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The Emotional Alchemy Podcast

3. Breathwork for Anxious Humans with Acupuncturist Cayly Christensen

May 15, 2020 Kat Lee + Cayly Christensen Episode 3
3. Breathwork for Anxious Humans with Acupuncturist Cayly Christensen
The Emotional Alchemy Podcast
Chapters
2:00
The trouble with a one-size fits all model around meditation
2:40
Invitation to Patreon. Supporting the podcast can be as little as $3/month.
4:38
Introduction to Cayly Christensen
7:18
Kat to Cayly: “What led you into breathwork?” Where does anxiety come from?
9:45
In the 90’s nobody was talking about anxiety
11:50
The body holds anxiety
13:36
Meditation doesn’t work for everyone. In fact, for some humans, sitting meditation can be a trigger for panic attacks.
15:45
If the body doesn’t have an opportunity to discharge energy, it feels like putting a lid on a pot of boiling water
16:30
There is nothing wrong with you if you need to access meditation through other means than just sitting
18:00
The access point to meditation for Cayly was through movement
23:00
Shifting energy from anxiety to excitement is easier than shifting energy from anxiety to zen
23:45
Anxiety is not pathological
24:55
Stress cycle video on Youtube
25:50
Our bodies don’t feel safe to shift into parasympathetic because it is so unfamiliar for many of us because we live in a sympathetic dominant world
26:20
The problem with sitting meditation for anxious humans is that we are not allowing ourselves to complete the stress cycle
28:14
Breathwork can invoke an emotional release
31:40
Threats are not always life-or-death
32:25
Inner Child work
33:30
Cayly talks about how hypervigilance developed for her in childhood
36:10
Kat to Cayly: “Do you have a clear memory of when you were able to sink into presence?”
38:20
Give yourself the permission to use what tools works for you
38:45
Anything can be meditation - even lifting heavy objects!
40:50
There is no one-size-fits-all in health, wellness and healing
41:35
For Kat, meditation began with roller derby
43:35
The tools that you’re using will likely change over time
44:30
The missing piece to meditation comes before the meditation. Which is to ask yourself “What does my body need right now?”
53:15
Cayly shares what a breathwork session with her looks like
1:05:05
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More Info
The Emotional Alchemy Podcast
3. Breathwork for Anxious Humans with Acupuncturist Cayly Christensen
May 15, 2020 Episode 3
Kat Lee + Cayly Christensen

Send us a Text Message.

If you're like 99.99% of the people I know (including myself), meditation doesn't come naturally or easily for you.

And yet…Meditation seems to be the magic wand that everyone is waving around. ⠀

  • Can't sleep? Meditate.
  • Not motivated? Feeling lost? Meditate.
  • Depressed? Anxious? Meditate.

But...Every time you sit down to meditate, your monkey brain clicks on, the thoughts race, you feel bored, the list of things you *should* be doing instead starts firing.⠀

It's just so uncomfortable. And boring. And potentially even triggering. And you're left thinking…"When does the goddamn peace and enlightenment come in? Am I doing this wrong? I am so bad at this." 

Dear One, I *hear* you. 

You're not doing it wrong. But you are viewing meditation through a one-size fits all model. 

Here's the thing. Anyone CAN meditate. However, the access point to meditation can look different for everyone. Join my fellow acupuncturist Cayly Christensen and I as we talk about giving yourself permission to approach meditation in a way that feels good to you and what that can look like.

HERE’S A PEEK AT WHAT WE’LL CONNECT OVER IN THIS EPISODE

  • What anxiety is and why sitting meditation can be a triggering tool for some humans
  • How hypervigilance can be a learned behavior from childhood even if you didn’t have a particularly traumatic early life
  • Giving yourself permission to use the tools that work for you and asking your body what it is craving in the moment rather than doing what everyone else is doing


Cayly Christensen’s Website // Instagram

Breathwork teachers that get Cayly's stamp of approval: 

Kat HoSoo Lee is a trauma-informed Spiritual Business Mentor and host of The Rooted Business Podcast. She uses the tools of somatic and emotional alchemy to guide soulful entrepreneurs to approach their business as a spiritual practice. This allows them to cultivate businesses that are rooted in conscious values, ethical marketing and purposeful service.

