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Ep. 225 Tea with Your Shadow Self: From Self-Sabotage to Self-Compassion with Carly Banks

This graphic inculdes the text, "Spirit Sessions: Find Your True Spiritual Home." It links to a podcast episode titled, Ep. 225 Tea with Your Shadow Self: From Self-Sabotage to Self-Compassion with Carly Banks

What if you invited the parts of yourself that you dislike the most to tea? At The Shakti School, we believe that part of our purpose here on earth is to learn how to truly, fully love ourselves and others. In today’s episode, Katie discusses how we can embody the teachings of Ayurveda, Yoga and Tantra in order to shine a light on our shadow self and become a true yogini, aka a woman who is whole and complete unto herself.

This recording is from a recent session hosted by Carly Banks. Carly is an incredible Ayurveda educator and founder of The Habit Ayurveda!

Learn with Katie LIVE! Join us for a free online workshop called Divine Feminine Ayurveda 101, on Monday, October 6th, at 11 am ET. Click here to sign up!

This graphic says, "Divine Feminine Ayurveda 101" and includes an invitation to a free webinar. There is a picture of a womans hands holding herbs.

In this episode about the shadow self and much more, you’ll hear:

~ An invitation to join our Ayurveda School! Click here to learn more and enroll.

~ The deeper meanings of the Sanskrit word Yoga 

~ Living disconnected from the heart 

~ The Ayurvedic definition of health 

~ Ways we continuously abandon ourselves 

~ Opening to our suffering and shadow self 

~ Why peace is not the goal of spiritual practice 

~ The Vedic concept of Karuṇā 

~ Avoiding common misunderstandings and misuses of Ayurveda 

~ Why we often self-sabotage any time we try to better ourselves

~ Learning to have your own back

~ Why dignity is your superpower

~ Life-changing questions to ask yourself 

~ What is a yogini? 

~ How working with your energy can radically affect your health 

~ Identifying your reactivity patterns

~ Getting to know your shadow self

~ What are Shakti and Shiva?

~ How the feminine flows in cycles

~ The three-legged stool of health

~ Our relationship to food is our relationship to mothering 

~ A guided grounding meditation practice

~ Sign up for our free mini-course about Women’s Wisdom and Ayurveda!

Or Subscribe on iTunes

Connect with Carly Banks and The Shakti School:

~ Check out Carly’s community, The Habit Ayurveda

~ Follow Carly Banks on Instagram

~ Follow The Shakti School on Instagram and Facebook

~ 2026 Chakra Yoga Nidra Retreat: Deep dive into the chakras with Katie as your guide in the Bahamas in spring 2026!

~ Read Katie’s latest book, Glow-Worthy!

~ The Shakti School Membership

Other episodes about the shadow self:

~ Ep. 160 Courage in Facing the Shadow

~ Ep. 124 From Negative Self-Talk to TRUE Self

 

Help Us Spread Our Pod Wings!

I hope you loved this episode about the shadow self and developing 360 degree self-love! This show is a passion project that I produce for the love of sharing. If you love the show and want a free and easy way to help it grow, the most effective way you can help is to:

  1. Subscribe to the show by clicking “subscribe” in iTunes
  2. Write us a review in iTunes or your podcast player of choice
  3. Share this show with a friend right now!

It seems simple, but you’d be AMAZED to know how much it helps my little love project reach more people. iTunes’ algorithm uses ratings and reviews to know who to show our show to in their app.

Here’s the link to leave us reviews in iTunes.

From my heart to yours,

Katie

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Ayurveda views premenstrual symptoms as the manife Ayurveda views premenstrual symptoms as the manifestation of a doshic imbalance. Menstrual symptoms can reflect imbalance in any of the doshas, but typically, the premenstrual period is linked to vata and pitta dosha—things can get too dry, too heated or too emotional.⁠
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It’s especially important to tend to vata dosha during the luteal phase, the couple of weeks that precede your bleed. Tending to vata during this time means grounding, stabilizing and soothing the nervous system. ⁠
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Here are some Ayurvedic recommendations for your luteal phase:⁠
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🍠 Eating For Your Luteal Phase⁠
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• Root vegetables - Carrots, parsnips, beets and sweet potatoes are deeply nourishing and grounding, helping to counter vata anxiety ⁠
• Ghee and healthy fats - Supports healthy hormones and nutrient absorption⁠
• Steamed greens - Leafy greens offer vital nutrients and their bitterness and astringent qualities counter pitta’s heat⁠
• Warm, cooked grains - Steady nourishment for smooth digestion and steady agni⁠
• Soups and stews - Supports digestion and the nervous system at the same time—also beneficial for kapha types and kapha imbalances⁠
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🌿 Supportive Herbs & Spices⁠
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• Turmeric - Helps support the body’s detoxification pathways, aiding hormone regulation⁠
• Ginger - Kindles agni and steadies digestion⁠
• Ashwagandha - Provides essential nervous system steadiness through emotional waves⁠
• Shatavari - Supports women’s hormonal balance; is cooling and moistening⁠
• Brahmi - An Ayurvedic herb known for supporting mental ease and balance⁠
• Cumin - Digestive aid soothing vata (aka goodbye gassiness!)⁠
• Fennel - Cooling digestive support that helps reduce both vata and pitta ⁠
• Coriander - Pitta-reducing to help mitigate irritability and excess heat⁠
• Sesame Seeds - Contain essential minerals and fatty acids that promote hormonal balance⁠
• Fenugreek - Anti-inflammatory qualities may help ease menstrual discomfort⁠
• Mint - Helps to cool and aid digestion, balancing both pitta and vata⁠
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🥀 Save for your next grocery trip during your luteal phase! And if you’re ready for more, comment WISDOM to access our free Divine Feminine Ayurveda course now.
Are you ready to embrace another year of healing, Are you ready to embrace another year of healing, spirit and transformation that fits seamlessly into your busy life? ⁠
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We've gotten started with a couple amazing classes, alongside a beautiful community of women, that are waiting for you as soon as you sign up!⁠
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Level 2 is so special because it’s a much smaller group - this means more opportunity to get to know your cohort (aka Ayurveda best-gal-pals) and the teachers. A more intimate group really gives Level 2 a distinct feel that we absolutely love. And of course, the opportunity to take your studies to the next level!⁠
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Our 2026 Level 2 classes are now in session, and you can start immediately! The first couple of classes of the year are in the Shakti classroom now, waiting for you. Don't miss this opportunity to integrate all that you learned in Level 1 and go deeper into your practice.⁠
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The doors will soon close until 2027... if you've been considering deepening your learning, connecting with an incredible community and supporting your own healing, join us today. 🦋🗝️
Ayurveda doesn’t separate the body into isolated Ayurveda doesn’t separate the body into isolated systems. When you support digestion, you support hormones. When you calm inflammation, you calm the mind. These herbs are working on multiple layers at once, gently guiding the body back into balance.

