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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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From my heart to your screen,

Katie

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Because no amount of deep breathing can fully prep Because no amount of deep breathing can fully prepare you for the chaotic holiday energy… 🦃✨

But here’s the thing. Feminine-form Ayurveda teaches us how to open to our feelings no matter what (even at the dinner table). 

When we understand our triggers through the lens of our energy and nervous system, we gradually learn how to stay grounded in our body and our peace. 

Those same old patterns begin to lose their power. You start responding from a place of clarity, compassion and true inner steadiness.

Beautiful person, if 2026 is your year for rooting into your deepest, truest Self, you’ve got only ONE week left to lock in $500 off tuition with our early bird discount on Ayurveda School. After that, the price jumps, and I would not want you to miss this window.

If you’re feeling the nudge, don’t wait. Invest in your future now, while the door is wide open.

Imagine this…

It’s January 2026. You log into class with hundreds of brilliant, soulful women from around the world. You’re learning the most ancient science of health and life, laughing, crying, growing and remembering your own sacredness. 

You’re finally doing something for YOU.

And from that place, everything else in your life begins to shift—your health, your work, your relationships… even your sense of being in alignment with your soul’s calling.

That’s what I want for you. And that’s what Ayurveda School can offer.

Don’t let this moment pass you by. The early bird discounted tuition closes in about one week, and the next time you think of it, the discount will be gone.

✨ Save your spot today and save big. Comment AYURVEDASCHOOL to learn more + find your people who actually get it.
“The Shakti School gave me permission to yes use “The Shakti School gave me permission to yes use these teachings, but also find MY voice in the way that I share. “ – Nikki Nie

The Shakti School is about helping you reconnect to your inner voice, move through the world with confidence, and remember that your unique wisdom is medicine for those who are meant to receive it. ✨🌹

⭐️ Nikki Nie is a 500 Hour Registered Tantric Hatha Yoga and Meditation teacher, Ayurvedic Wellness Coach and Reiki + Sound Practitioner and masterfully facilitates spaces for people to empower their energy and ultimately their life! 

Nikki has founded Wavelength Movement, a monthly subscription platform where you can practice with her on-demand on the daily. You can dive deeper through 1:1 coaching, monthly moon gatherings, online cleanses, global retreats and yoga teacher trainings! With a passion for surfing and a love for mama ocean this beam of sunshine will help you align with your true nature and give you the tools to live out your dharma! 🌊🌞🦋

🕯 There’s just ONE and a half weeks left to enroll in our yearlong Ayurvedic Wellness Coach Certification Training with earlybird tuition and save $500 before tuition prices go up.

Ready to explore how our program can help you find YOUR unique way of sharing in the world? 

📚 Comment NIKKI to book a free call and learn more about Shakti Ayurveda School.
Nature thrives in her cyclical routines. In fact, Nature thrives in her cyclical routines. In fact, She is very predictable.⁠
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And although Her Wild Highness can throw a tornado into the mix, She usually gives us clear indications of her changes if we open our eyes to her subtlety. The more we can align with these rhythms, the easier it is to maintain body/mind health. The word for seasonal routine in Sanskrit is rutucharya.⁠
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Rutucharya is not only related to the four seasons and the temperature outside. You may have noticed that life has its own seasonal flavor. You know, "to every thing (turn, turn, turn) there is a season." ⁠
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Yes, from life, death, heat, cold, night, day, falling in love, breakups, and firm breasts to crow's feet, the Ayurvedic sages noticed natural changes both in terms of how the cycles of the seasons relate to the earth's axis, and of how people cycle through their own life in a continuous experience of expansiveness and contraction.⁠
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As we begin to notice Nature's rhythms, we become more and more powerful. We tap into the Most Powerful One-Nature Herself.⁠
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We also learn how to simultaneously work with the changes in our own bodies. We learn how to surrender to the inevitable beauty in the impermanence of everything.⁠
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This autumn season (if you are in the Northern Hemisphere – if you’re in the Southern follow the Spring transitional Ayurveda recommendations!) calls for steadiness and ritual:⁠
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✨ Keep consistent daily routines (your nervous system will thank you)⁠
🕯️ Turn inward with prayer and meditation⁠
🍵 Rest, reflect, and nourish yourself with grounding foods⁠
💨 Breathe deeply and let your body remember slowness⁠
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These small sacred choices stabilize Vata dosha and awaken clarity, creativity and peace.⁠
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This is the heart of what we teach in Shakti Ayurveda School — learning to live in harmony with the seasons of nature and the seasons of your soul.⁠
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There’s just over one week left to lock in early bird tuition for our 2026 class (save $500 before tuition goes up!).⁠
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 🌿 Comment AYURVEDASCHOOL to join us now inside the most feminine, embodied, heart-led Ayurvedic training on the planet.
Rituals and are shared humanity. Please join our m Rituals and are shared humanity. Please join our membership portal. We go live at 10 AM today on all things ritual and a deep meditation with yours truly on the things that have helped keep me sane and balanced during some of the darkest moments of my life. Also, this Thursday, a deep deep practice on the nervous system and the heart of the heart chakra All the links to join in the bio! 💙❤️‍🔥💙❤️‍🔥
Whether you’ve been studying Ayurveda for years Whether you’ve been studying Ayurveda for years or just discovered our school TODAY—following your inner nudges is the path to purpose, healing and uncovering your soul’s calling.

Jackie found us the day before Ayurveda School began and decided to say YES. Today, she’s the host of Elixir Podcast, founder of Madre & The Muse, an Ayurvedic wellness company, and co-founder of Terra Sol Sanctuary, a yoga studio in Wilmington, NC. Her offerings weave in mindfulness and playfulness through a variety of experiential modalities.

As an Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Jackie works within the realms of feminine-form Ayurveda to inspire and empower women - awakening the wisdom within. With a multifaceted background in education, yoga, art, and music, she offers one-on-one Ayurvedic wellness consultations, private and public workshops, and yoga teacher trainings. Explore Jackie’s work: www.madreandthemuse.com 🌿

🦋 There are less than two weeks left to join us in our yearlong Ayurvedic Wellness Coach Certification Training before earlybird tuition closes! Tuition prices go up in November, so don’t wait!

☎️ On the fence about joining us? Comment JACKIE to book a call with Jackie and learn more.

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