Candice Wu 0:00
Caitlin Parsons, a Yoga therapist joins us in this podcast to talk about six ways of standing in your empowerment, finding inner resource, the benefits of Yoga Nidra and Yoga Therapy, the loving act of tuning into your body's needs and your non-negotiables as well as dental anxiety. Tune in later this week also for a sampling of her Yoga Nidra practice.

Candice Wu 0:24
Hello and welcome. You're listening to the embodied podcast a show about remembering and embodying your true nature, inner wisdom, embodied healing, and self-love. My name is Candice Wu and I'm a holistic healing facilitator, intuitive coach, and artist sharing my personal journey of vulnerability, offering meditations and guided healing support and having co Creative Conversations with healers and wellness practitioners from all over the world.

Candice Wu 0:58
This episode is sponsored by the Soul Body Women's Retreat, which is a spiritual retreat for women and non-binary people who deeply desire to sync up their soul and body to live congruently and effortlessly at home in themselves from their heart and from their creative essence. In this very personalized and small group healing retreat we will nourish for an entire six days, transform any inner gunk that's just stopping the beauty of your light to shine through and enjoy the sisterhood, nature, and nourishment that Zion National Park brings us. For more information about this and future retreats check out my page at CandiceWu.com/retreats. And now let's jump into the episode.

Candice Wu 1:45
I am happy to introduce Caitlin Parsons. Her passion is to create a space for curiosity and the unfolding of your process. She's a teacher, student, nature lover, and adventure and based in San Diego, California. Caitlin has spent thousands of hours experiencing, studying, teaching, and training and all things therapeutic yoga, meditation, Yoga drat and sound healing. What I find very interesting about her is the simplicity of what she brings and how powerful that is, as well as the bridging of her work as a dental hygienist to help people who are suffering from any pain or discomfort, any anxiety around going to the dentist or being in their bodies. Without further ado, here's Caitlin.

Candice Wu 2:36
I'm delighted to have Caitlin Parsons on the show today. She is more than a dental hygienist. She's also a healer and Yoga therapist, teaches meditation and sound healing. And I'm just so excited to hear from her today. Welcome, Caitlin.

Caitlin Parsons 2:52
Thank you so much. I'm so glad to be here Candice!

Candice Wu 2:55
Wonderful! Well, tell us about you and what you do. You have so many gifts and talents.

Caitlin Parsons 3:01
Oh, thank you. So like you shared, I'm a dental hygienist. I've been doing that for about 12 years. And probably about 10, 8 years ago, I walked into my first Yoga class because I was in pain from sitting hunched over patients all day. And oddly enough, it was a big room Yoga class, which is kind of like the opposite of what I teach and guide now, but it brought me back into my body and kind of taught me a lot about my physical body. And it was kind of really just the catalyst for so much more. And from there, I started to get more curious about therapeutic yoga, and how I can help people just like me, who sit for most of the day that either have physical pain, or they're stressed, or maybe both. And that kind of prompted me to do my first Yoga teacher training. I moved up to Burlington, Vermont, and did that. And from there, I journey down to or out to San Diego and chasing just Yoga therapy and whatever that meant for me, and a new lifestyle. So not too long after that, I got my dental hygiene license here. And then right after that, I entered pretty much as soon as I could my first Yoga therapy program. And I graduated from that was in our program about two or so years ago, and been working with patients and clients ever since.

Candice Wu 4:24
That's fabulous! And you're reminding me of the first time that I took a Yoga class and maybe that was like 9 years ago, 10 as well. And I'm curious about your experience when you entered your first classic, what it felt like. When I was in my first class, I remember feeling like, what are we doing here? I'm on my hands and knees. This is so boring. I have so many things to do. I can't do this. Ouch, that hurt. And I had no clue that it was about witnessing all of that.

Caitlin Parsons 4:57
Oh yeah

Candice Wu 4:58
Right? Like a lot of people who tell me I'm not flexible. Or like, I'm not good at that. I'm like, well, that's not what it's about. And here's my experience, right with my first class. So I'd love for you to share if there's anything interesting to share about that first class.

Caitlin Parsons 5:16
Oh, my gosh, you just brought me back. I haven't thought about that in so long. But you're so right. I walked in. And if you know, be grim, it's I forget how hot but extremely hot, I would say. And I knew no one. There are mirrors in front of me. I've never done any exercise like this. I was kind of like a team sports kind of person growing up. And so yeah, I kind of thought the same thing. Like, what the heck are we doing? I'm literally just dripping sweat, their sweat all over me. And then the teacher comes over and their sweats on me. And I was bored. And I was like, What's good? Yeah, kind of like all the things and when I left, I was like, wait, I feel a lot better. So that kind of turned on a little light bulb in my head. Luckily, I didn't stick with just my thoughts in class. So I just kept going back. And it took a really long time. I mean, there's still even practices I do now that I'm so in my head. And kind of forget, as you said, the point of it. The point of it is to kind of just witnessing everything that shows up for you. But yeah, my first Yoga class is probably really interesting.

Candice Wu 6:20
So fun to hear, especially when you get very deep into your practice and what you love about it. It's so easy to forget how we've entered and how some people experience some of these practices.

Caitlin Parsons 6:33
Yes.

Candice Wu 6:34
So what inspired you about your thousand hour Yoga teacher training? Which tradition was it? And what did you find that you're using today?

Caitlin Parsons 6:46
Good question. So I was inspired to do it. I can't even tell you why I was inspired. Because I really, the course of my life really looks very differently than when I first took my first Yoga class, to be honest, and it's kind of just opened me up in such a big way. But I had this little inkling in, I don't know if it was my heart or my belly. I can't even tell you because I probably couldn't tell the difference at that point. But there was just something deep inside of me that I knew I wanted to help people. That's what I love to do. I knew I wanted to feel better and learn more about my body. And I, I just had this vision like, well, what if I could do that and bring those together.

Caitlin Parsons 7:32
And I'd never experienced a therapeutic Yoga class. So it's so interesting that I just like, wait, I want to do therapeutic yoga. And here I go to San Diego from Boston. And I'm going to make it happen. And actually, when I arrived in San Diego, there was actually no Yoga therapy programs at all. So I just had my 200 hours when I got here. And oh, my gosh, that was such a newbie teacher, I was teaching like power yoga, and really wasn't diving with it. But just try it and push and try make it happen.

Caitlin Parsons 8:01
And right when I got my Yoga here or my dental hygiene license over here, a program opens literally two miles down the street. So it kind of felt like yes, this is supposed to happen in it actually, I think is still the only one in San Diego. It's the soul of Yoga in Encinitas in like North County, San Diego. And I would say, and this is what I really love and adore about this program is that it's kind of a variety of all different types of lineages. So I trained my first training was Ashtanga. And that was definitely not a part of the Yoga therapy program at all. We did stuff from deskochar, so more therapeutic, we had more alignment focused, we had more breath and body and that sort of thing. And then we kind of had really everything in my opinion.

