Candice Wu 0:00

This is an experiential that can support you in standing behind yourself. It combines constellations, Somatic Experiencing and embodiment with your inner parts, and all those that support you, to bring you into the new year with more of yourself.

Candice Wu 0:23

Hello and welcome. You’re listening to the Embody 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 0:57

If you’d like to jump right to the experiential itself without a little bit of the intro and a story from me, you can just click through in the show notes and the markers jump to the part of “let’s begin”.

Candice Wu 1:12

If you have some sort of podcast app, usually if you click forward, it’ll jump to different chapters and you can find that portion of “let’s begin”.

Candice Wu 1:22

Wow, this was the first time that I have had hiccups before I wanted to record a podcast and I just had this thought that I’m so lucky that I haven’t had hiccups when I’ve had a guest and had to deal with that experience, I’m sure it would be fine in some way or I don’t know, I do one of those tricks that gets rid of hiccups but none of — I just kind of let that happen today without trying to make it stop and I get hiccups for like 15 minutes which is really rare for me. And so, my stomach is a little sore like I’ve done a workout but I’m here and I’m so happy that you’re here too. This is the week before New Year’s of 2020 and I thought that it would be lovely to do something that can bring you into the new year with more of yourself with a fullness and a state of being of self-support.

Candice Wu 2:28

It’s great if you are doing resolutions or tuning into theme words for this next coming year like words that you want to focus on, energies you want to focus on, instead of a new year’s resolution you can try this or in addition to it and if you’re someone that wants to do something like a cleansing and shifting the energies, integrating what energies have been in this year, looking through the year and reviewing it last year when it was 2018 shifting into 2019, I did an episode called Ending and Beginning the New Year with Grace with cleansing, impermanence, and integration.

Candice Wu 3:15

So, it was an episode of touching into each month of that last year and letting the body digest and release and acknowledge the experience of that month, so that you can let that all digest and metabolize through as much as possible at least, to have some space for coming into the new year.

Candice Wu 3:40

If you’re interested in that, I really had lots of good feedback from people that that was helpful. You can find the episode at CandiceWu.com/ep53. Along with that, the Ally with Death audio experiential is now on sale until January 6, 2020. This audio is about 75 minutes and it guides you through with my voice and really lovely, moody, and supportive as well as provocative music by Larry St. Germain on his hand pan. And it is a simulation of death so that you can really face and clear out what is vital to your life force, what your soul wants to cleanse out and complete and digest so that you have lots of space to be in the new year with vitality and coming back to your playfulness, whatever deadweight is in your system, in your energetic system or in your psyche. This is the chance to be in a process that can support you in moving that all through and providing yourself with a lot of love, self-forgiveness and envisioning with your whole inner wisdom on board. If you’re interested in that, you can find it at CandiceWu.com/death. And again, it’s on sale until January 6, 2020.

Candice Wu 5:12

And before we jump into the experiential, I want to talk about some of the inspiration for this.

Candice Wu 5:19

A couple of people in my life has been talking about the gallbladder and blockage in their gallbladder, for whatever reason they’re aware of it or they had gone to a holistic doctor of some sort that had given them that information. And they were asking me about my sense of it.

Candice Wu 5:39

So, the gallbladder energy has been coming up and the gallbladder and the liver are like sister energies. The meridians of the gallbladder and liver cycle together, the gallbladder on the outer side of the body and the liver on the inner side, and to be very nonspecific in general at the moment, and in Ayurveda, the liver and gallbladder related to the Akasha Mahābhūta, the element of the Akash, that’s the physical space that something occupies.

Candice Wu 6:12

And recently, actually, Susan Lipshutz was on the podcast talking about Akashic Records and the Akashic Realm. So, it’s really a lovely sequel to that, that we’re here now talking about the liver and gallbladder which connect with the Akash. It’s the physical space something occupies, it’s the wood element in Chinese medicine. This energy in our body does create the physical body as we know it and how it feels where the blockage intention is, the shape of our physical body. It’s that blueprint underneath, much like the chakras, but this relating to the meridians and it’s about occupying our space, as we are with what we desire and need.

