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(Transcribed by TurboScribe. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) The easy answer, and I admit the one

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that I have been guilty of from time

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to time, is a kind of black and

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white thinking that makes you think that taking

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the spiritual out of practices like yoga, and

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meditation and mindfulness is a Western thing to

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do.

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And to some extent, that is true.

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However, that type of thinking also does not

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fully grasp the work of Swami Vivekananda, as

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well as BK Iyengar, and others who are

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working very diligently to bring yoga to audiences

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in Europe, in the Americas.

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And I've sat with this, I've taken several

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classes on yoga, on Buddhism, on histories, both

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medieval and earlier histories and more modern histories.

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I've read a lot of books, I have

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a lot more books to read, just I've

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really sat with this.

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And the answer that I have kind of

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come to is that, while my personal preference

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is to incorporate the spiritual into my practice,

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I also choose to look at it a

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little differently than a lot of those who

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are proposing the black and white thinking.

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And that's what I wanted to talk to

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you about today.

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You're listening to Feathermane Soul Wisdom, a podcast

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for those looking to rediscover their wild spirit

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in spite of life's challenges.

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If you're living with a chronic illness or

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neurodivergent or consider yourself disabled, and you're looking

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to connect with your own inner untamed essence,

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then this show is for you.

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Your host is Kit Kaelstoe, Wild Spirit Storyteller.

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Thanks for listening.

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And now on to the episode.

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I'm Kit Kaelstoe, your host.

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And I want to start today by going

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over a topic that I know you've heard

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me talk about before, but I feel like

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it really sets the groundwork for what we're

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about to discuss, which is regulating your nervous

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system, using tools to regulate your nervous system

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as a form of devotion and in conjunction

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with your spirituality without necessarily falling into the

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thinking that you may have about what spirituality

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is, specifically religion.

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So I always like to begin these conversations

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by just reiterating that when I talk about

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spirituality, I am not talking about organized religion

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or religious faiths, or any sort of belief

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in a deity or deities or spiritual deity

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religious system.

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That's not what I'm talking about.

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When I talk about spirituality, I follow the

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dictionary definition that is found in the Merriam

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-Webster dictionary, m-w.com if you want

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to look it up, that basically says spirituality

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is a devotion to something larger than yourself.

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Full stop.

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Doesn't define what that is, doesn't state that

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that has to be within a certain belief

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system within a certain religious framework.

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It's simply a devotion to something larger than

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yourself.

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That could be a concept.

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So in today's conversation, we're talking about tools

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like yoga and meditation that often had a

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spiritual or religious component to them, but not

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necessarily depending on who's teaching, what school and

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lineage everything came from.

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Or they may have been completely removed from

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that, which is something that's happened a lot

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as these tools have become studied more diligently

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for their health benefits.

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So we see this in Mindfulness Based Stress

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Reduction, MBSR, which is taught, I believe, at

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Brown University.

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I know I'm on their mailing list.

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I really want to take some of their

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classes eventually.

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We could look at, there is a form

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of Yoga Nidra that was specifically developed to

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help veterans with PTSD.

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And when we look at that, I know

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there's also a hospital in Texas.

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I've heard the gentleman speak that's doing a

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lot of work with meditation and mindfulness in

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cancer patients.

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So when you think about the health benefits

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that these have, meditation, mindfulness, being present, and

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the ways that they're studied for pain relief,

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for relaxation, for sleep, for mental health conditions,

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then the spirituality is pretty much divorced from

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them.

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What I would like to talk to you

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about today is to bring the spirituality back.

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And the larger than yourself.

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And again, I just want to say it

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could be a concept.

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And with that concept, we could think of

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it as inner peace, relaxation, feeling good, whatever

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good means to you, being calm and present.

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That could be a concept that is part

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of your devotion.

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It could also be a devotion on a

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larger level, for example, like the planet, or

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compassion.

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It could also be devotion, or thinking of

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connecting with the universe, the broader universe, the

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global community of humanity.

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Whatever that concept or whatever they bring to

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you, that would be part of spirituality.

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And the reason why I mentioned this is

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because there is a school of yoga called

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bhakti yoga.

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Bhakti is devotion.

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And the devotion of bhakti takes many different

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forms.

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Bhakti comes from the Sanskrit root bhaj, which

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means to divide, share, or partake.