Candice Wu 8:49
That's a lot, quite a lot. So tell me a little bit about how you see meditation, yoga, and sound healing. I'm not sure how much you emphasize sound healing, but that intrigued me when I saw that in your bio.

Caitlin Parsons 9:20
I, it's funny, because for a really long time, for the past couple years, I've really dedicated a lot of my teachings and a lot of my work to those that are in pain and discomfort. And I still do a lot of this work, people that have low back pain, people that sit a lot, people that have injuries, knee, shoulder, whatever that is. And, that's been a big part of my journey, my personal journey as well, just like really working through a lot of pain that I've had from when I was younger. And now that I'm really kind of in tune with my body, and very minimal pain and discomfort on a regular basis, if any at all. I've kind of transitioned to guiding more meditation and to doing that more, the subtle inner work and sound healing just kind of came naturally for me, one of the studios that I teach at offer sound healing. And I took my first class and I left and I was just like, Oh, my gosh, I went to a place that I've never been to before. And I still can't describe it. But it brought me to this deep state of relaxation and inner focus that I can't quite describe, even that's kind of been my goal and my journey is to share that with others. Because a lot of me, my past and growing up was, go, go, go, go, go and I had anxiety even though I didn't know it. I was just constantly on the go and never took time to really, to pause and integrate and pause and slow down, really. So my meditation, my breath work, and sound healing journey really stemmed from my inner work. And now just sharing that with my students and my clients.

Candice Wu 10:43
That's awesome. Yeah, and, and when you say the pain from childhood was that the more emotional pain, spiritual or physical or all, all of the above?

Caitlin Parsons 10:52
Oh, man, I'd probably say all of the above. So I was in a car accident when I was 16, I hit black ice and flipped my car. And I luckily only broke my nose and had a minor concussion. But I was definitely very out of alignment in my spine, and my neck. So it took a really long time for me to actually figure out that was the root cause. And just never really doing yoga. Never really slowing down and just constantly going, going going. That was a big part of it. So I started chiropractor, I started going to get massages regularly. And just therapeutic Yoga helped me a lot. And I'd say the mental, emotional, I wouldn't say necessarily pain. But I've recently been realizing that. So when I was really young, I wasn't even born and my parents lost their first child to SID, he was about four months old and my sister was born about a year after and myself a year after that. And the more I think about it, the more and the more I see my parents now and how much pain and suffering they still have in grief. The more I realized that this stemmed from also your energetic boundaries I think it's called podcast episode I loved.

Candice Wu 12:11
Thank you.

Caitlin Parsons 12:13
Yes. Um, but just really understanding that, wow, I don't know. I mean, my parents did the best they could and they were amazing and I had a great childhood. Don't get me wrong. But, there was so much that I think I tried to take a lot of their pain and their discomfort from them without even realizing. And so that stayed with me for a really long time. And I just did that throughout my entire life without realizing like, looking back, I was like, the person that tried to make everyone feel good, and make people feel better in the cost of, of myself, and in my energy and my feelings. So that's been a big journey for me.

Candice Wu 12:50
Wow, that's really powerful.

Caitlin Parsons 12:52
Yeah.

Candice Wu 12:54
Just to make that shift and to be in alignment, when you say about alignment, it just had a lot of energy to me. And I'm curious how you support other people being an alignment, I think that word can mean so many things as you're mentioning in your story.

Caitlin Parsons 13:10
Yeah, it does mean a lot of things. And I think it depends on each client, I serve them really differently. And so interesting, when some people come to me for just like the physical where we, where we end up going is, of course, we, we address the physical and we get to that. But oftentimes, there's some deep-seated stuff beneath that, that we get through in meditations and kind of that deep, subtle bodywork that they don't even know exists, until they really slow down and slow down and slow down and slow down enough to really just be so present with it all. And I have some clients that come to me that just have stress. And they think that that's like, the main thing, or that one type of a new private client, he's amazing. And he just wants to, he wants more focus in his life. And he, he really feels like he's ready for something more than, he's kind of achieved all his goals, and he is ready for more. And he doesn't have any idea what that looks like. So I've actually been guiding him in Yoga Nidra, or I don't know if you've heard of that, but kind of a systematic guided relaxation, but bringing him to this, this kind of inner depths of him that he can kind of give himself the answers rather than seeking outside of him. And I think that's the biggest thing is just really teaching and educating people on how to find their inner compass, if you will, this kind of deeper connection to themselves, and realizing that when they connect to that regularly, over and over, they start to, to kind of see what is next for them, rather than having to look outside of them are thinking that they have to look outside of them, or they'll find it, if that makes sense.

Candice Wu 14:49
Makes complete sense. And I think the connecting over and over sounds really key, at least in my own experience, and for myself, but sometimes we think, okay, we've done that, and we're there or something. But then slowly, we just, I find myself in another place and not connecting. And then where am I and to re-ground myself. And notice that I'm a little far away or have forgotten myself, or just need to slow down a bit to check in? And how is it that you help people find that inner depths, they know Yoga Nidra is one of the practices that you named, but finding inner resources, you mentioned to me earlier sounds really strengthening and beautiful work? How do you help connect people to their inner resource?

Caitlin Parsons 15:45
I want to first just go back to, to what you shared about connecting over and over because I feel like that is so important for everyone to know. Because I've thought many times I'm done with that, I've done the work, I'm over it.

Candice Wu 16:00
Yeah.

Caitlin Parsons 16:00
I'm on to the next thing. And then it shows up again. And it's, I think it's important to be mindful that we just have to keep showing up over and over again. And the work doesn't necessarily end it just continues and evolve. And I think that's a big one for me on my journey. And also a lot of people like, we all think that once we do one thing, it should be just like in the past, and we're done moving forward. But the work just keeps coming up. We keep showing up for ourselves.

Candice Wu 16:26
Absolutely. Yeah, would you share something that you're experiencing, that continues to show up over and over that's evolving for you?

Caitlin Parsons 16:46
Something that has continued to show up that I pretended to or thought I did a lot of the work on has been the kind of surface issue is like my money mindset, I grew up with an amazing dad. But he was we kind of had what we had, and we didn't have an abundance of everything. So they, my parents worked their butts off. And that's kind of the life that I've shown you work your butt off, you get what you get. And that's like kind of how you go and retraining myself to opening myself up to the abundance. And I think kind of the deeper layer for me is this self-worth. And I know how my amazing gifts that I have and how I can support people. But it keeps showing up for me of reminding myself how worthy I am to be here, and to do this work and to share it. And I think that's kind of the big thing that's been in my life lately. And I think I'm past it. But usually, when we say that, I'm sure there's still more work, right.

Candice Wu 17:39
Exactly. The thought of that it comes from the place of it's still here.

Caitlin Parsons 17:44
Yes.

Candice Wu 17:45
Blowing idea about it.

Caitlin Parsons 17:46
Yeah, yeah.

