Are you familiar with polyvagal theory? 

It may sound highly scientific, but Martha says polyvagal theory has a profound effect on spiritual practice as well, and she’s talking all about it in this episode of The Gathering Room: Dropping Anchor.

The polyvagal nerve is a system of nerves connecting the brain to various parts of the body, and it plays a key role in our response to stress—either revving us up or shutting us down. 

And according to the work of Deb Dana, it’s also involved with our sense of joy, compassion, love, and connection with higher consciousness through the part of the polyvagal nerve called the ventral vagal.

Martha says that even when we feel overwhelmed, the ventral vagal state allows us to anchor into a state of joyful, peaceful relaxation and hold that state of being even amid chaos.

To learn how to stay anchored in peace when others are in fight-or-flight or shutdown mode, tune in for the full episode. Martha even guides you through a ventral vagal exercise along with her Silence, Stillness, and Space meditation. Don’t miss it!

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It’s The Best of the Gathering Pod, and this week we’re revisiting another listener favorite from the vault—Episode 110: How to Let the Light In.

In this episode, Martha talks about her “rage to master” and the paradox of imperfection: While we can try our hardest to produce perfect results, we must accept that we’ll always make mistakes. It’s this combination of effort and grace that allows us to let the light into our lives.

To find out more, be sure to listen to the full episode!

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We’ve got another Best of the Gathering Room episode for you today, a listener favorite called Building on Bright Spots.

In this episode, Martha talks about finding and following the almost invisible “bright spots” in your life whenever things feel dark and cloudy. Because clouds are illusions, it's always possible to find little breaks in the clouds and see the clear points of truth that can guide you home. 

To find out how, tune in for the full episode—which might turn out to be a bright spot for you!

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While Martha is out on vacation, we’re bringing you The Best of the Gathering Room—a treasury of Gatherers’ favorite episodes—starting with: How to Heal Your Heart.

Many of us believe something outside ourselves can heal us when we're heartsick, but Martha says the opposite is true. The heart can heal itself—if you know how to access the "heart healer" within you. 

To learn how to come into integrity so that your inner “heart healer” can do its valuable work, don't miss this popular episode!

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Gatherers—I'm thrilled to be joined by Dr. Richard Schwartz, the brilliant creator of Internal Family Systems (IFS), a wonderful therapeutic model that you may have heard me talk about before because I love using it!

IFS provides an optimistic, empowering framework to help us focus on the different “parts” of our personalities so that we can shift into a state characterized by curiosity, calm, confidence, and compassion.

I hope you’ll tune in for our conversation about his latest book, YOU ARE THE ONE YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR: APPLYING INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS TO INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS, which is available at all major retailers.

You can follow Dr. Richard Schwartz on:
Twitter @ifs_model
Instagram @internalfamilysystems
Facebook at InternalFamilySystems
LinkedIn at InternalFamilySystems

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Have you been feeling depleted?

So many of us are tired, so much of the time. To find out what we can do about it, join Martha for this episode of The Gathering Pod: Filling the Well.

Martha points out that there are many situations in human life that are analogous to drought— times when our energy feels like it’s drying up. The good news is that there are sources of energetic replenishment always available to us.

With enough spiritual practice you can actually get to a place where you feel the dewpoint of Spirit filling you up with the energy that never fails—what Martha calls the “water of life.”

To learn more about filling your spiritual well with renewed energy and joy, don’t miss the full episode! You’ll also be able to join Martha’s guided Silence, Stillness, and Space meditation.

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Did you know there is a powerful connection between spirituality and mental health?

Martha recently read a book about this subject—The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life by Lisa Miller—and she’s talking about it on this episode of The Gathering Room: The Benefits of Awakening.

Martha believes in the transformative power of spiritual awakening, which she defines as being what you are in your true essence, once you’ve discarded illusion. While spiritual enlightenment in this lifetime may be an impossible goal, stories of spiritual awakening abound.

Listen to the full episode to hear more—and as Martha says, “Let’s all wake up together!”

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Gatherers—I'm so excited to be joined by Emma Nadler, author of the lyrical, funny, and heart-healing new memoir, THE UNLIKELY VILLAGE OF EDEN.

As a psychotherapist and the parent of a child with disabilities, Emma Nadler is a testament to the resiliency of parents, children, friendships, marriage, and every other manifestation of human love.

I hope you’ll tune in for our conversation about her deeply moving and inspiring book!

THE UNLIKELY VILLAGE OF EDEN: A MEMOIR by Emma Nadler is available at all major retailers. You can follow Emma on Instagram @emmanadlerwrites and find her on Facebook at Emma Nadler.

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We’ve all had times in our life when we’ve needed help—and we’ve all had times when we’ve received the help we needed.

In this episode of The Gathering Room: How to Look for Help, Martha says that appreciating those times when you’ve been helped in the past is the key to getting help in the future.

When we focus on need, Martha says, it creates a lifetime that feels like nothing but need. But when you see yourself as someone who’s always ultimately received help, you begin to see the universe as a friendly place where help is everywhere.

To learn how to shift your perspective and start noticing how the universe responds to your appreciation for help, be sure to listen to the full episode!

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There are more people on earth than ever before… yet so many people are lonely. The thing is, love and friendship aren’t a numbers game. There’s a way to attract the people who are waiting to love you. Come find out how!

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