Connect with Kat:



This podcast is made possible with sound production by Andre Lagace.

Apple Podcasts Spotify Amazon Music Podcast Index Overcast Stitcher +
Show Notes Chapter Markers

Send us a Text Message.

If you're like 99.99% of the people I know (including myself), meditation doesn't come naturally or easily for you.

And yet…Meditation seems to be the magic wand that everyone is waving around. ⠀

  • Can't sleep? Meditate.
  • Not motivated? Feeling lost? Meditate.
  • Depressed? Anxious? Meditate.

But...Every time you sit down to meditate, your monkey brain clicks on, the thoughts race, you feel bored, the list of things you *should* be doing instead starts firing.⠀

It's just so uncomfortable. And boring. And potentially even triggering. And you're left thinking…"When does the goddamn peace and enlightenment come in? Am I doing this wrong? I am so bad at this." 

Dear One, I *hear* you. 

You're not doing it wrong. But you are viewing meditation through a one-size fits all model. 

Here's the thing. Anyone CAN meditate. However, the access point to meditation can look different for everyone. Join my fellow acupuncturist Cayly Christensen and I as we talk about giving yourself permission to approach meditation in a way that feels good to you and what that can look like.

HERE’S A PEEK AT WHAT WE’LL CONNECT OVER IN THIS EPISODE

  • What anxiety is and why sitting meditation can be a triggering tool for some humans
  • How hypervigilance can be a learned behavior from childhood even if you didn’t have a particularly traumatic early life
  • Giving yourself permission to use the tools that work for you and asking your body what it is craving in the moment rather than doing what everyone else is doing


Cayly Christensen’s Website // Instagram

Breathwork teachers that get Cayly's stamp of approval: 

Kat HoSoo Lee is a trauma-informed Spiritual Business Mentor and host of The Rooted Business Podcast. She uses the tools of somatic and emotional alchemy to guide soulful entrepreneurs to approach their business as a spiritual practice. This allows them to cultivate businesses that are rooted in conscious values, ethical marketing and purposeful service.

Connect with Kat:



This podcast is made possible with sound production by Andre Lagace.

2:00
The trouble with a one-size fits all model around meditation
2:40
4:38
7:18
Kat to Cayly: “What led you into breathwork?” Where does anxiety come from?
9:45
In the 90’s nobody was talking about anxiety
11:50
The body holds anxiety
13:36
Meditation doesn’t work for everyone. In fact, for some humans, sitting meditation can be a trigger for panic attacks.
15:45
If the body doesn’t have an opportunity to discharge energy, it feels like putting a lid on a pot of boiling water
16:30
There is nothing wrong with you if you need to access meditation through other means than just sitting
18:00
The access point to meditation for Cayly was through movement
23:00
Shifting energy from anxiety to excitement is easier than shifting energy from anxiety to zen
23:45
Anxiety is not pathological
24:55
25:50
Our bodies don’t feel safe to shift into parasympathetic because it is so unfamiliar for many of us because we live in a sympathetic dominant world
26:20
The problem with sitting meditation for anxious humans is that we are not allowing ourselves to complete the stress cycle
28:14
Breathwork can invoke an emotional release
31:40
Threats are not always life-or-death
32:25
Inner Child work
33:30
Cayly talks about how hypervigilance developed for her in childhood
36:10
Kat to Cayly: “Do you have a clear memory of when you were able to sink into presence?”
38:20
Give yourself the permission to use what tools works for you
38:45
Anything can be meditation - even lifting heavy objects!
40:50
There is no one-size-fits-all in health, wellness and healing
41:35
For Kat, meditation began with roller derby
43:35
The tools that you’re using will likely change over time
44:30
The missing piece to meditation comes before the meditation. Which is to ask yourself “What does my body need right now?”
53:15
Cayly shares what a breathwork session with her looks like
1:05:05