Candice Wu 17:49
Yeah, I love how you said that. Like, the surface issue shows up as the money mindset. But then it comes deep down into the self-worth and what just like a really beautiful and simple reminder, I think we can get so into that I'm not worthy. And I'm not enough place where we try to do everything. We try to do everything 150%, and then we do this. And then we do that. And we try to push ourselves and nothing ever really seems enough. Like the simple thing of breath. And teaching someone breath is profound. And the simple thing of sharing these gifts that you already have, and who you are. And so thank you for that reminder. Just the way you said it gave me that feeling.

Caitlin Parsons 18:36
Yeah. Oh, you're welcome.

Candice Wu 18:37
I was wondering about the inner resource. And what you see that as how that expands in your work with people and how you support people in connecting to that.

Caitlin Parsons 18:49
Yeah, I think I'd say that it varies much, so various for everyone that I see. It's pretty much the same but depends on where people are at. Because I've worked with people been doing Yoga for years and years. So they get to some extent, their, their inner compass, and that kind of thing. And then I also work with people who, like, think that they can't do Yoga because they're not flexible. So I have a wide range of people that I support. And for the people that are kind of just getting into yoga, I think it just really starts with first connecting with their breath, and really understanding and realizing that once they connect to their breath, and we find a meditation perhaps, and it can be really, really simple, but find ways to slow down their thoughts enough to really realize that we are way more than our thoughts, our emotions, our feelings, and for some people, that's the starting point, like, Oh, I'm not the negative chatter that I constantly hear in my ear. I'm not, you know, I don't suck at this, or this, or this. And there's way more to me. And it continues to kind of evolved for certain people connecting with that aspect of themselves. And then I know, it's like, hard to describe, almost,

Candice Wu 20:05
I know, isn't it? I mean, my sense of you is, especially as you talk about how it's different for every person is that you're very, you hold space for people and that you attuned to what they might be needing. And you sense that. And so it's hard to speak in a general sense, because it's, it's never general.

Caitlin Parsons 20:25
Exactly.

Candice Wu 20:26
Yeah.

Caitlin Parsons 20:26
So it's kind of hard for me to describe, but it's really just allowing them to experience and for, for some people, it's guiding them into a Yoga Nidra, like a 40 minute Yoga Nidra, like the one I shared with you that they really experience this for, especially for a lot of people that can't get to that place in their meditation practice, or like a regular meditation practice, or even in their Yoga practice. This Yoga Nidra is a way that I found for a lot of people, they can access that, that space inside that we know is called kind of the bliss body for a lot of us. But that place that they can connect with their intuition. And maybe it's their creativity.

Caitlin Parsons 21:08
And this is why I think it's really different for everyone. Because it also depends on their spiritual path. I have people that are really religious, and then I have people that are atheists. And then I have people that are all in between. So it kind of depends on who is in front of me, but connecting to that place inside of them, that there's none of the other chatter. And when they find this place, and can connect to this place, they think they really become more in tune with what's next for them, what's showing up, maybe their new patterns, or could be just starting with what are their negative thoughts that keep showing up that's holding them back, or whether they're these certain actions, like procrastination, or, I don't know, not showing up for certain things. We all have some really interesting habits when we take a look. But it really just looks different for everyone. But I think just connecting to that place inside of people that is far beyond the thoughts, the feelings, the emotions, to some people, that's all they need to be there and a resource, I think,

Candice Wu 22:09
Yeah, that's excellent. Thank you. And you're mentioning your Yoga Nidra practice, which I'm so grateful that you're sharing Yoga Nidra with us, and it's going to be for all the listeners, it's going to be the next podcast after this one. So you can tune in anytime that you need something to help you tune into your creativity or your intuition or just a deeper sense of yourself. And Caitlyn, while we're here, can you share what Yoga Nidra is? That people who don't know about it can get a sense,

Caitlin Parsons 22:43
Yes, I'd love to. Yoga Nidra is amazing, I would say. But it's a form of relaxation. And it's a systematic way of guiding the body and the mind into relaxation. And it starts with setting an intention. And then you kind of go deeper. So we start with a rotation of consciousness as I describe it as the physical body. So we start by naming different parts of the body, and it distracts your mind to some extent if you have a busy mind. It also is a way to literally relax the physical body. And after the physical body, we move into the breath body. And we keep going into these, these layers. And we come to that place where a lot of us described as the bliss body. And this is the place where people access their intuition, their deepest goals, I would say, or intentions, or their purpose, or maybe it's just their creativity, or this deep, deep state of relaxation. And when people are in this space, often offer certain questions or kind of guided imagery, which you'll, you'll kind of see in the one that I offered, but I vary them for different scenes.

Caitlin Parsons 24:00
So this one is for reconnecting with your purpose, or your intention and your truth, but you could do it just for guided relaxation. Yoga Nidra. There are so many different types of Yoga Nidra. And I've learned many of them. One of them that stands out to me is Richard Miller. He's a Ph.D. and has done a lot of work through Yoga Nidra with PTSD and war veterans, that's his big thing. And then I don't know if you've heard of Nischala Joy Devi, but she does one more for relaxation, and for finding that place inside, that's kind of your inner wellness or inner resource. So there are many different types, I'd say they can vary in length from 20 minutes to more advanced practice, I would say is about an hour. And yeah, it's just so amazing. Just to find that space of relaxation, for many people that can access it is is pretty profound. A lot of people wake up from it. And they're like, where was I?

Candice Wu 25:00
Yes, yes.

Caitlin Parsons 25:01
It's actually referred to as Yoga sleep. Because it does, it brings you into that space that's between being asleep, and between being awake. And that's really good for our brain. I'll just kind of keep that really simple, good for our brain health to get to that point. And it's good for focus, and calming, and de-stressing, and relaxation. But like I said, also too, to access our inner resource or this deeper meaning.

Candice Wu 25:29
It's like a huge reset.

Caitlin Parsons 25:32
Yes.

Candice Wu 25:33
I love it. I can't wait to do yours.

Caitlin Parsons 25:36
Yay. I wish I could do my own, I usually just end up critiquing it.

Candice Wu 25:42
Oh my gosh!

Caitlin Parsons 25:42
So I got other people's.

Candice Wu 25:45
So I noticed on your Facebook group, six ways to learn how to stand in your essence and power with confidence and ease. And I'm curious if you would share one or two ways that stand out to you today.

Caitlin Parsons 25:58
Yeah, so the six ways I'll share all of them. And I think for everyone listening, just kind of pick one or two that really resonates with you, and start there. Because it has to be like this over-encompassing, you have to do everything, I think, just starting to, especially if you're the starting point of yoga, and meditation and all that, just starting to take care of you. And to show up for you is one of the most important things.

Caitlin Parsons 26:43
So the six ways our meditation, and that can look really different for anyone, it can be a two-minute meditation with your breath. Or it could be a 20-minute meditation on a mantra or phase, or it could be a Yoga Nidra practice. Another one is breath work, and your so many different an amazing types of breath work, whether you want more focus and clarity, or more relaxation, or more balance.