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And it implies a two-way sharing of

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love and affection between the devotee and the

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divine.

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It is not just an emotion, it is

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also considered to be an active, committed engagement.

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So bhakti is something that you do, you

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experience it, but you experience it through the

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act of doing.

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Bhakti yoga is considered one of the primary

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methods or yogas to achieve that spiritual realization

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of union with the divine.

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And to do that, you're going to use

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love and affection as an active bond that

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unites your consciousness with divine consciousness.

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And it is very accessible.

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And it also emphasizes simple actions, like an

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offering, like a flower, a cup of water,

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over more expensive rituals, over more specific rigid

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rituals.

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And you can find this devotion expressed a

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lot of times through singing or chanting or

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reciting hymns, something that you may experience if

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you ever watch videos like on YouTube of

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like kirtan.

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There are also seva, or performing acts of

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service as an offering to the God.

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And I'm talking about God here.

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But I think it's important to note that

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in Hindu philosophy, everything is an expression of

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Brahma or the universal divine.

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And so even though there may be different

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deities, even though there may be different actions,

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it is all the universal divine spark.

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And your your bhakti or your devotion or

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love also connects with the spark of divinity

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inside of you.

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So if we broaden our lens just a

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little bit, you know, one of the things

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that has really resonated with me is hearing

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that the you know, we are all the

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universe made flesh, we are the universe trying

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to figure itself out.

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And so it's doing that in human form.

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So if our devotion is to the universe

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or to the wall, the wider community of

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humanity, then that bhakti or that devotion could

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be to humanity in general, the spark of

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the universe that is inside all humans, the

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spark of the universe that unites all of

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us.

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And I think that's important to think about

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because when we talk about neuro, when we

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talk about our nervous system regulation, the things

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that come along with that neuro nervous system

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regulation is sometimes a lot of feelings that

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we're not worthy.

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We might feel that we're different from other

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humans that we don't know how to human

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correctly, that we don't quite feel like we're,

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you know, we're right, we feel like we're

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broken, we feel like we're wrong.

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And a lot of that has to do

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with the stories that we were told by

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other people trying to get us to conform

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to their ideas of what humanity should be

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like, or what we should be like, as

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far as somebody that's connected with their cultural

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beliefs and ideas.

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And so, for me, when we start thinking

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about radical kindness or radical acceptance to of

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ourselves, radical love to ourselves, to me Bhakti

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falls right into that same line of thinking

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that it is radical devotion to ourselves, not

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in a way that places us above anybody

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else, not in a way that says that

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we're better than anybody else.

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But a radical devotion to ourselves or radical

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love to ourselves, because we are just as

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worthy of devotion, or we are just as

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worthy of love as anybody else on this

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planet.

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It's the kind of thought process where if

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you start if you if you get into

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that mindset where you feel like you're not

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worthy, or you feel like you're not deserving

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of something, then you start to think, well,

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you know, if these other people are deserving

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of it, what do they have that I

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don't?

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And there may be material things or physical

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things that they have that you don't.

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But at the end of the day, as

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far as we know, you know, we're all

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human.

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You know, we're all human and those physical

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things really have absolutely no bearing on our

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humanness, or our worth and our deservingness of

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things that every human is deserving of human

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rights, housing, food, water, love, companionship, companionship,

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understanding, self determination, I could go on the

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list of things that we are all deserving

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of, and that no one has a right

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to take away from anybody else is very

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long.

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And it is very egalitarian, because we all

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have the same rights to those.

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And so to me, bhakti is a devotion

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or a love of self.

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Because through that I am connecting with the

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part of me that is connected to the

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larger world that's connected to the divine, the

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ecosystem inside my body, that mirrors the ecosystem

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of this planet.

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And I actually have a podcast, probably in

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a couple of weeks, I think I haven't

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looked at my schedule recently, that will be

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talking a bit about that.

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The ways in that my wild nature, the

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parts of my brain that maybe aren't considered

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as civilized, like my amygdala, that that, you

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know, that lizard brain, science and psychology calls

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it the lizard, the amygdala, the lizard brain,

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because it's very much fight, flight, free, flee,

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freeze.

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But it also has those very primal urges.

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And no matter, you know, how fancy our

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clothes, no matter how civilized we think of

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ourselves, we all still have those primal urges.

