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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

Kapha season is that late winter to early spring t Kapha season is that late winter to early spring transition when things start to melt… and sometimes we do too.💦 If you’re feeling a little heavier or slower, or feeling an urge to get things moving and flowing, you’re right on time! We can balance kapha heaviness with foods that lighten, warm and gently stimulate the system. 🌿⁠
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Here are some of our favorite Kapha-balancing foods for spring:⁠
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🧅 Onions + garlic → pungent, heating and help break up stagnation⁠
🫘 Split peas, mung beans, red lentils → light, drying and easy to digest⁠
🫒 Olive oil → a lighter fat that supports without weighing you down⁠
🌿 Fresh herbs → help brighten digestion and adds fresh, spring zest!⁠
🐟 Freshwater fish + wild salmon → clean protein that’s easier to metabolize than heavy meats⁠
🍯 Raw honey → naturally scraping (lekhana), helps reduce excess Kapha⁠
🌾 Amaranth + quinoa + barley + basmati → light, protein-rich grains that don’t create heaviness⁠
🥬 Cabbage + asparagus → bitter, astringent spring veggies that detox + de-bloat (all the greens this season!)⁠
🍇 Dried fruit → provides light sweetness when used in moderation⁠
🍗 Chicken → a lean, grounding protein without excess heaviness⁠
🍎 Apples or seasonal fruit → light, cleansing and supportive for digestion⁠
🥛 Goat milk (or lighter dairy) → easier to digest for kapha than heavier dairy options⁠
🌶️ Heating spices → ginger, turmeric, cumin & black pepper to stoke agni 🔥⁠
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This is the season to eat a little lighter and support your digestion so your energy can come back online.⁠
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🌎 Note: This guidance is for those in the Northern Hemisphere moving into spring. If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, you’ll want to follow a more Vata-balancing, warming and grounding approach as you move into fall.⁠
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✨ Want to learn how to work with your body through every season? Comment WISDOM and we’ll send you our free Divine Feminine Ayurveda mini-course.
There’s only ONE MONTH until we come back togeth There’s only ONE MONTH until we come back together for our second year of feminine-form Ayurvedic studies! Swipe for the deepened feminine-form education you’ll be immersed into in Level 2. 👉🏼😍⁠
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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!⁠
⁠
We start April 21st – just one month from now!⁠
⁠
Want to chat with a graduate about their experience in the Level 2 program? Book a call with a Level 2 Ayurveda School graduate at the link in bio to find out if a second year of the program is aligned with your goals and dreams. ⁠
⁠
Can't wait to see you back in the Shakti School container. We start SO SOON.⁠
⁠
With love,⁠
Katie and Team Shakti
I have a really good friend who once told me somet I have a really good friend who once told me something I will never forget. It pops into my head precisely during those moments when I feel like I am overwhelmed or have too many goals, dreams or just endless mundane items on my to-do list. 

It was this: The goal is to keep the goal the goal.

Seems simple, right? But it is profound precisely because in our day and age, we are BOMBARDED with info, and starving for wisdom. We are, as the youngsters say, suffering from “brain rot.” We tap into our deepest intuitions and then they fly out the door like a toddler on espresso at a birthday party. We get clarity and then we forget. 

Just pause. What are your 5 major life goals right now? Let me give you an example of mine. 

1. Eat clean and right daily. 
2. Meditate for 30 min. And pray to God through my intention to awaken in this life from anything that would keep me from my truest nature. 
3. Do my self-care recovery practices
4. Exercise. 
5. Serve others in an intentional way daily (a.k.a. Not just my selfish desires) 

What are yours?

I recommend writing them on a sticky note and plastering it to your bathroom mirror. Or put it on a card on your altar. 

🌷 See you in class? Level 2 Ayurvedic Health Counselor Online Certification Training begins in just a month and we’re inviting you in. 

With love,
Katie and Team Shakti
Have you ever felt like something going on in your Have you ever felt like something going on in your life was just, “too much to digest?” 

Our bodies respond not only to physical signals, but also to psychoemotional ones.

In Ayurveda, Agni - our metabolic fire and capacity to digest and assimilate food - is more than just physical. 🔥

Agni is the sacred fire that transforms what we take in. Yes that includes food, but it also speaks to our relationships, experiences, creative projects, and even the thoughts and ideas we take in.

When our agni is strong, we don’t just digest our food more smoothly… we metabolize our experiences, emotions, life challenges and the whole messy beautiful ride of being human with more grace and power.

When agni is thriving, the stuck places in our psyches (and yes, also our digestive systems!) begin to move again.

Healing isn’t just about what we eat. It’s about what we’re able to digest in life.

If you’re curious to learn more about tending this inner transformative fire, comment WISDOM and we’ll send you our free Divine Feminine Ayurveda mini-course. 🪔✨
Kapha season is here, sisters. That late winter/ea Kapha season is here, sisters. That late winter/early spring transition when the world starts to thaw, everything feels wet and our bodies can feel a little… slow, heavy or sleepy. ⁠
⁠
Kapha dosha is made of earth + water, which means the qualities of this season are cool, dense, damp and grounding. Early spring has the potential to melt our hearts - but if we’re not mindful, it can also leave us feeling foggy, unmotivated or stuck in the mud.⁠
⁠
The antidote? Here are some simple shifts. 👇🏼⁠
⁠
🌀 First: move your body more than you think you need to. Kapha loves momentum, heat and circulation.⁠
⁠
🥦 Second: eat lighter, spicier, warming foods (think ginger, greens, soups and less heavy dairy and sugar).⁠
⁠
💡 Third: invite novelty and inspiration into your life, because Kapha balance thrives on stimulation, creativity and fresh energy.⁠
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If you’ve been feeling like you’re waking up from winter hibernation… this is your Ayurvedic roadmap back to clarity, lightness and vitality. 🌿⁠
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Ready to dive deeper?⁠
⁠
💧 Comment RELEASE for my podcast episode Ep. 176 Kapha Mama! How to Release the Heavy to learn more about how to balance Kapha dosha.

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