So many of us struggle with overthinking. Trapped in an endless cycle of ruminating thoughts, it can feel overwhelming and like there’s no way to come out of it. Thankfully there are ways to calm a busy mind and today I’m talking about some of the reasons why we overthink, how it impacts our mental well-being, and sharing some effective strategies to bring your mind into a state of peace and calm. 

Overthinking isn’t just a modern problem. Even the ancient yogis struggled with the same problem, which led to the development of yoga as a tool to overcome such mental hurdles. Overthinking often stems from the need for certainty and control, as our brains naturally seek to analyse and solve problems. However, when overthinking becomes a persistent loop without leading to productive action, it can spiral into negative emotions, anxiety and mental paralysis.

When we are stressed or have a problem, our nervous system takes action by triggering the fight or flight response, leading to heightened anxiety and negative thought patterns. The amygdala, the fear centre of our brain takes charge, causing a cascade of negative thoughts and physical responses. This mental state can disconnect us from our bodies, numbing our feelings and preventing us from experiencing true emotional intelligence.

One of the first important steps in stopping the cycle is acknowledging that overthinking is not helping you. By challenging our negative thoughts, setting boundaries for thinking time, and engaging in practices like yoga and breathwork to calm our nervous system, we can start to gain control over our overactive minds. Embracing uncertainty and having faith in our ability to handle challenges can shift our perspective from overthinking to a more balanced and grounded state.

In the first part of this episode, I share some practical information on the often hidden reasons that contribute to overthinking and how our brain responds to stress. Then stay tuned for the second half where I share a guided somatic practice, designed to bring you back into your body, connect with your breath, and tap into your own deep wisdom. 

Breaking free from overthinking is a transformative journey that requires patience, self-awareness, and a willingness to embrace uncertainty. By cultivating a deeper connection with our inner selves, we can unlock profound wisdom and navigate life's challenges with clarity and resilience. Remember, the next time you feel caught in the web of overthinking, take a moment to breathe, connect with your heart space, and trust in the power of your own intuition.

LINKS:

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Many of us grew up thinking we had to be hard on ourselves to succeed. We believed that criticising ourselves was the only way to improve. However, constantly criticising and being hard on ourselves often leads to feelings of shame and hopelessness. It drains our mental energy, makes us feel unworthy and puts our nervous system into freeze mode. So, why do we punish ourselves?

Behind the mask of the critic is often a wounded child. Our inner critic tries to protect us from failure, hurt, or embarrassment, reminding us of past experiences where making mistakes led to punishment or criticism. This fear of judgment or negative consequences can keep us stuck and prevent us from pursuing our goals.

As strange as it might seem, self-criticism can also become addictive because it evokes strong emotions. Anything that makes us feel, whether it’s positive or negative, has a charge associated with it and makes us feel alive. And if we’ve had a habit of being self-critical for a long time, this feeling becomes very safe and familiar and we struggle to let it go. 

To ditch self-criticism, we need to practise and embrace self-compassion. When we treat ourselves with kindness and compassion, we accept the fact that we are human and that we all make mistakes. We recognise that growth and transformation are all part of the journey toward consciousness. 

In this episode, I share a little about my journey of letting go of self-criticism and how learning new habits has impacted my life for the better. Becoming self-compassionate has enabled me to bounce back quicker from an upset, I have more physical and mental energy and so much more focus now that I’m no longer at war with myself.

Self-criticism perpetuates a shame cycle, it makes us feel terrible and it doesn't lead to positive change. Compassion, on the other hand, allows us to learn from our mistakes without punishment, allowing us to move forward knowing that we are accepted as we are. 

If you struggle with being self-critical, I’m sharing some practical steps to help you change those negative thought patterns and cultivate self-compassion. Make sure you stay tuned to the end of the episode where I share a beautiful guided meditation that will open your heart toward love, self-acceptance and kindness.  

LINKS:

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I'm often asked if yoga helps people with anxiety, and as tempted as I am to say that yoga is the cure for everything, it's not so straightforward. Learning to manage anxiety is a journey so today I’m sharing some practical tools to help you care for your nervous system and feel a whole lot better.

To address anxiety effectively, it's important to understand the mechanics of our nervous system, which is the link between our mind and body. According to polyvagal theory, there is a hierarchy to our stress response. Think of it like rungs on a ladder. When we experience something stressful, our nervous system detects a threat and we enter the fight or flight response. If we can't escape the stress and it overwhelms us, we move up a step on the ladder into the freeze response. We become withdrawn, dissociated, or mentally checked out. It can feel like going through life on autopilot.

When the stress finally passes or we create enough safety in our nervous system, we must go back down the ladder into the fight or flight state. This can feel uncomfortable as we experience a rush of adrenaline, racing thoughts, and tensed-up bodies. However, this is how our nervous system works. By creating safety and calming ourselves, we eventually enter a relaxed parasympathetic state.