Caitlin Parsons 26:53
Another one is self-care. And self-care is kind of a hot word right now, I'd say, but really practicing self-care every single day. And this was a big one for me because I had to go get my nails done, or I'm not really a nails-done-person, but, or go get a massage once in every six months or go do this and acted like that was my self-care. But when it really comes down to it, I think self-care is really just finding ways in your day to show up for you. And sometimes for me, that's just laying on the ground and breathing. Sometimes for me, that's getting on my foam roller and working on my shoulder, or meditation, or going on a walk with my dog, or a hike. And there are many different types of self-care, physical and mental, emotional, and spiritual and professional. So finding ways to, to touch on each one if you can, or one of any is really important.

Caitlin Parsons 27:50
Another one is movement, through, using yoga, or it could be dance, whatever gets you in your body is a way to access your truth and your power.

Caitlin Parsons 28:01
Another one, I think I named for mindfulness. Mindfulness is a big one. And mindfulness can be mindfulness of your thoughts, your thoughts to yourself, your words, and how you, your words and your actions to yourself and to others. That's a big one.

Caitlin Parsons 28:20
And also, eating habits is a big one, for a lot of people just really becoming more clear of, and more mindful, when you eat, how you eat, how you feel after you eat, that can be really powerful. To kind of take back that power, because a lot of people either overeat or don't eat healthily, and they don't feel good. And they, they wonder why they don't feel good. But a lot of it is just really taking back that power to some extent.

Caitlin Parsons 28:46
And the last one is self-inquiry or journaling. So just taking time to dive in. There are many different ways to do self-inquiry, it could just be journaling, it could be asking yourself, certain questions could be through Yoga Nidra or meditation. There are many different ways and it might look different for everyone, but self-increase is a big one.

Caitlin Parsons 29:09
And when I practice for all of these for a really long time, but when I started to really integrate them, and actually practice them regularly, I made some profound changes in my life. And this kind of catapulted me to, to where I am now. And this is a lot of the work that I do these kinds of six main things for my clients. And it varies depending, like I said, on who's in front of me, and what their goals are, and what their needs are. But when you can find either one or two of these just bring into your practice and your daily life is powerful. And it connects you to you. And there's so much going on in this world with social media and the news and everything that have a safe place and to come home if you will, is profound.

Candice Wu 29:58
I like how you said about self-care is to find ways to show up for you. And that it just looks different, perhaps every moment or for every person. And it can be as simple as breathing as you said, for me, I was before this podcast, I just lie down and listen to a song over and over that just felt like it got me in touch with something beautiful. Sometimes people want the answer to self-care. But it's really hard to find it within of what's showing up for you right now however it wants to be. Thank you for those, those are really powerful.

Caitlin Parsons 30:38
Yeah. They sound so, so simple. But when we really bring them into our daily life, and every single day, like setting boundaries for ourselves, that like, here's my non-negotiables every day, I take 15 minutes for me. And we can all make time for even five minutes. And that kind of sends a statement to the universe. Like, here I am. I'm proud to be here. And I'm showing up for myself. And I think that's what makes it so powerful.

Candice Wu 31:08
It's incredibly powerful, like non-negotiables. And just saying, here I am. And this is what I need. This is what I want. And sticking with it standing behind yourself. What what are your non-negotiables?

Caitlin Parsons 31:20
Um, yeah, my non-negotiables, 15 minutes every day, at least. And then a few days a week, I take quite a bit longer usually ends up being about an hour. And I used to think like many other people that I didn't have time for it. But I just made the time, I get up earlier. So sometimes my practice is in bed. And sometimes I just start with a minute of breathing and usually stretch in some way in bed, just kind of intuitively move and figure out what needs to be moved. And I definitely sit for five minutes and at least meditate. Those are kind of my, my non-negotiables. And then beyond that, I'll add more of the Yoga practice, more of a movement practice, more meditation. I'll go to Yoga classes, pull my Oracle cards and have the moon deck, which I've been loving lately.

Candice Wu 32:09
Oh, that's a good one. The moon deck, right?

Caitlin Parsons 32:11
Yeah. But even just, I used to think that I had to go like sit in this one spot in my room. And although that's great, on certain days, that there are some days that I just like, want to be in bed, whether well, now it's hot here in San Diego so I'm not necessarily feeling like it's cold out of bed. But wanting to just stay in bed and being okay with that. So I have everything that I need near me. So that when I wake up, I can put on music I want or if I don't want, I don't. But I just sit up in bed. And I just start moving. And usually, once I start moving, I'm like, okay, here I am waking up getting kind of centered and then it starts my day in such a magical powerful way.

Candice Wu 32:52
Beautiful. Yeah. It's like taking the pressure off. And just let it begin from wherever you are.

Caitlin Parsons 32:57
Oh, my other non-negotiables are not jumping on social media on my phone first thing.

Candice Wu 33:02
I struggle with that one.

Caitlin Parsons 33:03
…for a really long time. But the past couple of months. That's like my non-negotiable even if it's just like 15 minutes. I give myself that.

Candice Wu 33:13
Nice. Good.

Caitlin Parsons 33:15
It's hard, though.

Candice Wu 33:16
Yeah, it is. But one of the things I do is I check to see if like if I get any messages from my clients, especially the ones I'm seeing that day. So just check in, but then I get magnetized towards. Okay, well, let me check this, and then that and there's that email. And then I'm carried away. So I have to really pause and stop myself.

Caitlin Parsons 33:37
Yes.

Candice Wu 33:38
So what when you're not doing Yoga or meditation, or I almost wanted to say being mindful.

Caitlin Parsons 33:46
Like, that doesn't stop.

Candice Wu 33:50
Yeah, but just like when you're not in this world of healing and embodiment and doing the practice yourself, or working with clients, or creating something for your business. What else nourishes you right now?

Caitlin Parsons 34:04
Yeah, I love and have been just loving, I live really close to the beach here in San Diego. And just going I'm probably going to go after this the best way for me lately to show up for myself. And to kind of clear out energy or just I like doing it, in general, is to go to the beach and go swim. And I found that just getting in the water is such a clearing thing for me that I've adored. And sometimes I surf, for very small waves. I really like it. But I don't do the big stuff. But I just enjoy getting in the water. I have an adorable dog. She's actually like eight years old now. But full of spunk and we love to go walk or go hike. I love just being outside. So I love going camping. I love going on new adventures and traveling. I love just hanging out with friends and family and having good conversations. Those are kind of my main ones. I go for runs every now and again. And yeah.

Candice Wu 35:00
Lovely. You sound like you love to be outside.

Caitlin Parsons 35:03
Yes. Yeah. That's why I moved to San Diego.

Candice Wu 35:08
Yes, it's a good place. Oh, good. Well, um, there's something else I'm really intrigued about that I noticed in your work that you have a meditation about dental anxiety.

Caitlin Parsons 35:19
Ah, yeah.

Candice Wu 35:21
Yeah. I love when people just pull together two unlikely things and create something that's just helpful and interesting. Um, yeah, tell me about it.