Here are some foundational herbal helpers to keep in mind for common imbalances:

🫚 For digestion:
• Triphala cleanses, tones the gut and supports elimination
• Trikatu is hot, sharp and activating, cutting through ama
• Hing is pungent and penetrating, breaking up gas and stagnation
• Ginger is warming, helping digestion come online
• Ajwain is a carminative, clearing bloating from the digestive tract

🌿 For inflammation:
• Turmeric moves through the blood, helping clear heat and stagnation
• Guduchi is cooling, restorative and calming
• Amalaki is rejuvenative and cooling, supporting the blood and skin
• Licorice is sweet and soothing, coating irritated tissues and calming the gut and lungs
• Aloe vera is cooling and moistening, pulling heat out of the system

🌀For the nervous system:
• Ashwagandha is grounding, stabilizing and supports the stress response
• Shankhpushpi is calming, clarifying and helps ease anxiety
• Jatamansi helps settle excess vata and support emotional regulation

🧠For mental clarity:
• Brahmi is light and sattvic, clearing mental fog and supporting memory and focus
• Gotu kola supports circulation to the brain, helping create steady, grounded clarity
• Saffron is subtle and uplifting, supporting mood and perception
• Tulsi clears the mind and invigorates the respiratory system, increasing alertness
• Rosemary is aromatic and stimulating, helping wake up the mind and sharpen concentration

🌹 If you’re ready to dive deeper into this work, comment WISDOM for our free Women’s Wisdom and Ayurveda mini-course. 

✨ Calling all Level 1 Graduates - the first classes of our Level 2 Ayurvedic Health Counselor Training are waiting for you inside the virtual classroom and this is the final call to get in the door. Comment “LEVEL2” (one word) to learn more.
Happy Mother’s Day to the mothers, the ones who Happy Mother’s Day to the mothers, the ones who long to be mothers, the ones navigating complicated or tender relationships with their mothers, and the ones learning to mother themselves in new ways. 🌺⁠
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Today we’re honoring the mothers of Team Shakti—the women who shaped us, held us, challenged us and loved us. When we asked our team to describe their mothers, these are just a few of the words that surfaced: generous, earth-conscious, devoted, vibrant, kind, thoughtful, adventurous, loving, supportive.⁠
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We’re also honoring the universal, inner threads that are woven through this holiday and offer something that we can each lean into, no matter our personal stories: the archetype of the Divine Mother. The Inner Mother who lives in all of us.⁠
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Reconnecting with this archetype allows us to become better mothers to ourselves, more compassionate in how we show up for others, and to begin healing the ancestral cords we carry from the lineage of women who came before us.⁠
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Today we are honoring all of it. The love, the complexity and the becoming. Happy Mother’s Day from Katie & Team Shakti! 💐💚✨🌸 Spread the love with us - share a photo of your mom or your stories and make sure to tag us so that we can reshare it!
We are currently being overloaded with pollen over We are currently being overloaded with pollen over here on the East Coast and it’s got me thinking about how we can all navigate allergy season with a little more support…

Allergies are a typical imbalance associated with Kapha season in Ayurveda (late-winter/early spring in the Northern Hemisphere). 💐

Ayurveda understands that allergies are the result of an outer allergen aggravating one of the doshas. Spring seasonal allergies are usually more Kapha-related, since Kapha dominates the environment this time of year. 

An excess of Kapha dosha = sluggishness, mucous and water retention. (Read: classic allergy symptoms). 🤧

🐝 This is the formula for aiding your Kapha seasonal allergies: 
👉🏽 Heat things up + boost circulation + clear and CLEANSE your bodies’ pathways.

Allergies don’t have to be your destiny. Reducing the effects of allergies comes down to boosting agni + reducing ama +  supporting immunity. 

Save this for allergy rescue. And let us know what makes the biggest difference for you this time of year. 🫡🌸

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