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Ep. 209 A Good Death: Sensuality, Life and Learning to Die Authentically with Katy Butler

Spirit Sessions Podcast Ep. 209 A Good Death: Sensuality, Life and Learning to Die Authentically with Katy Butler

Today Katie is joined by Buddhist journalist and New York Times bestseller, Katy Butler. Her books examine how our culture has over-medicalized death and lost touch with its sacredness. In this episode, Katy and Katie candidly discuss the topics others often avoid including food addictions, death and finding your voice in the bedroom!

If you’re ready to deepen your spiritual practice we invite you to join the 2025 class of our Divine Feminine Ayurveda School. Doors close soon, so click here to learn more and enroll today!

CW: Abuse against women and childhood abuse are mentioned in this episode which may be triggering for some listeners.

In this episode with Katy Butler, you’ll hear:

~ An invitation to our Feminine-Form Ayurveda School!

~ How Katy overcame her food addiction

~ How to start shedding shame

~ Katy Butlers’s experiences studying with Thich Nhat Hanh

~ The importance of telling your story

~ How Katy Butler found her journalistic voice

~ The five Buddhist remembrances

~ Lessons learned from watching a loved one die

~ What is a good death?

~ The Ars Moriendi (The Art of Dying)

~ Bringing homegrown ritual into your life and death

~ Finding your voice in the bedroom

~ How Katy keeps her relationship steamy in her 70s

~ Get our free mini-course about Women’s Wisdom and Ayurveda!

Other resources mentioned in this episode:

~ Learn more about our Ayurveda School

~ Connect with Katy Butler on her website and Facebook

~ Katy’s first book, Knocking on Heaven’s Door

~ Katy’s latest book, The Art of Dying Well

~ Read Katy Butler’s article in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Not Empty, Not Full

~ The Hite Report: A National Study of Female Sexuality

~ Our Spirit Sessions Membership

~ Follow The Shakti School on Instagram and Facebook

Related episodes:

~ Ep. 142 360 Degree Love: It Ain’t All Sex, Bonbons and Roses

~ Ep. 205 Winter Magic, Death and Dignity

Or Subscribe on iTunes

Learn more:

  • Ayurveda Certification
  • The Shakti School Subscription

Help Us Spread Our Pod Wings!

I hope you loved this discussion with Katy Butler! This show is a passion project that I produce for the love of sharing. If you love 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
  3. Share this show with one friend right now!

It’s 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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Ep. 186 Menopause Made Me Look Like My Mother with Mary Thompson

This is a picture of Mary Thompson and Katie Silcox. It links to the show notes for and episode of the Spirit Sessions podcast about menopause.

If you’re perimenopausal or know someone in menopause, this episode is for you! Unfortunately, much of the mainstream conversation around menopause shames women for experiencing symptoms, but in this episode, Katie and fellow Ayurveda wise woman Mary Thompson offer a softer, more spiritual perspective. They discuss common symptoms of perimenopause, simple Ayurvedic practices you can use to mitigate these symptoms and the spiritual gifts of menopause!

Want to learn more about menopause and women's wellness from Mary Thompson and our other amazing teachers? Our year-long Ayurveda School is open for registration!

 

In this episode you’ll hear: 

~ What's going on in your body during menopause?

~ Freeing yourself from shame

~ Common perimenopause symptoms

~ Ayurvedic practices to prevent and soothe symptoms of menopause

~ The deeper meaning of our symptoms and struggle

~ What does Ayurveda say about bioidentical hormones?

~ The maiden, mother, creatrix and crone

~ The Ama - Agni - Ojas formula

~ Benefits of seasonal Ayurvedic Cleansing for hormone balance

~ The spiritual gifts of menopause

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

 

Other links mentioned in this episode:

~ Mary's Podcast: Ayur.. What Now?