Caitlin Parsons 35:33
So as I shared earlier, I've been in the dental field for probably 14 years. And especially as a dental hygienist, I see a lot of people that have dental anxiety at varying degrees. And of course, my work in meditation and Yoga and breathing has carried over into my dental career, and especially supporting people that really do have anxiety, a lot of people that weren't going to the dentist, because they have such a big fear, now come to me regularly every 3, 4, 6 months, because they feel comfortable and accurate that, that space that's safe for them to just be as they are. So it just felt kind of intuitive to make a meditation for them for those of you that have anxiety, or maybe just don't like going to the dentist. So I created a kind of more relaxing meditation just to get the mind off of everything that could happen that's out there in the dental office. Because there's so much and there's a lot of noises and can be overwhelming. It's a very vulnerable place as a dental patient. And I never really experienced it, I always had good dental experiences. So for me going wasn't an issue. But really tuning into my patients and those who show up at our practice, it's like, wow, a lot of people are really, really scared.

Caitlin Parsons 36:51
So to get them out of their head a little bit, and just a little more into their body. And so it's a really simple meditation. And the goal is just to really get them a little bit less stress, a little bit less anxious, and more in their body and in their control, to understand that if they need to stop, they can use their words, they can say that and a big thing in dentistry years past, luckily, it's evolved greatly. But a lot of people have the experience that they weren't able to have the dentist stop as, even as a kid or as an adult, or they have things like crazy traumatic experiences. So just to give them the acknowledgment of being so brave, being here, showing up, but also that the power is in their hands. And that if they don't want this to happen, or they're ready to like stop, or they feel discomfort, just like use their voice. It's just a really simple, easy meditation for those that go to the dentist and want some relaxation.

Candice Wu 37:51
That's great. I mean, it just that reminder that you can say something. I think that was the thing growing up today, I didn't know how to do. It felt like, what if I have to swallow? And also I remember the times I'm not nervous about it now, but in the past, just waiting, waiting for the dentist or waiting in between things. It does feel uncomfortable sometimes. And I could just imagine listening to your meditation in between things would have been really comforting.

Caitlin Parsons 38:21
Yes. Totally. I know. It dawned on me one day is the doctor was in my room, the patient was lying back, I had done the cleaning, and he was doing an exam. And we're both kind of just like leaning over the patient. And they're just like, open mouth, very vulnerable. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, like as a patient, you are very vulnerable. And there's, there's a lot going on. And just to, like you said, get back in your body and to relax a little bit. And I don't know how many people I see just like, gripping their hands together, because they're, they're anxious. They're tense. So their shoulders are nearly in their ears. So just give people that opportunity to relax a little bit. Because we know when we're tenser during an experience, especially something like a feeling that you're going to have more especially like if you have to get a shot and injection. If you're super tense in your jaw and your shoulders. You're going to feel it the next day. It's not going to feel necessarily as great. So if you can find a way to relax. I think that's really profound.

Candice Wu 39:19
Absolutely. Yeah, I'm not sure if you go here in your own practice, or in your mind. But I'm curious. I've worked a lot on fears around losing my teeth…

Caitlin Parsons 39:32
Okay.

Candice Wu 39:33
…fears and I have had dreams, I've worked with them. And so many interesting things come up stuff around my personal strength and boundaries, stuff around it. Just like giving up my will and strength from other people. My own power. What comes up for you when I talk about this, because I'm curious how you just, in the positions that you are in, and your expertise what goes on for you?

Caitlin Parsons 40:02
That's so interesting because I actually used to have those dreams quite a bit. And now that you're saying I haven't had them in a really a while, probably like four or five years. But I had them a lot. And a big one for me was like like you shared is not having control or feeling like you're giving your will and your power over I think was like the biggest thing for me. And as I shared earlier, with my journey of like, giving my energy to everyone that was, that played a big part in it. And learning to come back to me was kind of the biggest thing. And that's probably why I haven't luckily had them in a while because I am choosing me more often. And I don't like saying choosing me over others. But it kind of comes down to that. Unless someone you know, absolutely needs me. But yeah, choosing me and taking back your power.

Candice Wu 40:51
Yeah, I can relate to that. Yeah, sometimes you just have to.

Caitlin Parsons 40:54
Yeah.

Candice Wu 40:55
And in the end, it is best for everyone. Most of the time that you choose yourself to take care of yourself, even if someone's upset about it.

Caitlin Parsons 41:04
Right, exactly.

Candice Wu 41:06
Okay. How about this? Can we do a little lightning round?

Caitlin Parsons 41:10
Sure.

Candice Wu 41:11
Okay. So I'll just, it's just where I asked a bunch of questions a little bit more quickly, and just say the first thing that comes to mind or anything that's in your awareness that pops in, let's start with this. What are some ways that life has surprised you?

Caitlin Parsons 41:31
I think just like I shared, continuing to show up for me and giving myself in every single way to others is not the biggest way to stand in my power. Really.

Candice Wu 41:43
Yeah. If you woke up from being cryogenically frozen, what's the first thing you would ask or do?

Caitlin Parsons 41:50
I think I would touch my body. I think it I've done like an Ice Cube experiment with my hand. And the first thing was like, I touched my hands and my whole body. Yeah.

Candice Wu 42:02
Well, that makes complete sense from a nervous system and body perspective. Because it's like, yeah here, I am here.

Caitlin Parsons 42:07
Yeah, exactly.

Candice Wu 42:08
Is this the container that I live in now? Am I alive? Yeah, it makes complete sense. And I think we should do that more often.

Caitlin Parsons 42:19
Totally. Oh, my gosh, yeah.

Candice Wu 42:22
Yeah, in somatic experiencing. We do that quite a bit in that in the healing work of that, just to, to remind ourselves that this is where we are, need to feel it. So yeah, that's so cool. What question would you most like to know the answer to?

Caitlin Parsons 42:37
I guess what my next step is, just came up to my head. And yeah, I thought I knew, but…

Candice Wu 42:47
Oh, interesting. What did you think you knew about your next step?

Caitlin Parsons 42:51
I think I've just been ready to, to continue to evolve into who I am, which is really just consistency and showing up and the work that I do continues to evolve. And apparently, I'm intended to do more work, because I don't know what my next step is. I just as I shared earlier, my Embodiment Academy that 8-week program starts in September. And I really want to create that to be kind of more of an ongoing thing. But maybe there's more.

Candice Wu 43:20
Yeah. Wow. And I think I think what you're doing is, as you mentioned, how important presence is and letting things evolve. It's like wanting to know something, the next thing shows up and even if you think, you know the next step, we think other things might show up to you. Or this is how I experience my life at least. I'm not sure how you do. But, a great place to be also to not know.

Caitlin Parsons 44:05
Yeah, the biggest thing for me there is being patient and I'm constantly wanting to create my next step. But being patient enough to slow down and to remain connected to me. Not that like, out of body out ahead, but stay connected to me to kind of, see what comes up and see what shows up rather than trying to make everything happen.

Candice Wu 44:13
I think that's a very challenging thing. That's something I'm learning all the time.

Caitlin Parsons 44:18
Yes exactly.

Candice Wu 44:20
Yeah. Okay. What is an opinion or idea that's against the grain, or perhaps controversial that you have? It can be anything at all.