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And what sets us apart is our relationship

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with our fellow beings on this planet, and

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how we treat our fellow beings on this

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planet.

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So when we think about bhakti, and devotion

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to nervous system regulation, I really think for

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me, it's taking the scientific minded, the prescription

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that I have spoken against, and I still

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do, I feel like we can't just prescribe

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yoga or prescribe meditation.

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While I can certainly tell you that they

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help.

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And the way that I approach them is

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different from just like writing a prescription for

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a medicine.

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I also think we are all different enough

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that it's very much not one size fits

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00:14:29,130 --> 00:14:29,410
all.

269
00:14:30,030 --> 00:14:32,530
And I think one of the keys to

270
00:14:32,530 --> 00:14:35,450
finding a way of meditation that works for

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00:14:35,450 --> 00:14:40,790
you is to be able to find a

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00:14:40,790 --> 00:14:43,670
way to access or that makes that practice

273
00:14:43,670 --> 00:14:46,650
accessible to you, a way to make that

274
00:14:46,650 --> 00:14:48,270
practice work for you.

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00:14:49,110 --> 00:14:53,070
And bhakti or devotion is one way to

276
00:14:53,070 --> 00:14:53,590
do that.

277
00:14:54,370 --> 00:14:58,690
So how does that look when we're talking

278
00:14:58,690 --> 00:15:00,770
about nervous system regulation?

279
00:15:01,650 --> 00:15:05,210
First of all, what is nervous system regulation?

280
00:15:06,610 --> 00:15:11,810
Well, there are probably as many different definitions

281
00:15:11,810 --> 00:15:14,110
of that as there are practitioners, and then

282
00:15:14,110 --> 00:15:16,390
you can probably double that number of definitions.

283
00:15:17,610 --> 00:15:21,870
For me, when my nervous system is regulated,

284
00:15:22,570 --> 00:15:25,990
it means that if I am triggered, so

285
00:15:25,990 --> 00:15:27,110
let me back up a bit.

286
00:15:27,670 --> 00:15:31,170
When I talk about nervous system regulation, I

287
00:15:31,170 --> 00:15:33,950
am not talking about never, ever being triggered,

288
00:15:34,150 --> 00:15:39,110
never ever being depressed, never ever having an

289
00:15:39,110 --> 00:15:41,450
experience that is less than ideal.

290
00:15:42,710 --> 00:15:45,890
When I'm talking about nervous system regulation, I'm

291
00:15:45,890 --> 00:15:48,370
talking about being in tune with your body,

292
00:15:49,030 --> 00:15:51,410
in tune with your thoughts, in tune with

293
00:15:51,410 --> 00:15:52,990
what's going on with your mind.

294
00:15:54,050 --> 00:15:56,970
And this may be difficult, especially for my

295
00:15:56,970 --> 00:16:01,870
neurodivergent community, because one of the great stories,

296
00:16:02,890 --> 00:16:05,690
and great is in air quotes there, that

297
00:16:05,690 --> 00:16:08,490
we're told by the people around us when

298
00:16:08,490 --> 00:16:11,210
we're younger, is that we can't trust what

299
00:16:11,210 --> 00:16:12,950
our own body is telling us, what our

300
00:16:12,950 --> 00:16:15,750
own mind and body and nervous system is

301
00:16:15,750 --> 00:16:17,330
telling us that something is too much and

302
00:16:17,330 --> 00:16:17,890
overwhelming.

303
00:16:18,410 --> 00:16:21,450
We're told we need to ignore that because

304
00:16:21,450 --> 00:16:23,970
of some random arbitrary reason.

305
00:16:25,230 --> 00:16:29,330
So one of the first acts of bhakti

306
00:16:29,330 --> 00:16:32,570
or devotion is simply listening to yourself and

307
00:16:32,570 --> 00:16:34,870
honoring what your body is telling you.

308
00:16:35,430 --> 00:16:36,610
Being curious.

309
00:16:37,470 --> 00:16:41,730
For me, curiosity goes hand in hand with

310
00:16:41,730 --> 00:16:42,290
devotion.

311
00:16:43,230 --> 00:16:46,110
Because when I am curious about something, I

312
00:16:46,110 --> 00:16:47,450
want to explore it.

313
00:16:48,030 --> 00:16:49,630
I want to learn more about it.