~ Mary’s website: The Ayurvedic Approach

~ Herbalist Susun Weed

~ Book: Strong Women Stay Young

Or Subscribe on iTunes

Learn more:

  • Ayurveda Certification
  • The Shakti School Subscription

HELP US SPREAD OUR POD WINGS

Did you love listening to this conversation about menopause and Ayurvedic practices to sooth perimenopause symptoms? This show is a passion project that I produce for the love of sharing. If you enjoy this 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
  3. Share this show with one 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.

Have fun stepping into the menopause energy of the Creatrix!

From my heart to your screen,

Katie

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Ep. 31 Better Digestion, Sex and Less Wrinkles? Thanks, Ghee!

Learn the ancient healing knowledge of Ghee and how it can be used to boost your digestion, sex and nourish skin.

In this episode I discuss:

~What the heck is a fat free burger?

~A dream about Ghee

~The truth about Fat

~How Ghee is healing and why Fat is your friend

~A fat-free lifestyle is a sex-free lifestyle.

~The mama energy

~The nectar of love

~Ghee as a Gut Balm

~Ghee moisturizer I love!

~Other Ghee products for the body: Banyan’s Beauty Balm, other balms

~How Ghee effects different tissues in your body

~How Ghee effects our fertility

~Ghee as a metaphor for love

~The use of Ghee in detoxification

~How to MAKE Ghee!

~Lineage of Love Free Trial!

~We have new friends in the Ahara Ghee family! Use promocode GHEESPOT at checkout for $5 off your order.

Studies Cited:

~Harvard Study: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/magazine/magazine_article/is-butter-really-back/

~Fats: https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/know-your-fats/the-skinny-on-fats/

Or Subscribe on iTunes

Learn more:

Shakti Ayurveda School

Lineage of Love Community

HELP US SPREAD OUR POD WINGS

This show is a passion project that I produce for the love of sharing. If you enjoy this 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
  3. Share this show with one friend right now!

It’s 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 your screen,

Katie

Continue Reading

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theshaktischool

TheShaktiSchool

Regulating your nervous system isn’t about feeli Regulating your nervous system isn’t about feeling calm 24/7.⁠
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It’s about giving your nervous system accurate information about what’s happening right now, so it can respond appropriately instead of reacting from old, undigested experiences.⁠
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We can support that process with the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, through what we eat, how we move, how we breathe and how we live out our daily rhythms.⁠
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Vata is deeply tied to the nervous system And the biggest secret to grounding Vata? → We slow things down. ⁠
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In our culture, peak Vata season lands right in the middle of the holiday season, exactly when we all have the most to do. So this is THE most important time to ground + regulate.⁠
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🌬️ Comment SOMATIC to get my FREE class, Healing the Nervous System with Somatic Ayurveda to learn how to deeply ground and regulate in winter.
We’ve been taught to chase healing like an endle We’ve been taught to chase healing like an endless laundry list of ways to “fix” ourselves. 

But nervous system regulation doesn’t come from doing more…it comes from being with what’s here.

If you’ve been feeling amped, anxious or like your nervous system’s running on fumes, I FEEL YOU. 

And you’re not alone. 

But the truth is: your body was never meant to live in fight-or-flight all the time. 

What is more, have you ever noticed that you feel GUILTY about feeling out of whack? 

It’s like a double whammy to the soul (and the nervous system). 

Here’s what I want us all to remember: your nervous system isn’t broken.

It’s just overwhelmed. Overcooked. Overlooked. I know you, because I AM you. 

Here are a few new ways I’ve been helping myself calm down from the inside out:

1️⃣ 🌬 Low-belly breath and minerals in my water before coffee. Two minutes. Hands on your womb. Feel the exhale lengthen. Drink water BEFORE caffeine in the AM. 

2️⃣ 🌿 Warm and wet heals everything. Warm water, warm foods, warm embraces and warm words to yourself.

3️⃣ 💃 Micro-movement = macro-shift. Roll your shoulders. Circle your hips. Shake for 60 seconds. 