Caitlin Parsons 44:31
I don't know why this just showed up for me. Like there's so much in especially this world that we don't have backed up by science. And there are some things that I just think can't necessarily be backed up by science, but that you just feel in your body and know within yourself is to be true, rather than needing science to prove it. I'm a big science person, but there's also a part to me that, especially as a healer, and this creative that knows there's way more and I know, that's not how everyone feels. So…

Candice Wu 45:10
Yeah, I think it's not to bash science at all, but, but it also is a bit obvious there's something unseen and unable to be pinned down.

Caitlin Parsons 45:20
Yes. Yeah.

Candice Wu 45:22
…and intuitive. Yeah. Okay. Let's do one more. Do you dream? Do you remember your dreams?

Caitlin Parsons 45:29
I do. But you know what? Lately, I feel like I haven't been remembering them as much, especially or last week, I had some crazy one that I was like, in the backseat with, I think I was like Hijacked. But it was some crazy, weird dream. But I was pretty much like, create. I don't know if dreams are so crazy. I didn't actually write it down. So I didn't find necessarily clarity on it. But I went through a phase of not really dreaming too much and then lately, I've kind of been dreaming a little bit more of the past couple weeks.

Candice Wu 46:03
Yeah. So you were hijacked.

Caitlin Parsons 46:06
Yeah. And with them, I don't even know who they were. But I didn't want to be with them. That's for sure. They had guns and everything. And I think I was actually teaching them like, part of the work that I do. And it was, I think I got like woken up from it, thankfully.

Candice Wu 46:28
Oh, that's fascinating. Yeah, yeah,

Caitlin Parsons 46:30
dreams are just so funny.

Candice Wu 46:31
I know. I love them. They just bring me alive. Yeah. Um, so thank you so much for playing with that.

Candice Wu 46:40
Let's shift gears. You have mentioned your Yoga Nidra practice that you're offering and sharing with the embody podcast that's going to be aired this week, and you've shared a bit about it. So if you're listening in and you missed that part, you can rewind to that part. There are links in the show notes just to exactly where that part is where Caitlin shares thank you so much for that. And is there anything else you want to say about that?

Caitlin Parsons 47:04
Um, no, I think just really enjoy. And when you do the Yoga Nidra practice to, to find a comfortable space and to not have to do anything while you're doing it. So maybe lying down and just really comfortable and, and see what comes up and take some time as I share at the end of the meditation to journal and write stuff down and to be really curious, and then a couple of days after of any shifts that come up for you.

Candice Wu 47:30
That's great. Yeah, it's a good reminder to just let that be a very nourishing treat for yourself, your soul, and body. Good. And where can people find you, Caitlin?

Caitlin Parsons 47:40
Um, so I am on Instagram healers within Yoga Therapy. I'm on Facebook as well, Healers within Yoga. And as you saw, I have a Facebook group if you're interested, where I do live trainings, I do group classes, live classes and just share inspiration and insight and fun things that I come across. And that group is called the Yoga Therapy Collective. So it's free and for anyone to join that's interested.

Candice Wu 48:10
Excellent. Yeah, you share a lot of great resources there. And you also have the Embodiment Academy group coming up, can you just say about that,

Caitlin Parsons 48:21
I'd love to. I am so excited. So the embodiment Academy is an 8-week group program that I've created. And it goes over all of the six I'm glad you asked about the six ways to step into your power and your truth, and really your confidence. And for some people, leadership comes with that. So each week we go over, we spend a full week on meditation and mindfulness and breath work in movement, and self-care and self-inquiry. And we have two weeks, we will do three of them and have an integration week, and then three more and an integration week. And then there's actually a bonus week at the end that I have to offer on manifesting.

Caitlin Parsons 49:06
And yeah, the group coaching program includes so many handouts and weekly worksheets. So you get kind of these tangible ways to bring these practices into your daily routine. And they also include videos and then every single week, we have about a 90-minute group coaching calls to get one on one support for any roadblocks that come up anything that comes up in the journey. Because when we do this inner work, there's always things that come up. So just having someone and the support of me and of course, everyone else in the group to support and then with that we have a private Facebook group for everyone in the program. That's a great way to stay connected and inspired and have support and guidance throughout the week.

Candice Wu 49:51
That sounds really rich.

Caitlin Parsons 49:53
Yeah.

Candice Wu 49:55
Thank you so much. I'm so excited.

Caitlin Parsons 49:56
Yeah. So that starts September 17. I'd actually love to offer the listeners here too. I haven't done this before, but 20% off for the program. So if you're interested, you can definitely just send me an email. Let me know you're listening. And then I'd love to share that with you and share more about the program and the details and all the fun stuff there.

Candice Wu 50:18
That sounds awesome. And I know that there will be many grateful people out there. That's fabulous. Yay. Thank you!

Caitlin Parsons 50:27
You're welcome.

Candice Wu 50:28
Well, I am so happy that you were on the show Caitlin, you just exude joy, and you radiate positive energy, and it's just fabulous to hear from you.

Caitlin Parsons 50:40
Thank you. It was so nice to be on here. And I'm really just grateful for being here. And for all your work, Candice, you are doing such amazing things and supporting people in so many ways.

Candice Wu 50:51
Thank you. Well, find Caitlin on all of those different avenues that she's mentioned and check out the Yoga Nidra that's coming up this week and enjoy. Thank you, Caitlin.

Caitlin Parsons 51:05
Thank you. Bye guys.

Candice Wu 51:07
Bye.

Candice Wu 51:09
Thank you, Caitlin, so much for being on the show today. And I appreciate all of you out there who are listening. All of you who are in Caitlin's community or mine or just new to the embody podcast. Welcome.

Candice Wu 51:21
I really enjoyed talking Yoga with Caitlyn and just love how she shares her love and passion for transformation. I wanted to encourage you to check out her Yoga Nidra, that's about 40 minutes long. It's a lovely deepening practice where you can go very deep into your consciousness to plant a seed for what you'd want to create in your life or to feel in yourself and check that out. It's going to be airing this week following this episode. Again, you can find all of Caitlin's information at the show notes at CandiceWu.com/caitlin, that's C-A-I-T-L-I-N, Caitlin.

Candice Wu 51:58
And you can check out also her Embodiment Academy where she takes people into a deep dive of meditation, mindfulness, movement, breathwork, self-care, and self-inquiry. I imagine anyone that joins her will benefit.

Candice Wu 52:11
Thanks so much again, for listening in. And before you go, I'd like to invite you to the embody community, it's funny because we have similar names for things the Embodiment Academy and then I have the embodied podcasting community. So this is my page CandiceWu.com/embody if you'd like to join my newsletter and community where you can interact and receive meditations, healing practices, and self-love notes twice a month in a newsletter and also get other resources. If anything I share here on the embody podcast touches you or speaks to you in a way that helps you or supports you or helps you love yourself, I would invite you to support my page at CandiceWu.com/patreon and support the work every dollar goes to supporting all the back end work, the production and the labor that it takes to produce these with love. Thanks so much and see you next time on the embody podcast.