Candice Wu 6:59

The liver energy is the energy of creation and desire and it is connected with the reproductive center, what we desire, what we birth, what we want to birth or feel in relation to the world and others, that we take up our space and we have a right to that space, and we’re able to protect that space. So the gallbladder channel running down the side of the body down the IT band, all the way to the pinky toe. Really, if you think about putting your foot down, that if you’re able to put your foot down when you need to, that is the power of protecting your energy, standing up for what’s right for you. And sometimes that’s really firmly or strongly and sometimes that’s subtly but the ability to do so to have your boundaries and feel the right to do that, feel the worldliness to have what you need and protect your own space and energy in a way that feels right for you, to support yourself in a way that’s right for you, to not tolerate things that don’t feel right to you, that’s all the energy of gallbladder in standing up and asserting, and also making decisions that support you.

Candice Wu 8:25

If our creative energy or what we desire and what we need is thwarted, if it gets disrupted or violated, then anger comes forward. Some people wouldn’t call this anger and it’s not quite necessary to call it anger. There are varying degrees on that spectrum of what that means. My Somatic Experiencing teacher trainer, one of them, Maggie Klein calls it “red energy”, and when something is violated or thwarted, that hurts us or gets in the way of what we want or need, or is not what we want to need, then that red energy comes up in our bodies to stand up for what we need, to put a boundary up or to say no, to put our foot down.

Candice Wu 9:23

If that energy doesn’t get to be used, if we are taught that we’re not allowed to have what we need, or we’re not allowed to stand up for ourselves, perhaps that we’re not allowed to be angry, or say no, or to have what we need, then that energy gets blocked up and the liver and the gallbladder get blocked when that energy doesn’t get to cycle and digest through and be used. That leads to blockages in the energetic system of liver and gallbladder and of course, other systems in the body. And we’re in nervous system understanding, the polyvagus nerve, sensing this kind of threat to the body, will connect with the other organs in the body shutting certain systems down. And so we have an effect in the whole body in different spaces, in different ways and that can create a level of nervous system overwhelm. When we feel overwhelmed in our nervous system and the nervous system says too much, then we can go into a free state or tonic immobility, if we want to be more scientific. In that state, says that, it was too much for our body to handle and we can go into depression.

Candice Wu 10:49

So we can talk at length about the details of polyvagal theory or the different energies, of the different meridians, all these different thematic experiences of the human body and psyche and yet, this experience of whatever your body is having, whatever’s going on in your body and how you experience yourself and relate to yourself is very personal and unique.

Candice Wu 11:19

And the way that I like to discover what’s happening is not so much knowing these facts and principles of different organ systems or how the body functions, although that really does help a great deal just to have that openness and knowing and all the different tools that can come out of it. But I do like to use the tool of asking my body and letting my intuition and knowing come forward and cultivating that intuition.

Candice Wu 11:54

If you’ve been listening to the podcast, or if you want to jump onto the website and search for these specific angles of looking at this process, I do talk about Somatic Experiencing. I do talk about Family Constellations and how the body can manifest something that the lineage or past life has not yet resolved or integrated.

Candice Wu 12:22

And sometimes, I talk about the meridians, or Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. So there are places from which all of this knowledge can come from. And I also share how to talk with the body. There was an episode called Conversations with the Body and you can find that at CandiceWu.com/conversationswiththebody that can guide you in that conversation.

Candice Wu 12:50

And a couple of months ago, when I was working with my feelings around the Hong Kong protests and what was happening there, and I saw how people were standing up for each other, I felt my gums receding on the second to last molars at the bottom. And, receding gumline is something that I’ve been dealing with on and off throughout my life. And when I noticed it this time, I felt Okay, I’m ready to heal another level of this and strengthen my gums. How do I do that?

Candice Wu 13:26

So I talked with my gums and listened and just felt into what it was going to show me and it took a little time, in this time, I got the message, stand up for yourself more, we can’t take it anymore. And as I felt a standing up for myself and what that would mean I felt into that in my body, the feeling of it, I could feel my gums standing stronger and firmly around my teeth, teeth being very connected with the kidneys and our strength of will, the bone. And so it was clear to me that if I were to stand stronger for myself around who I am and what I need to the next level, then these little spaces of my gums might find a new way. There might be more energy there to create the physical expression of that standing up for myself in my gums.

Candice Wu 14:32

So I practice that a lot and worked with bringing my energy to stand up for myself more and of course work with more Somatic Experiencing practices of working through fight responses and that putting my foot down and being able to have stronger boundaries, clearer ones, finding different ways to communicate that then I had before another round of it, and my gums feel great right now. Let’s see, let’s check. There’s a tiny bit of sensitivity in some spots but overall, it’s a lot stronger. And I feel that that’s reflecting what’s going on in my life, that there are these little spots that are still asking for me to stand up and I’m working on it and it’s in that process.

