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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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Learn more:

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From my heart to your screen,

Katie

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Feminine-form Ayurveda invites us to remember that Feminine-form Ayurveda invites us to remember that Ayurveda is a mytho-poetic system for awakening, for transformation and for living as a soul in a body.

Here are three ways to understand this feminine, embodied approach to Ayurveda:

1. Your body is a temple of Shakti.

Ayurveda in its deepest roots teaches that the body is a vessel of light, a sacred temple where spirit lives. When we tend to our digestion, our energy, our emotions, we aren’t just “getting healthy” - we are literally infusing our tissues with radiance so that our very flesh can become a living poem, an expression of our soul’s essence.

2. You are made of the Five Elements.

Earth, water, fire, air and space aren’t abstract concepts - they are living principles moving through you right now. Your feeling of stability, the flow of your emotions, your capacity to transform your old patterns and your feeling of inspiration in your life all reflect these elemental forces. Feminine-form Ayurveda teaches us how to work with the Five Elements through our physical health, as well as on the subtle, energetic level.

3. Healing begins with presence.

Feminine-form Ayurveda is a map for learning to meet life—and ourselves—as we are. Instead of asking “what should I eat today?” we tune into “what is alive in me right now, and how can I meet it with compassion?” In our school we orient to the practice of Ayurveda from what we call “the healing climate,” a field where your body and soul can soften to remember your innate wisdom.

🌹 Is this speaking to your soul? Comment “190” below and we’ll send you the link to the full episode where I dive deeper into these core threads that weave together to create feminine-form Ayurveda.
Here’s the thing, my coffee-loving sister. It’ Here’s the thing, my coffee-loving sister. It’s not about the coffee. It’s about the connection.⁠
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Whether it’s a solo sunrise moment or a chat with your beloved on the porch, coffee offers us an excuse to pause.⁠
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To come home to your senses.⁠
To connect to your heart.⁠
Because the most healing part of your morning brew?⁠
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It might not be the coffee. It might be the intention you’re drinking it with.⁠
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🎓 Want to go deeper?⁠
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This is the kind of thing we teach, embody and live inside our 2026 Ayurveda School Certification.⁠
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Inside our year-long feminine-form Ayurvedic Wellness Coach Certification Training you’ll learn:⁠
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∙ How to read your own body like scripture⁠
∙ How to work with the seasons, cycles and your own nervous system⁠
∙ And how to become a true feminine healer (for yourself + others)⁠
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💫 Comment WISDOM to get instant access to our Women’s Wisdom & Ayurveda Mini-Course to start evolving right now.⁠
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🌿 Comment AYURVEDASCHOOL (one word) to get more details on our program or book a complimentary connect call with our team.⁠
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With love (and yes, a warm mug in hand),⁠
Katie 💋
Even small shifts like these can help stoke your a Even small shifts like these can help stoke your agni, boost your metabolism and strengthen your digestion.

🥬 Avoid processed food + leftovers. Food carries prana—the living energy that fuels body, mind and spirit. The longer food sits or the more processed it is, the less prana it has to offer you.

→ Instead: Cook simple, fresh meals when you can and eat warm foods to nourish your inner fire.

🌙 Avoid eating dinner after 6pm or sundown. Your digestion moves with the sun. Eating late overloads the body, leaving you heavy and foggy the next day.

→ Instead: Opt for an earlier, lighter dinner. Soups, kitchari or steamed veggies with a touch of healthy fat are perfect.

🍠 Focus on full meals instead of constant grazing. Every time you snack, your digestive fire is interrupted and never fully resets. Over time, this weakens agni—your body’s power to transform food into energy and vitality.

→ Instead: Root yourself in 3 nourishing meals a day so your system can digest fully and then truly rest.

🍽️ Eat only until three-quarters full. Stuffing yourself extinguishes your flame. Leaving space keeps you light, clear and energized.

→ Instead: Pause mid-meal, tune in and stop before heaviness sets in.

💦 Don’t drink ice water with meals. This is a big one. Cold and excess liquid dampen your digestive fire - it’s like pouring water on a sacred flame.

→ Instead: Sip warm water or herbal tea if you’re thirsty with meals, and drink larger amounts between meals.

When we honor the sacred fire that not only digests only our food, but also transforms our emotions and life experiences, we unlock more sustained energy, more fuel and more soul-power.

🪔  Ready to deepen your relationship with Divine Feminine Ayurveda? Comment WISDOM and we’ll send you our free course, Women’s Wisdom and Ayurveda so that you can start diving in right now.
The week before your period can also mean ICKY SYM The week before your period can also mean ICKY SYMPTOMS like bloating, headaches, fatigue, sore boobies & breakouts. Ayurveda teaches that this is often linked to imbalances in hormones (hello estrogen dominance?), ama buildup (that’s toxins), nutrient depletion and stress overload. That’s why food—and herbs—are your best allies in this phase.⁠
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Enter: the ultimate hormone-balancing, PMS-soothing treats you can imagine.  Made with cacao, dates, oats, Ayurvedic herbs (Ashwagandha, Shatavari), Maca, spices and mineral rich ingredients, these recipes are your new period BFFs.⁠
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In these recipes you’ll find ingredients like:⁠
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🍫 Cacao + oats, which are loaded with magnesium—your PMS bestie for easing cramps, stabilizing mood, calming the nervous system & boosting progesterone.⁠
🌿 Ashwagandha helps calm stress + anxiety.⁠
🌸 Shatavari supports female hormones + cycles.⁠
🌱 Maca gives an energy + mood boost.⁠
🧡 Spices like cinnamon, cardamom & fennel aid digestion + circulation.⁠
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If you’re looking to reduce PMS, support your hormones and satisfy your chocolate cravings in the luteal phase—this recipe bundle is your go-to. Swipe right to see everything you’re gonna receive. ⁠
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Want the full recipes? We’re sending them out in our newsletter this week. ⁠
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Comment “HORMONE LOVE” + I’ll DM you the next steps to get added to our list.
In Ayurveda, Agni is more than your digestion. Ag In Ayurveda, Agni is more than your digestion.

Agni is the sacred fire that transforms what you take in from the outside world into vitality, clarity and wisdom.

When your Agni is strong, you don’t just break down food with ease - you metabolize emotions, challenges and life changes. You have the power to burn through confusion, soften your defenses and transform what’s stuck or hard into insight and freedom.

Old hurts lose their grip.
Confusion burns away, revealing truth.
The “stuck places” in your body and psyche soften, making space for more.

Agni is not just a physiological process…it’s foundational to our psychological and spiritual vitality.

When you tend your sacred fire, you feel more grounded and resilient in times of change.

You see clearly what needs to stay and what needs to be released.

It’s easier to connect to the part of you that is already whole and needs nothing added.

And here’s the beautiful paradox:

Tending Agni doesn’t have to be about doing more.

Removing what dims your inner flame (like outdated habits, stagnant emotions and the “shoulds” that never belonged to you) is one way that we can increase our agni-power.

This is the work we do at The Shakti School: this community is about holding you as you release what’s dimming your light and step into habits, spiritual practices and purpose-driven action that helps you burn brighter.

🪔  Are you ready to reawaken your inner fire? 

Comment WISDOM and I’ll send you our free Women’s Wisdom + Ayurveda mini-course. This course is an invitation to reclaim your power, cultivate your light and immerse yourself in Divine Feminine Ayurveda.

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