314
00:16:50,210 --> 00:16:52,030
I want to find out how it fits

315
00:16:52,030 --> 00:16:54,870
in my world or in my worldview, and

316
00:16:54,870 --> 00:16:56,510
how I can connect with it.

317
00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:00,160
You know, it's like when you when you

318
00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:02,620
see a cat, maybe it's a stray cat,

319
00:17:03,119 --> 00:17:05,540
and you may crouch down and you'll hold

320
00:17:05,540 --> 00:17:08,460
out your hand and make the noise.

321
00:17:08,819 --> 00:17:09,520
You know, you're curious.

322
00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:11,000
You're like, Who are you?

323
00:17:11,119 --> 00:17:12,079
You know, are you friendly?

324
00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:13,300
Would you like attention?

325
00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:14,740
What do you need?

326
00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:18,560
It's that sort of, I'd like to get

327
00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:20,260
to know you better, but I'd like to

328
00:17:20,260 --> 00:17:23,380
do that on your own terms, not rush

329
00:17:23,380 --> 00:17:24,839
over, pick you up and squeeze you in

330
00:17:24,839 --> 00:17:25,500
a big hug.

331
00:17:26,060 --> 00:17:27,620
That might be fun for you.

332
00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:29,680
Not so much fun for the stray cat.

333
00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:32,880
Likewise, for your nervous system.

334
00:17:33,940 --> 00:17:36,100
Your nervous system is going to freak out

335
00:17:36,100 --> 00:17:36,940
if you do that.

336
00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:39,680
It is much easier to take a slow,

337
00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:44,180
cautious, curious, Hey, okay, I'm feeling something.

338
00:17:44,340 --> 00:17:45,280
What am I feeling?

339
00:17:45,340 --> 00:17:46,920
What is coming up for me?

340
00:17:47,620 --> 00:17:51,360
Oh, I'm realizing I'm overwhelmed by this sensation

341
00:17:51,360 --> 00:17:52,160
in my body.

342
00:17:52,860 --> 00:17:56,500
I should probably quit ignoring that sensation, which

343
00:17:56,500 --> 00:17:59,680
for me recently was my chronic pain, and

344
00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:02,240
actually tried to do something to help it

345
00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:05,340
and see if I can't bring my overwhelm

346
00:18:05,340 --> 00:18:06,240
levels down.

347
00:18:06,940 --> 00:18:09,440
And lo and behold, if I actually tried

348
00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:11,740
to treat my pain, instead of ignoring it,

349
00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:14,740
I can bring my overwhelm levels down.

350
00:18:14,820 --> 00:18:19,280
That's bhakti, inaction, devotion to yourself to regulate

351
00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:20,280
your nervous system.

352
00:18:21,160 --> 00:18:24,020
So when I talk about regulating the nervous

353
00:18:24,020 --> 00:18:27,720
system, I'm talking about being aware.

354
00:18:27,980 --> 00:18:30,680
So if you are triggered, because it's going

355
00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,660
to happen, it's not something we can avoid

356
00:18:33,660 --> 00:18:35,080
no matter how much you try.

357
00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:40,420
Especially if like me, you're a ADHD, because

358
00:18:40,420 --> 00:18:44,600
the the quiet calmness that soothes the autism

359
00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:47,320
kind of drives the ADHD part of your

360
00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:48,180
brain up the wall.

361
00:18:48,340 --> 00:18:50,580
So it's trying to find that happy medium.

362
00:18:50,580 --> 00:18:52,540
And sometimes you go too far in either

363
00:18:52,540 --> 00:18:53,140
direction.

364
00:18:55,460 --> 00:18:58,100
So when you have that regulated nervous system,

365
00:18:58,100 --> 00:19:02,640
you can recognize Oh, I just got triggered.

366
00:19:02,820 --> 00:19:03,380
Okay.

367
00:19:04,600 --> 00:19:06,180
What do I need right now?

368
00:19:07,120 --> 00:19:08,940
And if you don't know what you need

369
00:19:08,940 --> 00:19:12,720
right now, can I just sit with this

370
00:19:12,720 --> 00:19:16,940
feeling and explore it?

371
00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:18,340
Or can I just sit with this feeling

372
00:19:18,340 --> 00:19:19,880
and be curious about it?