Candice Wu 15:32

So this experiential here today is to support you in standing up behind yourself. It’s to give your body an experience of support, where it may have been lacking or you may have been wanting more support from others or from your parents or whoever in your life, that you can give that to yourself and embody it.

Candice Wu 16:02

So if you’re ready to begin with me, feel free to find a comfortable place to be and let’s begin.

Candice Wu 16:13

I’d invite you to start by standing up and as you stand up, let your body be just as it is. Resist any temptation to stand up or push your chest out or be in any sort of power position or change your body and just be as you are.

Candice Wu 16:40

As you’re doing that, notice how your body feels and how it is, without any judgment or pressure on your body to change. We’re gathering information about what your body feels like here. Where the weight is in your feet? How strong you feel in your body? Or, where there’s any holding, curling in contraction, where there’s any expansion, openness. Does your body feel lifted or weighted? Feel if your body is leaning back or forward or there’s a movement happening inside or outside the impulse of your body and just let your body follow those impulses and movements. Be in the swaying if they’re swaying or be in stillness if there’s stillness. Also, notice your breath, where your breath reaches and where it doesn’t.

Candice Wu 18:06

And now I invite you to call forward the part of you that has strength and unconditional love. If that’s hard to do, call upon the part of you that is either the most coherent or is your inner wisdom or the part of you that knows how to support other people and encourage and love others.

Candice Wu 18:41

Notice how that part of you can be in the world, especially towards other people if you are very supportive of others.

Candice Wu 18:58

Now imagine that part of you, that is your inner wisdom or unconditional love or the part that supports others’ turn towards yourself and shine that light of love and support towards you. Notice if you can receive that love and support. You can even picture light shining from yourself to yourself. It can be any color light that feels supportive. Notice if this is easy or hard to do. Just be gentle with yourself if this is unfamiliar, or if emotions come up or experiences come up that are unexpected. And if you allow yourself to receive even more of this love and support, notice what that would feel like or how it feels in your body now.

Candice Wu 20:19

Observe what happens in your body, does it stay the same? Is there any difference or shift in how your body stands or holds itself or is, how is your breath now?

Candice Wu 20:43

Feel as many cells of your body that are able to receive this loving support, kind of love that no matter what, supports you, from head to toes to your fingers.

Candice Wu 21:14

And now invite that part of you to stand behind you and place your hands on your shoulders. If it’s hard to imagine, imagine what it would be like to be able to imagine your most supportive self standing behind you with all the love, power, and support. All the support that you need, all the support that you wish for, the feeling that light is coming through you from this part of you, shining through you, shining forward into your life, your future, where you’re looking and that you’re able to even lean on this part of you for more support when you feel doubtful or anxious, scared, if you feel uncertain. Imagine leaning towards or reaching towards this supportive part of you that catches you and hold you, that is all compassionate to your feelings.

Candice Wu 22:53

And as you look forward into your life, into all the places that you move in life and where you’re going, imagine what it would be like to picture this part of you, going with you, standing behind you through all parts of life.

Candice Wu 23:18

Notice how your body is experiencing this, what sensations, what emotions? Is your body moving or feeling any impulses or not? And just being gentle with any emotions that do come up as some difficult feelings might want to move through or be acknowledged.

Candice Wu 23:51

And if you’d like to take this one step further, picture all those that support you whether they’re people that are alive, things or animals, nature, spirits or guides, teachers, beings of light, beings from other dimensions, your inner parts, Earth, imagine anything that supports you standing behind you now. Notice how much of this you’re able to feel into and receive and if anytime this is too much or it feels overwhelming to take that much in, don’t and just take a break and know that this is a practice you can come back to and take in a little more, feel more support.

Candice Wu 24:55

You could even just imagine one support person or entity at a time rather than all. Just play with who’s back there for you now and what amount and capacity are you able to feel into their support, their love, their light, moving through you and supporting you in your life.

Candice Wu 25:35

And as you look forward into the next year, plant the seed that you can call upon your inner support to stand behind you or shine your light on you anytime, as well as calling upon any support that you’re aware of in your life to bring you more resource, bring you more strength and inner loving, to call upon that inner reflection of those outer people or parts so that enlivens in you as you move through the world.

Candice Wu 26:27

Take a moment to feel any parts of you in your body that are connected with that support and feeling any pleasure or soothing, calmness, openness from that support, no matter what other feelings are going on.