Anxiety isn't simply a thinking problem that can be solved through positive thoughts. It is a nervous system response. To turn down the anxiety response, we need to regulate our nervous system and create safety in our bodies. In this episode, I share 5 tools to help you do this and these are tools you can use every day, no matter where you are.

1. Move Your Body Every Day: Physical movement helps discharge the energy from our nervous system, completing the stress cycle. Any intentional movement can work, whether it’s punching a bolster or going for a walk.

2. Harness the Power of Breath: Our breath is the interface to our nervous system. By practising diaphragmatic breathing and extending our exhales, we activate our vagus nerve, signalling safety to our brain.

3. Cultivate Sensory Awareness: When stressed or anxious, we often dissociate and disconnect from our physical bodies. Bringing our attention back to our senses reestablishes the mind-body connection and grounds us in the present moment.

4. Allow Yourself to Feel Emotions: Anxiety is often accompanied by underlying emotions such as anger, grief, shame, guilt, or fear. Allowing ourselves to feel and release these emotions in a safe and healthy way prevents them from manifesting as anxiety.

5. Normalize Anxiety: Anxiety is a natural response of the nervous system, signalling a perceived threat or feeling of unsafety. Understanding that anxiety is not permanent and can be navigated and managed empowers us to care for our nervous system and prioritise daily self-care.

Many people struggle with anxiety but with the right tools and willingness to learn patterns of behaviour, healing is possible. Remember, anxiety doesn't define you. You are on this path for a reason so keep going and make sure you prioritise taking care of your nervous system every day. 

LINKS:

Previous episode mentioned:

Breathe your way to less stress

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If you’re like many people and your mind is bombarded with busy thoughts, I’ve got something really special for you today. In this episode, I’m sharing a guided meditation and breathwork practice that will help you sink into a deep state of peace and tranquillity. This ancient technique dates back over a thousand years and holds the key to unlocking a secret portal to a calm mind. 

Throughout this calming and peaceful meditation, I’ll guide you through gentle eye gazes and breathing patterns which help to bring you into a state of present-moment awareness. As you continue with this practice, your physical and mental body will come into stillness and quietness, transcending the chatter of the mind and tapping into pure conscious awareness. This is the true essence of yoga.

So, let yourself rest in this space and let your mind find solace in the stillness. Allow yourself to be enveloped by the serenity and tranquillity of this secret technique. By practising this technique regularly, you can cultivate a calm mind and experience the profound peace that resides within you.

Find a comfortable place where you can sit or lie down without being disturbed and let’s begin.

LINKS:

• Check out our VIP Membership Sale: https://cultivatecalmyoga.com.au/vip-sale/
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Today I’m diving into a topic that holds immense power in our healing journey: our emotions. In previous episodes, I’ve talked about the effects of the nervous system on our well-being but today I’m exploring how suppressed emotions can cause stress and hinder our physical and mental health. Join me as I share my own healing journey and how I experienced a profound transformation by confronting and processing emotions I didn’t realise were there.

I’ve always considered myself a calm and collected person, but when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I began to explore the impact of my suppressed emotions, particularly anger, and how this was impacting my health. Many of us carry unprocessed emotions, and in this episode, I share how they get stored in the body and why we get emotionally triggered by seemingly ordinary things. 

In the ancient philosophy of yoga, thoughts and feelings are treated as the same thing, known as chitta. Our heart-mind stores our experiences, emotions, and memories, shaping our perception of who we think we are. However, these mental filters can become blocked or clouded by accumulated thoughts and emotions, distorting our perception of reality. One of the aims of yoga is to unblock these filters and connect us with pure awareness, our true selves beyond the tumultuous waves of emotions.

In our society, we often categorise emotions as good or bad, favouring the positive ones while suppressing the uncomfortable ones. However, blocking negative emotions creates numbness and restricts our ability to experience the full range of emotions. Just as an artist needs contrast and musicians rely on high and low notes, blocking any emotion affects our overall emotional well-being. Yoga teaches us to allow all emotions to flow through our bodies and embrace the wisdom they offer.

Through my journey of healing, I discovered the transformative power of safely expressing and releasing emotions. In my case, non-linear movement became an invaluable somatic practice to move emotions through my body. By processing and releasing these feelings, we clear our mental filters, experience improved physical and mental health, and respond to life's events from a place of healing rather than emotional wounding.