373
00:19:21,020 --> 00:19:25,200
Okay, maybe I'll try some some breathing exercises.

374
00:19:26,140 --> 00:19:29,040
Breathe in, breathe out.

375
00:19:29,500 --> 00:19:31,060
Okay, I'm feeling calmer now.

376
00:19:31,140 --> 00:19:32,180
That seems to work.

377
00:19:32,300 --> 00:19:33,620
Let's do that a little bit more.

378
00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:37,340
You know, I'm not I'm not talking about

379
00:19:37,340 --> 00:19:39,980
a strenuous, you know, like hot yoga practice.

380
00:19:40,460 --> 00:19:42,500
You know, oh, I've been sitting at the

381
00:19:42,500 --> 00:19:46,400
computer hyper focusing for an hour working on

382
00:19:46,400 --> 00:19:46,900
something.

383
00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:48,900
Maybe I should move.

384
00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:50,420
So I'm going to get up, I'm going

385
00:19:50,420 --> 00:19:51,860
to stretch, I'm going to do a couple

386
00:19:51,860 --> 00:19:52,800
yoga poses.

387
00:19:53,660 --> 00:19:55,060
Okay, that felt good.

388
00:19:55,180 --> 00:19:56,760
Do I need to do some more?

389
00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:58,440
Am I ready to sit back down and

390
00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:00,120
work for another stretch?

391
00:20:00,220 --> 00:20:01,580
What do I need to do here?

392
00:20:02,660 --> 00:20:05,160
You know, I start my morning with a

393
00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:07,680
sun salutation with a small yoga practice.

394
00:20:08,780 --> 00:20:11,240
Because that kind of that settles me after

395
00:20:11,240 --> 00:20:14,000
the nightmares I have in the evenings when

396
00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:14,660
I sleep.

397
00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:16,680
You know, okay, now I'm settled.

398
00:20:17,060 --> 00:20:20,240
Now I can face my day, that sort

399
00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:20,760
of thing.

400
00:20:22,500 --> 00:20:25,920
So when we start thinking about those practices,

401
00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:31,820
not as prescriptions, not as medicinal practices, but

402
00:20:31,820 --> 00:20:35,240
rather as care and devotion that we deserve,

403
00:20:35,780 --> 00:20:40,100
and that we are entitled to, we can

404
00:20:40,100 --> 00:20:45,580
begin to combine bhakti or love, or the

405
00:20:45,580 --> 00:20:48,660
spiritual, you know, the spiritual connection with something

406
00:20:48,660 --> 00:20:54,120
larger than ourselves, with being in tune with

407
00:20:54,120 --> 00:20:59,000
our own body, with understanding that our body

408
00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:02,400
is made of star stuff, the same elements

409
00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:04,160
that are in the stars are in our

410
00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:07,020
bodies are in our earth is in everything

411
00:21:07,020 --> 00:21:07,920
around us.

412
00:21:08,100 --> 00:21:10,520
And so we have that larger connection.

413
00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:15,180
We have that connection with the wild earth

414
00:21:15,180 --> 00:21:17,300
with with the earth that we try to

415
00:21:17,300 --> 00:21:20,240
tame, you know, thunderstorms roll through.

416
00:21:20,500 --> 00:21:23,080
Well, if you think about your system, you

417
00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:25,320
know, storms roll through your body as well.

418
00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:27,220
That's what tears are.

419
00:21:27,360 --> 00:21:29,760
When you cry, that's a that's an emotional

420
00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:30,580
release.

421
00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:34,760
You know, the the emotions, the hormones, the

422
00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:37,020
cortisol that all gets too much in the

423
00:21:37,020 --> 00:21:37,420
body.

424
00:21:37,500 --> 00:21:39,040
And it and for me, it comes out

425
00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:39,660
my eyes.

426
00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:40,660
And so I cry.

427
00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:43,060
You know, when the grief gets to be

428
00:21:43,060 --> 00:21:45,100
too heavy or too much, it builds up

429
00:21:45,100 --> 00:21:46,680
like energy in the atmosphere.

430
00:21:47,460 --> 00:21:49,100
So if you start to connect those two

431
00:21:49,100 --> 00:21:54,020
things, you start to see that just like

432
00:21:54,020 --> 00:21:57,140
there is gentle waves, as well as larger

433
00:21:57,140 --> 00:21:59,300
waves when there are storms, but there's always

434
00:21:59,300 --> 00:22:00,580
movement on this planet.