4️⃣ 🕯 Create a micro-altar. Light a candle. Put a sticky note on it. Whatever it takes to find moments of intention.

5️⃣ 💗 Replace self-fixing with LOVING the ever loving heck out of this incarnation. You don’t need another plan. You need presence and love dropping down into your flesh like HONEY. 

With love,
Katie

✨ 💻 Ready for a FREE masterclass on Healing the Nervous System with Somatic Ayurveda? Just comment SOMATIC below and I’ll send you the class where we dive in deep.
“Does your school teach the real theoretical fou “Does your school teach the real theoretical foundation and philosophy of Ayurveda? Or is it just focused on feminine embodiment?”⁠
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Goddess, we get this question all the time. ⁠
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And the real answer? ⁠
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We teach BOTH. 💫 ⁠
⁠
We are deeply committed to feminine-form embodiment, but we also geek out on traditional Ayurveda, and our faculty are some of the best Ayurvedic practitioners in the world.⁠
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In our feminine-form Ayurveda School, we start here: You are already whole, worthy and loved exactly as you are.⁠
⁠
From that foundation, we bow in reverence before the traditional science and art of Ayurvedic health - and we dive in deep (you’ll end the year knowing more Sanskrit than you ever thought was possible). 🧠⁠
⁠
And this is the thing: When it comes to masculine/feminine, it’s not either/or. ⁠
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It’s both/and. 🫱🏽‍🫲🏼⁠
⁠
And this belief is at the core of our entire yearlong curriculum.⁠
⁠
In Module 2: Theory, we dive into the foundational principles that make Ayurveda work:⁠
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✔ Metabolics: How digestion, assimilation and elimination power your energy and health.⁠
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✔ The Subdoshas: The subtypes of Vata, Pitta and Kapha, and how they influence everything from mood to digestion.⁠
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✔ The Gunas: The qualities of nature (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) that shape mind, body and spirit.⁠
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✔ Dinacharya: Daily rhythms and routines to harmonize with your natural cycles.⁠
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✔ The Seven Dhatus: The body’s tissues, their functions and what happens when they go out of balance.⁠
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This is where feminine embodiment meets Ayurvedic mastery. You’ll leave with a deep understanding of the why behind Ayurveda, so your daily practices and coaching can be grounded in both embodied wisdom and science. 🌿⁠
⁠
🌹 Ready to go deeper?⁠
⁠
💻 Comment WISDOM to get our free Women’s Wisdom & Ayurveda course and start learning.⁠
⁠
🌿 Comment AYURVEDASCHOOL for the full program details.
Every highly sensitive person heading home for the Every highly sensitive person heading home for the holidays like… 😵‍💫🌀

The Divine Feminine reminds us that sensitivity is a gift. But it needs grounding, nourishment and yes, boundaries, to stay balanced (especially during the holidays).

So take your herbs, pack your tea and protect your routines, sister.

With a regulated nervous system and strong spiritual center we can discover greater connection with ourselves, our loved ones and yes, even this chaotic world that’s sometimes hard to comprehend.

P.S. We created our FREE Women’s Wisdom and Ayurveda Mini Course for highly sensitive women just like you—to help you come back home to who you really are using these ancient practices.

🌹 Comment WISDOM to get access now and reconnect with your deepest Self—no matter what planet you find yourself on this holiday season.
I’ve always said that golden milk is guardian an I’ve always said that golden milk is guardian angel medicine. 🪽 Turmeric and its sister spices cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and saffron reduce inflammation, support deep restoration and help the body unwind. This nourishing elixir is perfect post-workout, if you’re recovering from illness (or just a stressful day) or to ease restlessness before bed. ⁠
⁠
If you want to learn more about how food, herbs and lifestyle can support your hormones and nervous system through a feminine-form Ayurvedic lens, sign up for our free mini course, Women’s Wisdom and Ayurveda. ⁠
⁠
🤲🏼 Comment WISDOM to access now.

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