Embracing and processing our emotions is an essential aspect of our healing journey. Yoga and somatic practices provide us with powerful tools to safely feel our feelings, clear our emotional backlog, and respond to life's events with grace and authenticity. Remember, emotions are not inherently good or bad; it's our relationship with them that shapes our well-being and growth. By allowing ourselves to fully experience the range of human emotions, we free ourselves from the burden of past pain, ultimately leading to a life of greater joy, authenticity, and deep connection.

LINKS:

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Our nervous system has two main branches: the parasympathetic and the sympathetic. The parasympathetic branch is associated with relaxation and calm, while the sympathetic branch triggers the fight or flight response when it perceives a threat or danger. 

Chronic stress can disrupt the balance of our nervous system, triggering prolonged fight or flight responses. This can lead to issues like chronic muscle tension, high blood pressure, digestive problems, anxiety, and inflammation.

In this episode, I share my personal experience with an unbalanced nervous system and discuss the vagus nerve, polyvagal theory, and tools and techniques to regulate and calm your nervous system. 

Practical tools for nervous system healing include:

1. Breathwork: Engaging the diaphragm with extended exhales and diaphragmatic breathing signals safety to the brain, particularly through long, slow exhales.
2. Yoga: Specific poses like surfboard, legs up the wall, supported bridge pose, prone poses, and twists directly target the vagus nerve, promoting relaxation and nervous system regulation.
3. Humming or Chanting: Vibrating the vocal cords through techniques like brahmari or chanting "om" stimulates the vagus nerve, calming the mind and deactivating the fear center of the brain.
4. Cold Therapy: Applying cold water or ice to areas where the vagus nerve is close to the surface invigorates and calms the nerve. Cold showers or targeted exposure can effectively regulate the nervous system.
5. Laughter: Contraction of the diaphragm during laughter stimulates the vagus nerve. Laughing or engaging in laughter yoga can release tension and activate the relaxation response.

We also delve into polyvagal theory, which focuses on the two branches of the vagus nerve: the ventral vagal (relaxation response) and the dorsal vagal (shut down and freeze state). The theory highlights the importance of understanding our nervous system's hierarchy, neuroception, and co-regulation.

Our nervous system is an integral part of our overall well-being. By understanding its functioning and implementing practical techniques for regulation, we can promote physical and mental health, and experience a greater sense of calm and well-being. 

LINKS:

• Check out our VIP Membership Sale: https://cultivatecalmyoga.com.au/vip-sale/
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• Website:https://cultivatecalmyoga.com.au/
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Have you ever set goals but found yourself repeatedly falling into patterns of resistance, procrastination, and self-sabotage? If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. Today I’m diving into the concept of resistance and exploring why it's not simply laziness or a lack of discipline that hinders our progress. By understanding the deeper reasons behind our resistance, we can unlock the key to overcoming obstacles and achieving our goals.

Resistance is an invisible force that holds us back from pursuing the things we truly desire. It manifests in various forms such as procrastination, avoidance, and self-sabotage. Often we give in to resistance because it provides us with instant gratification, falling into the trap of seeking immediate pleasure and comfort rather than investing in long-term rewards. However, when we delay gratification, we bridge the gap between where we are now and where we want to be. By doing the work now and investing in our goals, we can reap the benefits later.

In this episode, I discuss why resistance isn’t merely a lack of willpower or laziness. It stems from a lack of congruence between our conscious and subconscious minds. I share how the majority of our mind is the subconscious mind, which ultimately determines our actions and the importance of looking deeper into what motivations are driving our behaviour underneath. 

Subconscious blocks, such as fear of change, fear of success, and feeling unworthy, prevent us from moving forward. Our subconscious mind craves routine and predictability, favouring the familiar over the unknown. Fear of change and success can lead us to resist pursuing our goals, as we anticipate potential negative consequences or uncover our own insecurities.

I also talk about the power of embracing gratitude and self-compassion over self-criticism and judgment to drive change. Celebrating the wins instead of fixating on the gap between where we are and where we want to be motivates us to continue moving forward. This self-acceptance and self-love create an environment where our subconscious mind feels safe and supported. 

As I’ve said many times, yoga is so much more than just a physical practice. It helps regulate our nervous system, which plays a crucial role in overcoming resistance. By calming our nervous system, we enhance our capacity to deal with stress and maintain focus on our goals. Engaging in yoga and breathwork also cultivates a greater self-awareness, which helps to prevent us from falling into old patterns of self-sabotage.

Remember, change is possible when we address the root causes of resistance and create an environment where our subconscious mind feels safe to move forward. 

LINKS:

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Yin yoga is a deeply relaxing and calming style of yoga that has loads of benefits for everyone, from beginners to elite athletes. Today I’m going deeper into the principles of yin yoga to explore why it’s so good for the physical body, nervous system, emotions, and the mind. 