435
00:22:00,700 --> 00:22:01,820
There's always cycles.

436
00:22:02,500 --> 00:22:05,960
There's always times of rest, followed by times

437
00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:06,700
of activity.

438
00:22:08,220 --> 00:22:10,240
And when you think about all of that,

439
00:22:10,340 --> 00:22:13,640
and you make that connection, then incorporating those

440
00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:16,980
those cycles, those movements, the periods of rest,

441
00:22:17,500 --> 00:22:21,040
the nervous system regulation into your own body.

442
00:22:21,980 --> 00:22:24,900
When you start to combine all of that,

443
00:22:25,060 --> 00:22:26,640
you really start to see that we are

444
00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:28,640
connected to something larger than ourselves.

445
00:22:31,030 --> 00:22:34,510
So I know I've been speaking very, very

446
00:22:34,510 --> 00:22:35,050
abstract.

447
00:22:35,610 --> 00:22:38,190
I've been speaking kind of in big sweeping

448
00:22:38,190 --> 00:22:40,410
generalizations here for this podcast.

449
00:22:41,050 --> 00:22:43,530
So I would I would like to just

450
00:22:43,530 --> 00:22:48,570
invite you to think about maybe not even

451
00:22:48,570 --> 00:22:53,450
something as strenuous as a full sun salutation

452
00:22:53,450 --> 00:22:55,410
or a full session of yoga.

453
00:22:56,330 --> 00:23:00,230
I'd like to invite you that when things

454
00:23:00,230 --> 00:23:02,910
start feeling overwhelming, when things when you start

455
00:23:02,910 --> 00:23:05,410
feeling like when you get that, you know,

456
00:23:05,510 --> 00:23:07,270
that drumbeat of too much, too much, too

457
00:23:07,270 --> 00:23:10,030
much in your brain, when I invite you

458
00:23:10,030 --> 00:23:17,600
just to stop, take a deep breath, release

459
00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:22,610
that breath, and just bring your focus back

460
00:23:22,610 --> 00:23:24,730
to your body and back to your breath.

461
00:23:25,530 --> 00:23:27,990
That for a moment, you can set aside

462
00:23:27,990 --> 00:23:30,530
the too much, the to do list, the

463
00:23:30,530 --> 00:23:33,310
everything you need to do the people, the

464
00:23:33,310 --> 00:23:36,250
critters you need to take care of, the

465
00:23:36,250 --> 00:23:39,870
chores, the finances, the job, everything that this

466
00:23:39,870 --> 00:23:41,150
life throws at us.

467
00:23:41,710 --> 00:23:44,590
Set that aside for 30 seconds to a

468
00:23:44,590 --> 00:23:48,310
minute and just breathe and see how that

469
00:23:48,310 --> 00:23:48,870
feels.

470
00:23:49,670 --> 00:23:51,410
It might feel really good.

471
00:23:51,490 --> 00:23:54,070
It might feel really weird if you're not

472
00:23:54,070 --> 00:23:56,330
used to that kind of, okay, I need

473
00:23:56,330 --> 00:23:58,390
to take 30 seconds for me devotion.

474
00:23:59,730 --> 00:24:02,730
You might feel as if you're doing something

475
00:24:02,730 --> 00:24:03,290
wrong.

476
00:24:03,490 --> 00:24:06,170
You might feel as if you're going to

477
00:24:06,170 --> 00:24:07,910
get in trouble if you take time for

478
00:24:07,910 --> 00:24:08,530
yourself.

479
00:24:09,010 --> 00:24:11,290
Because again, that's another one of those stories

480
00:24:11,290 --> 00:24:14,870
that kind of gets, you know, pushed into

481
00:24:14,870 --> 00:24:15,590
our psyches.

482
00:24:17,010 --> 00:24:20,030
Whatever you're feeling after that 30 seconds is

483
00:24:20,030 --> 00:24:22,290
perfectly normal and I don't want you to

484
00:24:22,290 --> 00:24:23,210
give up on it.

485
00:24:24,790 --> 00:24:27,370
If your brain tells you, oh, I took

486
00:24:27,370 --> 00:24:29,110
30 seconds, I want to get in trouble.

