Holistic Life Navigation

Weight loss is not about restricting the body into submission, or depriving ourselves of nourishment and joy. Weight loss is also not about the next miracle fad. It’s about finding balance with the body so that it can find calm, and come out of survival mode. 

Survival mode, chronic stress, and PTSD result in an excess of adrenaline, which elevates glucose, releasing insulin and storing fat. 

Curious to learn more about getting out of survival mode? Out first ever six-month Embodied Weight Loss program starts January 12th 2027. This group will focus on the emotional, psychological, and nutritional causes of weight gain, how to begin losing weight, and address how you relate to your body and body image while doing so.

Email us at info@holisticlifenavigation if you have any questions. 

You can register for November's Community Somatics, "Embodied B*tchfest", here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

Today's podcast is an audio version of today's email.⁠
⁠
Not a part of the HLN newsletter? You can join here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/join-my-newsletter

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

Today's podcast is an audio version of today's email.⁠
⁠
Not a part of the HLN newsletter? You can join here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/join-my-newsletter

You can register for November's Community Somatics, "Embodied B*tchfest", here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

One of the biggest losses of the modern era is the loss of the village. Without the village we parent in isolation and use screens with our child(ren) to give us a break. But this plunges our kid(s) into their own isolation: isolation breeding isolation, and parental burnout. 

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

What does wanting our kids to like us have to do with a kid’s sense of being too much to handle? 

Drop in to find out in this tiny taste of the upcoming 6-month Embodied Parenting Slow Group, starting October 6th:
https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group

The live webinar has passed, but you can watch the replay here: https://hln.thinkific.com/courses/embodied-parenting-webinar

Do you want your kid to like you?
Do you reflexively back track?
Do you freeze, acquiesce or fawn with your kid?

Join us as we navigate this messy beautiful journey of parenthood together.

Email us at [email protected] if you have any questions. 

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

Screen addiction in kids, and the isolation it fosters, is the most insidious parenting issue today. Kids and adults disassociate both lose themselves in the screen — the big difference is that many of us developed without the prevalence of screens, while our kids don't have that privilege. 

Kids now retreat to their rooms, alone, orienting to TikTok and influencers, not their family or elders. Depression rates increase because we have taken away their connection to themselves, their family, nature, and their in-person community. As a result the bliss of boredom is missing from their lives, as is the resulting creativity. 

A parent’s job is to create a container for children. If devices and social media make that container, parents are handing over their roll to the whims of algorithms. Devices, used judiciously, can be a tool, but used in isolation in lieu of human connection, screen use can be devastating. 

Luis drops his top piece of advice around screens, his favorite resource in the books Hunt, Gather, Parent and Dopamine Kids by Michaeleen Doucleff. (You can listen to the interview with Luis and Michaeleen here.)

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

Luis and Psychologist Mackenzie Steiner dive deep into their own truths about minors surgically transitioning, who *actually* is trans, de-transition rates, how gender dysphoria shows up in the brain, and gender affirming care options for children. 

They share wisdom and stories from their own individual experiences with gender dysphoria, and how they navigated the experience. Each opted for surgery as adults. The real gold is their respectful disagreement on if kids should be given gender affirming surgical procedures. In the end each still holds their same beliefs, but with a deeper understanding of why the other holds their opposing belief. 

You can read more about Mackenzie and her work here: https://naturesmosaictherapy.com/

You can listen to related episodes here:

[Ep. 225] "My Body Is Female, I'm Not": Using Somatics To Explore Gender w/ Quinn Silverleaf

[Ep. 261] "Ayahuasca Told Me To De-Transition" Born Female, Living As Male, Then Back To Female w/ Maddie Durbin

[Ep. 346] Kids + Dysphoria: It Doesn't Always Mean They're Trans

[Ep. 347] Let's Talk About Dysphoria In Kids

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

Neurodivergent kids or teenagers often come home overwhelmed just from spending the day masking, or surviving the hormonal shifts. Directly engaging them often results in frustration. They need to rebuild their capacity from the day before they are resourced enough to engage with us. Let them disconnect and resource before initiating Parallel Co-Regulation. The goal of Parallel Co-Regulation is at least 15 minutes, no phone, no mining them for information, just doing a shared task together. 

Learn the practice and the nuance in our 6th month Embodied Slow Group starting October 6th. Find out more at
https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

Stimulating foods loaded in sugar and carbs are everywhere, and especially advertised to our children. These foods cause spikes and dips in glucose which result in an adrenal response. This transforms nervous systems and brain chemistry, negatively impacting dopamine levels. Sometimes we call the result a tantrum, shutting down, or an inability to concentrate. 

We can change so much about a kid’s, or our own, lifestyle, but without a balanced diet the brain chemicals needed to focus and connect are simply not available. 

Luis drops his favorite balancing food options and his four favorite snacks to resource our kids, or ourselves. Chocolate is featured in one option. This is balance at its yummiest. 

You can watch the episode where Luis presents his glucose chart here: https://youtu.be/Y0YNZgXO1PE

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]

Luis gives us question-and-answer style examples of his upcoming six month Embodied Parenting Slow Group, starting October 6th. 

https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/parenting-group

Parents ask how to single parent, or co-parent with a sick partner, how to parent while sleep deprived without doing the "cry it out" method, and how to parent rebellious teens and siblings. And a big one: how do you regulate once in crisis mode? 

Capacity is key! Luis discusses nuances of each topic, and he gives a pendulation practice  to help build capacity. Balancing foods are also paramount in helping support our nervous systems to have capacity. Check out you local library or buy your own copy of Food Therapy: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/the-book

You can register for November's Community Somatics here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/events/community-somatics-november

You can read more about, and register for, the Navigating Weight & Body Image With Somatics webinar here: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/weight-and-body-image-webinar

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You can learn more on the website: https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com/

You can follow Luis on Instagram @holistic.life.navigation

Questions? You can email us at [email protected]