Candice Wu 26:56

Take your own time here and if you need more time to stand with your support, feel free. And whenever you’re ready, feel free to close at any time and just let your body be and continue to bring that support with you in your life. Thank yourself for practicing and invoking more in yourself, more support and just being aware of the support that you are, that you bring and that you can turn towards yourself with great love and power.

Candice Wu 27:41

I’m so glad that you’re here with me today. Thank you so much for moving through 2019 with me, or jumping into this experience now and wishing you so much love into the new year and lots of self-loving.

Candice Wu 27:59

The ability to stand behind ourselves, support ourselves, if we could do that more often, and feel the resource that is within us, especially in the dark times and times where we really need more loving, or those pockets of ourselves that don’t know how to love, if we can stand behind ourselves and take up space and step forward with who we are and what we want to need, imagine what that would be like.

Candice Wu 28:46

And I wish all that for you and more in this next coming year and today. I’m looking forward to seeing you in the new year. And thank you so much again for joining me on the Embody Podcast, until next time and into the new decade.

Candice Wu 0:00

I don’t know about you, but some of my best ideas come when I’m least expecting it. Yes, sometimes they happen when I’m on the toilet or when I’ve just hopped in the shower or right before I fall asleep or wake up in this sort of liminal space, but this episode is about cultivating your daydreamer, your ability to daydream and tap into the symbolic imaginal space of your soul, to nourish who you are, your intuition and the depth of what wants to come through and reveal itself through you.

Candice Wu 0:38

Hello, and welcome. You’re listening to the Embody Podcast, a show about remembering and embodying your true nature, inner wisdom, embodied healing, and self-love.

Candice Wu 0:51

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 1:13

Hi, everyone. Welcome back. Last week we had our hundredth episode of the body podcast with Roxanne Partridge, so, we had our hundredth birthday with a very special person that actually has the same exact birthday to the year as I do, within six hours. So, this episode is Episode 101, which is crazy, so, we broke 100, thanks for joining in the journey with me and being here, and I thought it would be just wonderful to follow up with this episode about daydreaming.

Candice Wu 1:52

Daydreaming has been really present with me because I’ve wanted more space to do it, and I know that when I leave time to to be without agenda, to release my attention on the outer things of the world, my daily tasks, to turn off that mental logic and let the soul logic come online, I receive and see so much juiciness, vibrancy, nourishment and I get lots of awesome ideas, some that I just feel delighted in and delighted in, in the moment and just discard very quickly and some that I take with me into the next year, and some, that just momentarily give me pleasure or what’s the word, entertainment, but also I get a lot of connection with the depth of who I am, my intuition my inner self, the story of who I am and the mystery of my experience, and that leaves me feeling very nourished, grounded and plugged into my soul.

Candice Wu 3:15

And with Roxanne Partridge coming on the show last week, I felt even more inspired to be in that imaginal, symbolic, juicy, space of the unconscious, the underworld in the underbellies of our being and what lives under the surface, what wants to be seen, revealed, unfurled, the wild nature that we are, and so, daydreaming was the direction I went.

Candice Wu 3:47

So, before we jump into this, I want to mention that the Ally with Death Audio Experiential has been out there a couple of weeks now, and it’s this very beautifully stirring and provocative audio soundtrack with hand pan music by my friend Larry Saint Germain. It’s gorgeous, and it connects up with my voice prompting you through a series of simulation and series of questions, leading you through your own death, so that you face the things that want to be let go, and you take a good look at them. We end and release what is already decaying or needs to die, to create the space for new life and to look at what is meaningful for you now, and where is your playful, curious, sensing, intuitive self and to let that shine up so that you can really live your life in a beautiful way coming up this next couple of weeks and into the spring, and that sale is going to be from December 15, 2019, until January 6, 2020.

Candice Wu 5:05

So, it’s a lovely way to bring in your new year and to set forth the seeds that will be planted, and I know that some people are using this with a loved one as a ceremony or ritual before winter sets in and some are making some plans to do this on a special night. I know that some people have even done it on New Year’s Eve which is just a cool time to do it, and some do this on the new moon or at some point in their moon cycle. Whenever you do it, I truly recommend it if you want to release the weight that has been building up inside of you, the clutter and to cleanse, so that you feel alive in the present and vibrant like who you are. You can find this at CandiceWu.com/death, and again, the sale is from December 15th through January 6th, so, enjoy as the death that we allow inside of ourselves bring us new life.