Candice Wu 0:00

Today we have a very special treat from Caitlin Parsons, who was the guest this week on the podcast. You can listen to her full episode at CandiceWu.com/caitlin.

Caitlin is offering Yoga Nidra, which is Yogic sleep. So get comfy, jump in, take some time for yourself and get some very deep rest, relaxation as well as plant some new seeds for yourself. Enjoy.

Caitlin Parsons 0:32

Hello, welcome. My name is Caitlin and I will be guiding you on the journey of Yoga Nidra.

Yoga Nidra is a style or form of meditation where we systematically begin to relax the body and the other subtle layers of the body, and we find ourselves at the end, the sweet space we called bliss body. We were able to uncover or visions or dreams or creativity or truth.

I invite you to make yourself really comfortable for this meditation, blanket over you or underneath the back of your head, maybe a bolster pillow underneath the knee and if it’s daylight or you’d prefer maybe even an eye pillow, something to cover the eyes gently. And take your time as you make your way into a comfortable space.

The idea of meditations like this or opportunities like this is to go within, begin more curious about what happens behind the thoughts, the ego, the feeling, what resides beneath all of that, and when we can get more clear about how to tune into this deeper parts of ourselves and how to connect with this deep part of ourselves regularly. We become and feel more supported in this world, in our journey, we could become more connected to the truth that’s inside of us.

Now that the other stuff slowly starts to fade away. And as you finally get settled in. Close your eyes if they haven’t already, and maybe invite your arms out to the side, so the palms face up.

In each Yoga Nidra practice, we start by drawing in an intention. And first, connect to our breath, begin to notice the breath as it comes into your body either through the nostrils or gently part of the lips and begin to notice the breath as it leaves. Just simple awareness of the breath as you take a full breath in. An awareness of the breath as the breath leaves the body.

Beginning to notice how the breath feels in this moment without needing to change anything at all, without judging the way you want it to be or wish it to be. And enjoying the simplicity of the breath in this moment. This is your fast or challenging stuff. Perhaps that feels more open and fluid and easeful.

Wherever it is, acknowledging where you’re at, the opportunity to become so present that it doesn’t matter what the answer is. The essence is what’s most important.

Then begin to just slowly, breath by breath, draw in a deeper breath. As you inhale, begin to fill the belly, the side rib, chest, and as you exhale at the chest soften, the ribs soften, as the belly draws back towards and several more times like this, inhale getting longer, more full, and exhale, turning it around, and as you release the breath, let it be longer. Let it be slower than the last breath. A few more times like this. Inhale long, slow, full. Exhale longer, slower, deeper.

With each inhale having this idea, this sense of creating more space, more expansion, more width in our body. And as you exhale, an opportunity to surrender, to soften the physical body down. And then slowly begin to exhale fully when you’re ready. And then we’ll add a breath count.

So on the inhale, we’ll inhale for a count of five, four, three, two, one. Pause at the top of your inhale. Two, one, exhale.

Five, four, three, two, one. Pause. Two, one.

A few more times like this, inhale five, four, three, two, one. Pause. Two, one, exhale.

Five, four, three, two, one. Pause. Two, one.

Twice more like this. Inhale. Five, four, three, two, one. Pause. Two, one. Exhale. Five, four, three, two, one. Pause. Two, one. One more time.

Inhale five, four, three, two, one. Pause. Two, one, exhale. Five, four, three, two, one.

Normal breath in and out now.

Notice if the breath has shifted at all, feel more space, more softness, and what you notice in general.

We will slowly begin to draw awareness to an intention. In the new Yoga Nidra practice, we typically set an intention that’s a positive statement, that’s an “I am positive” state. This could be anything that’s coming up for you or maybe you’ve been working through. It could be I am confident, I am strong and connected, and open and ready to receive.

If you’re struggling to find one, perhaps connect with something you’ve been challenged by or with and turn that into a positive statement. For example, if you’re struggling with being feeling worthy, perhaps the positive intentional statement becomes “I am worthy” or “I am enough”.

And once you find that statement, say it to yourself three times. Say it to yourself as if it were true, not in the future. I am… fill with every cell in your body again as if it were to be true and then with your next inhale, begin to fill all the way up as you inhale.

And then as you exhale, open the mouth, sigh the breath out, let it go. Do more times like this. Inhale through the nose, fill up. Turn that back around, open the mouth, send the breath out the mouth.

The last one, inhale, filling up. And exhale, open the mouth. Let it go.

Beautiful.

Bring the lips together now. Breathing in and out through the nose.

And now we’ll begin our journey into Yoga Nidra. We will begin with the physical body in a rotation consciousness in the body.

Bring your awareness to the whole backside of your body. Imagine and sense the whole backside of your body as if the body could be front cuts in half front to back.

Go to the backside of your body and let the whole back body soften into the support beneath you. Bring your awareness to the front body and imagine with each inhale feeling more space or ease, more softness as you breathe in and with each exhale, the sense of surrender in the back body.

Inhale, front body. Exhale back. And then slowly begin to shift your awareness to the whole right side of your body. Feel and sense the whole right side of your body. Bring your awareness to your right hand.

And as I named different body parts, I invite you to guide your awareness there and let that area soften. It feels like your mind needs something else to do, you can name that spot as well to yourself. But only if you need.

Awareness to your right hand, thumb, second finger, third finger, fourth finger, and fifth finger.

Top of your hand, the palm of your hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, armpit, right ribs, waist, right hip.

Feel and sense all the way from the hip to the toe and then add your awareness to your thigh, knee, shin, ankle, your whole foot, big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, and fifth toe.

Spread the awareness to your whole right side body and feel the whole right side body filled with awareness, sensation. And then guide your awareness slowly to the whole left side of your body. Begin to feel and sense the whole left side body. All left side.

Awareness to your left hand, thumb, second finger, third finger, fourth finger, and fifth finger, the back of your hand, the palm of your hand, wrist, forearm, elbow, upper arm, shoulder, armpit, the left ribs, waist, your left hip.

Feel and sense your left hip all the way to the left toes. And then awareness back to the left thigh, knee, shin, ankle, and the whole left foot, shin, ankle, your whole left foot, big toe, second toe, third toe, fourth toe, and fifth toe. Feel the whole left side body, feel this awareness, sensation and begin to feel the whole body together now, the whole body together. Imagine the whole body breathing as one here. Feel the whole body as one.

Feel the back of your right heel, left heel, right calf, left calf, right thigh, left thigh, center of your hip and pelvis, and then begin to imagine walking your awareness up the entire spine, noting each and every vertebrae along the spine, each and every bone, getting to the upper back.

And then awareness to the right shoulder blade, imagine the whole right shoulder blade as if you could unravel the tension from the inside out of the whole left shoulder blade. Back of the head, awareness to the top of your head, forehead, right temple, left temple, the bridge of your nose, the tip your nose, your right cheek, your left cheek, upper jaw, your lower jaw, the tongue inside your mouth, right ear.