487
00:24:30,470 --> 00:24:32,110
I invite you to be curious.

488
00:24:32,310 --> 00:24:32,850
Will I?

489
00:24:35,030 --> 00:24:38,090
Does something come up in the next hour,

490
00:24:38,230 --> 00:24:40,010
in the next 30 minutes, in the next

491
00:24:40,010 --> 00:24:42,750
10 minutes that would make you think that

492
00:24:42,750 --> 00:24:43,710
you're getting in trouble?

493
00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:50,680
Now, if you're at a work environment and

494
00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:52,940
you take 30 seconds to breathe and somebody

495
00:24:52,940 --> 00:24:55,660
says something to you, I want to tell

496
00:24:55,660 --> 00:24:57,660
you that, you know, that very clearly is

497
00:24:57,660 --> 00:24:59,820
not a healthy, that that is a toxic

498
00:24:59,820 --> 00:25:00,840
work environment.

499
00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:04,400
Unfortunately, too many of our work environments are

500
00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:04,840
toxic.

501
00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:08,900
But I want to reassure you that if

502
00:25:08,900 --> 00:25:12,200
that happens, that's not your fault.

503
00:25:13,760 --> 00:25:15,880
If you need to take 30 seconds to

504
00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:18,220
breathe and you're in an environment that doesn't

505
00:25:18,220 --> 00:25:21,240
allow you 30 seconds to breathe, that's not

506
00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:22,780
a good environment to be in.

507
00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:28,400
That's an environment that thrives off of making

508
00:25:28,400 --> 00:25:29,260
you feel bad.

509
00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:32,680
And I would encourage you to think about

510
00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:34,200
what you might need to do to change

511
00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:34,500
that.

512
00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:37,780
I understand that not everybody can.

513
00:25:37,900 --> 00:25:40,320
I understand that there are, there are times

514
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:42,600
when you just have to, you know, be

515
00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:45,020
where you are and make the best of

516
00:25:45,020 --> 00:25:45,340
it.

517
00:25:45,980 --> 00:25:48,400
And so what I might encourage you to

518
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:53,620
do is if you get home, take that

519
00:25:53,620 --> 00:25:55,840
time to breathe when you get home when

520
00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:56,420
you're alone.

521
00:25:59,090 --> 00:26:02,070
Just check in with yourself periodically over the

522
00:26:02,070 --> 00:26:02,730
next week.

523
00:26:04,430 --> 00:26:06,410
What can I do to support myself?

524
00:26:06,510 --> 00:26:07,730
What do I need right now?

525
00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:13,800
How can I help myself feel more regulated?

526
00:26:16,380 --> 00:26:17,520
That is bhakti.

527
00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:19,800
That is a true act of devotion.

528
00:26:20,360 --> 00:26:22,380
That is an act of love.

529
00:26:22,540 --> 00:26:25,340
And that is an act of love that

530
00:26:25,340 --> 00:26:31,440
has ripples across everything that you do.

531
00:26:31,580 --> 00:26:34,000
And it has ripples even outside of yourself.

532
00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:37,720
So I hope that you've enjoyed this conversation.

533
00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:39,580
I hope that it has sparked food for

534
00:26:39,580 --> 00:26:40,140
thought.

535
00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:43,440
And I look forward to the next episode

536
00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:45,300
of Feathermane Soul Wisdom Show.

537
00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:48,280
Please take a moment to like and subscribe.

538
00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:50,740
And if this resonated with you, leave a

539
00:26:50,740 --> 00:26:51,020
comment.

540
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I love to hear from my listeners.

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Thank you.

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You've been listening to the Feathermane Soul Wisdom

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Podcast hosted by Kit Kelstoe.

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Learn more about Feathermane Soul at feathermanesoul.com.

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As a wild spirit storyteller, Kit is passionate

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about helping those who are neurodivergent, disabled, or

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living with chronic illness rediscover their own inner

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wild spirit.

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Visit feathermanesoul.com to receive free gifts or

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book a free call with Kit to discuss

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how wild spirit storytelling can help you.

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Music is Running with the Horses by Purple

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Planet Music.

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This podcast is hosted on the feathermanesoul.com

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and following the links to the Musetarmer Network.

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Please don't forget to like, subscribe, or follow

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wherever you're hearing my voice, or tell a

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friend who may be interested.

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Thank you.