Candice Wu 6:11

And as we jump into this episode, I want to just ask you, is this a time and space for you to go inward? Is your energy moving more inward for you or is it going more outward? Is it time to do things in your outer world? Put your energy out there, connect with others. More so, for me right now it’s been going inward and hibernating, and in that little space, I love to cook home-cooked foods and create things, sleep a lot, watch something that feels soothing to watch like something on Netflix. I love to have intimate conversations with friends and loved ones and it’s harder for me to reach out to new people or to put my energy outward and workshops and things like that, and doing things that require my energy to move more outward.

Candice Wu 7:13

Sometimes, it’s been hard to honor that as I have this little part of my mind that thinks, “Oh, you should be doing something more, you should be doing X, Y, and Z.” And I just work with talking to that part of me and seeing what they have in store or what they have thought for me, and usually, it just needs a little update about what it’s safe to do now in my life and what it’s time for. So, I invite you to do the same, is to connect with where your energy really wants to be, how it wants to be, and to make an agreement with yourself that that is allowed that you want that and to look at the parts of you that may have something to say against that. All of those parts of you have some message for you, and it’s important to hear them all out, at least to hear them and then you get to decide how to negotiate bad or what wants healing and wants to be honored.

Candice Wu 8:27

So, this is perfect for our topic today of daydreaming. And for me, daydreaming is really about leaving space for the unexpected. When we set out with our to-do lists our agendas, what our logical mind wants to do in this functional practical world, which is a good thing. When we do that, every minute of the day, there’s very little space for imagination, for play, for curiosity, sensing, and intuition to flourish and make its own way towards us, reach us and touch our hearts. When we have that agenda, it’s hard for something unplanned to come in, something new or spontaneous, unimaginable. Daydreaming is like spending time allowing your soul to dance, allowing your imaginal and symbolic self through images, feelings, senses, sensation in the body, a hit of knowing a song, a sound for all that to emerge and make its way to consciousness for the personal, archetypal, collective, unconscious realms to have a place through us, that shows us the depth of who we are, the depths of what wants to be looked at, what wants attention and the depths of the soul do not care about time, space or mental logic.

Candice Wu 10:20

And so, in that space, we let our mind rest and that gives the space of freedom, the breathing room that our spirit wants. It gives our spirit the space to open up, to vibrate at the essence of your core being, of course with practice, and to align you with who you truly are, with your nature, with your heart, with the specific energetic coding that signature that is you, takes you out of the collective poll of where were pressured to do and who were pressured to be, plugging you into the source of you, and the source of all things.

Candice Wu 11:27

When I daydream, and that sounds to me like a very active process and the real action is just setting aside the time and maybe, doing a few things that let me connect in, with then it becomes a more, I’m not sure if I would say passive, but an allowing space that is without force and natural, organic, a space of witnessing what’s moving through me, what I’m feeling, what I’m sensing, and sometimes, what arrives are aspects of myself that want to be heard or healed or expressed in my daily life.

Candice Wu 12:15

Sometimes, past lives have come to me or entities that feel like they have something to offer me, that are of me, or connected with me. Sometimes, I just have nonsensical thoughts that spring up and seem funny or weird or different. Sometimes, these connect up with real practical and inspired ideas, and other times, it just fuels something of my creative life, and what I love is that it brings me to this messy, unkempt, unsanitized vibrancy of aliveness that is full of possibility that’s not just stripped down or forced into one way of being, but connected to my knowing, perhaps new ideas or awarenesses are already trying to reach you, and with a day to day schedule that doesn’t quite allow for these to marinate in you or to incubate or sift to the surface, then these very important pieces of you may go unseen, important ideas, desires, rich desires, those may be just suppressed.

Candice Wu 13:48

The messages that are coming from within you and through you, the mystery of your life doesn’t quite have so much mystery anymore or aliveness or adventure or exploration. It just has a forced direction, of course, that’s a very exaggerated sense, but there’s a way in which when I am go, go, go and have my to-do list and have my plan set out, I really flattened my experience.

Candice Wu 14:19

So, this podcast today is an invitation for you to nourish and cultivate the symbolic and imaginal space of your spirit, to feed your soul, to feed the wild in you, to bring you to your natural self that wants to be seen and acknowledged and integrated into your daily life and to strengthen your ability to see, to see not only yourself at a deeper level, but to see the grander picture for yourself, to see a playful experience, exploration, give value and worth to the beat and the pulse of your soul, the messages of your spirit, the parts of you that really know, truth, really know how to be easeful that are connected with this deeper source of life-giving energy, the essential being that wants to come through.

