Ca I’m so honored to be speaking at the upcoming California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine International Conference among luminaries like Dr. David Frawley, Dr. Bhushan Patwardhan, Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary and so many more. ⁠
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❤️‍🔥🦴🌹 I’ll be speaking on The Bones as the Portal to Ojas: Tantric Anatomy, Essence & The Marrow of Embodiment.⁠
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Join us for a three-day immersion March 20–22, 2026 in Milpitas, CA (or online) with Ayurveda’s brightest luminaries—teachers, scholars and healers who embody light, wisdom and grounded radiance. Together, we’ll explore how Ayurveda illuminates modern health through timeless principles, lived practice and the science of nature’s intelligence.⁠
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This year’s theme, Luminary, celebrates the guiding light within each of us—our ability to transform knowledge into wisdom, ambition into purpose, and healing into collective brilliance.⁠
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Who This Conference Is For:⁠
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🌿 Health-conscious and Ayurveda-curious individuals seeking inspiration and connection⁠
🌿 Practitioners and students of Ayurveda looking to deepen their knowledge (NAMA PACE credits available)⁠
🌿 Holistic health professionals across disciplines—yoga, herbalism, integrative medicine, nutrition, and wellness coaching⁠
🌿 Anyone drawn to nature-based ways of knowing and being⁠
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Use code SHAKTI30 for a discount when registering. Learn more at @californiayurveda
There’s a reason the feminine urge in February i There’s a reason the feminine urge in February is dark chocolate, warm baths, rose petals and absolutely no rushing.

Ayurveda teaches that women thrive on deep nourishment, rest, nervous system regulation… and yes—PLEASURE. When a woman is resourced and sensual, Ayurveda teaches that her whole ecosystem benefits (family, relationships, creativity, vitality).

That’s the theme we’re celebrating this month at The Shakti School: slow down, warm up, soften, receive. Pleasure, beauty and the things that build your OJAS - these things are foundational to our health. 

Need some inspo for how you can indulge this month and pour back into YOU? We’ve got you covered. 😉🌹🛁🍫

🍯 Comment LOVE TONIC for my Ojas-Building warming date + almond shake recipe.
🫧 Comment BEAUTY for my free How to Have an Ayurveda Spa Day PDF.
💝 Comment VALENTINE for my two steamiest (and always soulful 😉) love-themed podcast episodes.

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