During Yin yoga, we focus on slow, long-held poses that primarily target the fascia or connective tissue rather than the muscles. Unlike other forms of yoga, yin yoga is practiced sitting down or lying down, without breaking a sweat. The emphasis is finding your edge in each posture, feeling a gentle stretch, not pain. Although Yin yoga can be challenging, it’s still very accessible to beginners, elderly people and those with injuries. 

In this episode, I explain the three fundamental principles of Yin yoga:

1. Find Your Edge: It's crucial to come into each pose at an appropriate depth, neither too strong nor too soft. Feeling some discomfort is normal, but pain should be avoided. The breath is an excellent guide; if you can't breathe deeply or have to hold your breath, you're pushing too hard.

2. Remain Still: Staying still in a pose allows the muscles to soften and the stretch to sink deeper into the joints and connective tissue. This stillness helps access and release chronic tension and stress stored in the fascia, leading to a more profound relaxation of both the body and mind.

3. Hold the Pose: Yin tissue, which includes the fascia, responds best to slow, gentle, and sustained stretching. Holding the poses for three to five minutes allows for a deeper release and stimulation of the meridians, the energetic pathways in the body.

Today I also help you understand the meridians and how targeting specific meridians in yin yoga can increase the flow of energy, which can lead to emotional releases. I discuss the five main yin and yang meridian pairs and share which emotions these link to. 

I also talk about the profound effect that Yin yoga has on the nervous system, helping to activate the parasympathetic state which is associated with calm and relaxation. I explain proprioception, nociception and interoception and how these help to build resilience and capacity in our nervous systems.

Yin yoga offers a wealth of benefits for both the body and mind. Whether you're looking to reduce stress, increase flexibility, or explore your emotions, yin yoga provides a gentle and accessible path. Regardless of age, flexibility, or experience, anyone can benefit from this practice.

LINKS:

Join Cultivate Calm Yoga and save $600 on our VIP Summer Sale

Curious about Yoga Alchemy? Join the waitlist here to save $500 off the next round 

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Ten years ago, I made the life-changing decision to quit my six-figure career and open my own yoga studio. Today I’m sharing my personal story of how I fell in love with yoga, the significant impact it had on my life and why I’ve never looked back. 

My real journey with yoga began when I moved into a house with a yoga studio conveniently located at the end of the street. Curiosity got the best of me, and I signed up for a beginner's yoga class one Sunday afternoon, not knowing what to expect. The experience proved to be both physically and mentally challenging, but it was in Shavasana, the final resting pose, that I discovered a quiet mind with no thoughts. That’s what got me hooked. 

At the time, I was enduring chronic daily headaches and no matter how many professionals I saw to find answers, the only thing that seemed to help was yoga. The more I immersed myself in yoga, the more addicted I became to the feelings of peace and relaxation that lingered long after each class. 

In this episode, I tell the story of how I eventually went on to complete my yoga teacher training and open up my own studio. It was my dream to create a welcoming space for individuals who didn't resonate with the extreme aspects of yoga but sought inner peace and contentment, just like I did. And over the past ten years, I have witnessed incredible transformations within my yoga community. People who were once burdened by illness, chronic pain, and anxiety have found solace and strength in the practice. 

Yoga is so much more than a physical practice. It has the potential to reshape our thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. It’s not about having a hot body and being able to do all the tricky poses, it’s about how you feel on the inside. If you want to find a greater sense of calm, I invite you to join us and discover the life-changing benefits that yoga has to offer.

LINKS:

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I have a special treat for you today which I know you’re going to love. In this episode, I’m guiding you through a Yoga Nidra meditation to bring your mind and body into a beautiful state of relaxation and calm.

Yoga Nidra is often referred to as yoga sleep. It’s a deep relaxation exercise where you’re guided to rotate your consciousness through different parts of your body.  This rotation of consciousness is an old yoga technique designed to slow down our brainwave frequency, which is the speed at which our brain cells communicate with one another. Doing this brings both your mind and body into a deep state of relaxation. 

There are so many benefits to Yoga Nidra. It helps reduce stress, anxiety, and tension by bringing you into a state of deep restfulness, and regular practice can also enhance the quality of your sleep, helping you feel more rejuvenated.

Through a body scan technique, this guided Yoga Nidra meditation will also help you cultivate more self-awareness and mindfulness, allowing you to observe your thoughts and emotions without judgment, leading to greater self-love and compassion. 

Do your best to follow along, and if you drift off to sleep, that’s more than okay. The only thing that really matters here is that you are honouring your need for rest. 

So find a place to lie down where you won’t be disturbed. Once you’re as comfortable as you can be with pillows, blankets and the lights down low, let’s begin. 

LINKS:

Curious about Yoga Alchemy? Join the waitlist here to save $500 off the next round 

Website:https://cultivatecalmyoga.com.au/

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