And imagine from the right ear, drawing a line down the side of your jaw to the center of your chin, and then feel the center part of your chin. And then imagine a line from the center part of your chin all the way up the left side of the jaw to your left ear. Bring the awareness to your left ear and bring the awareness to your right eye again, your left eye, and imagine the space between both of your eyes. Bring your awareness to this space.

Our third eye Center or center for intuition connection. Imagine a yellow, glowing light here.

Yellow, glowing light at the center of our eyes or third eye center. Glowing, with each inhale, more radiant than ever.

And then imagine from the center of your eye, the space of your heart, imagine this glowing light shines from the third eye center to your heart on an inhale, and as you exhale, imagine the glowing light moving back to the third eye center and continuing like this, inhale from the third eye to your heart space. Exhale, your heart, the third eye.

Then, the next time you inhale and bring the awareness to your space around your heart, keep the awareness there as you exhale. Imagine this glowing, beautiful light radiating around the heart, glowing inside the chest, your radiance, your glow. So great and beautiful.

And then keeping the awareness at the heart, take a big breath in and as you exhale, imagine the whole bright light and the exhale reaches every single part of your body. And as you inhale, imagine the glowing light comes back to your heart several more times like this, inhale at your heart and exhale, imagine the glowing, healing light. Feel every area of your body, every cell, every bone, every muscle and exhale coming back to the heart. Inhale sending it out. Exhale receiving.

Notice… is there anywhere in your body as you do this exercise that is challenging to get the breath and the radiance to see it for the next few breaths, you can really work on bringing it there. Bringing more light to this space.

Inhale shining up to the body. Exhale, drawing it into your heart. And then begin to let that go. Come back to the natural rhythm of your breath. Remind yourself you are practicing Yoga Nidra. You are awake. You are relaxed. Normal breath in, normal breath out.

Begin to this sense of the whole physical body weighing down, the whole physical body getting even heavier than it is now, as if they were weighted down, the whole body heavy as if you couldn’t even lift a limb. You’re just so heavy and grounded and rooted here, heavy.

Then invite the opposite feeling, invite the feeling of lightness, of lightness and ease, as if you could lift start off of where you’re at and maybe the limbs could flow to feel so light through the whole body, lightness through the whole body.

And then back to heaviness, feeling heaviness, and then imagine your natural state, your natural rhythm, homeostasis. And then from here, imagine the warmest day outside feeling so hot, like the sun is shining on you and you almost can’t de-layer enough feeling so warm and hot, as if you’re sitting beneath this shining sun. So hot.

And then imagine the opposite. Imagine feeling so cold as if it were a winter’s day. The snow is falling, jackets and bundled up. Imagine not being able to shake the feeling of the chills. So cool. Then let that go.

Begin to come back to your natural rhythm of breath, your natural rhythm.

Begin to imagine the feeling you get in your body, imagine living your life for someone else. Imagine being and living a life that has nothing to do with you. Living a life for someone else. What does that feel like and where do you feel that in your body, living for someone else?

And then imagine the opposite. Imagine living a life that is just for you. Living a life authentically, exactly how you choose to be living your life. What does that feel like to live through your lens? Where do you feel that in your body and what does that feel like living for yourself?

Then let that go, find your natural rhythm again.

As we move into this next piece, I’ll begin to name different things and I invite you to stay with me. And imagine that your third eye center, the space between both of your eyes, imagine a big, black movie screen as high and wide as you can see. And as I named different things, notice what comes up on the movie screen for you. Any feelings, any sensations that you feel.

I’ll go fairly quickly.

A black doll.

The sun setting down.

The sound of waves crashing down on the beach.

The smell of incense burning.

A cactus.

A house at the top of a hilltop.

The sound of your best friend’s laughter.

A burning candle.

A beautiful sunrise.

A full moon above.

The full moon above.

Imagine laying beneath the big, full moon. Laying down in the grass beneath the big, full moon.

And then imagine sitting up a little bit and noticing a big door in the middle of nowhere. You’re intrigued by this big door. You slowly begin to walk up towards the door, taking your time, cautious. Not sure what’s next. Anticipation. Wondering what’s behind the door and what happens when you touch the door. Imagine that just beyond the door.

Is your dream, your vision, exactly where you’re meant to be next, your next step? Imagine what’s beyond the door. Is your dream your next step? What’s beyond the door? What’s your dream? Vision? What’s stopping you from grabbing the doorknob? Or, opening the door and walking through, what’s holding you back from your next step, your next piece of evolution, what is holding you here and stuck? What’s keeping you stuck or comfortable where are you at?

And then imagine that that didn’t matter anymore and drawing in and remembering, bringing your awareness to your intention for your practice today, you’re Sankalpa.

Repeat that to yourself. And perhaps that’s what you need to know in order to walk through the door. Imagine grabbing the handle turning the handle, opening the door and walking through forward into your dream. How does it feel to be here?

Look around you feeling grateful, ecstatic, excited, what else do you feel? Where do you feel it in your body, in your breath?

And then allow yourself to rest here and ask for guidance, receiving any support, any guidance, any wisdom that you need in order to walk through the door in life, in order to get to the next step, in order to get to your next evolution to continue evolving and growing and learning, and rising up.

What do you need? Rest here in the stillness, this quiet, this peace — for a few minutes.

Begin to draw your awareness back to your intention, bringing your awareness back to your intention for your practice today. Repeat your intention to yourself three times again. And as you repeated this last time, imagine feeling it as if it were to be true already.

Slowly begin, bring your awareness to your breath now. Noticing the gentle rise and fall of the belly as you breathe. Notice the simplicity of this moment, this breath being present here.

And then slowly begin to deepen the breath and as you deepen the breath, feel into being your sign or your symbol. Beginning to awaken your physical body, wiggling the fingers, the toes. And take your time, maybe one big stretch reaching the arms overhead, the toes in the opposite direction and as you exhale, begin to draw your knees in towards your chest. Rock over at either side, pausing and softening here.

And when you’re ready, begin to press yourself up and come to a comfortable seat.

Keep the eyes closed or your gaze soft, and then bring your hands on to your thigh, begin to connect, lift your palms so they face up and begin to connect to your thumb, the tip of your thumb and your index finger together. And then the other three fingers remain open. Our symbol or mudra for higher wisdom and knowledge. May we remember that by connecting to these deep parts of ourselves, our inner world, inner landscape, we become more connected to what’s next for us. The wisdom, they’re always in, the wisdom is always inside of us and never beyond and just by connecting to the breath, the body, you find this space.

When you’re ready, you can begin to open the eye, one hand onto your heart, one onto your belly, and just feel the breath moving inside the body, feel the breath moving the hand, says you take a big breath in and out.

As you take the next few breaths, I invite you to take some time, get a pen and paper, maybe a journal if you have one and start writing. Get more curious about what’s next for you? What’s holding you back? Are you ready to evolve? Why are you still playing small? What are you ready for?

Thank you all for joining me and sharing this practice with me. My name is Caitlin Parsons again with Healers Within Yoga therapy. If you ever have any questions you can surely send me a message, [email protected] or my website is healerswithin.com.

Thank you. Namaste.