Candice Wu 15:35

So, I want to talk about several ways to access and open up your daydreaming space, your dream space, and I also want to mention that sometimes it can be very hard to connect with your dream space because there are other feelings that want to be seen or healed or acknowledged at the forefront. This is especially if you’ve had experiences that have been undigested or leaving you with a trauma response or been overwhelming that when you slow down and give space without any plan that those feelings may want to arrive at your door. And if that’s the case, I would recommend getting support if you need it, tuning into some of the experiences on the podcast that support grounding or pendulating so that you can help your capacity grow, to navigate these feelings, to build your resilience and to move through some of the traumatic response.

Candice Wu 16:49

And as a basic support, if you become overwhelmed during the process of getting into your dream space or being in it or if you start to feel a little bit like these feelings that are coming through are just a little bit too big for my body to handle, and just stop and look around your space and look for something pleasant. Look for something that can give you some sense of safety in the moment, that you’re really safe right here and now or some feeling of pleasure that allows you to feel your embodied safety, and to take in that resource, that pleasant thing to look at or a person that’s nearby that can be supportive and remind you of being in this present moment. I would recommend doing that anytime you start to feel like it’s a little too much.

Candice Wu 17:43

So, some really good ways to access your dream space, your waking dream space or to connect with a part of your body that feels neutral, pleasant, grounded or calm and just feel that part of the body, and then begin to let your mind wander and wonder in its own way, your attention just witnessing anything that comes. You can also do a body scan is from head to toes, feel your body, notice and witness each part of the body, allowing your senses to turn on. You could make contact with your body by touching from head to toe, and feeling what kind of touch feels supportive. So, each of these is really to bring yourself from that logical mental go, go, go space to sensing, feeling, and being.

Candice Wu 18:46

If you need some support with that, you can tune in to some of the experientials I have. There’s one at Episode 59, Experiencing with the Five Senses of Body Scan. You can find that at CandiceWu.com/ep59. Another one to tune into is Grounding Touch and Listening. You can find that at CandiceWu.com/ep47. Another way to connect in is just to begin to witness and observe your own experience like a movie. Very simple thing to do is notice a couple of breaths just as they are, as you let go of your day, release any of your attention from going outward on your to-do list or your daily tasks and turn that attention inward with curiosity and openness, anything really that brings your attention to or heightens the senses is going to help you turn on that more right-brain activity of being, sensing, seeing, feeling and connecting with the deeper parts of who you are.

Candice Wu 20:04

So, for example, listening to music that you enjoy, tasting something delicious and savoring it, taking a good whiff of essential oils, touching or holding something that makes you feel good, like crystals or blankets, stuffed animals, your own body, as we mentioned before. So, these are just a few tips to open up your access point to your dream space, and as you sink into your dream space, the more you’re able to just let go of your attention on your mental life and your logic, and the sense-making that goes on, analyzing, just letting that go on a bookshelf in your imaginal mind if you need more of a visual, and that can let you really sink into being.

Candice Wu 21:02

This is the space of the felt sense and the space where you can catch a dream, rather than dreaming. It’s like catching a dream or harvesting the messages, awarenesses, the knowings, the creativity, the energy that’s alive through you, and that is you, to catching your dream, noticing it, noticing what thoughts and feelings come up and just following it with your curiosity and your openness, not having to make sense of anything in particular and not judging anything that comes through. Letting things come through without filter, and letting your knowing be your knowing. Letting your friends’ perception, be your perception and what is happening to happen, to let what is alive in you and coming through you to be alive and be noticed. To let juiciness come through what is wildly unknown, unseen. You never know what may appear or what will happen when there isn’t that agenda, when there’s just a space for nothingness for being, for agreeing to being in this moment without any plan, without any expectation.

Candice Wu 23:00

So, is this a kind of experience that you want to give yourself more often or give yourself altogether? Do you let yourself have any time to just daydream or to catch a dream? Is your soul or your heart calling you to do this more often? Do you have a feeling of stuckness or you can’t quite move through to the next level of yourself or writer’s block or artist’s block, creativity block, feeling like what you’re doing in your life is not quite aligned with your vibrancy or love or desire or passion? And if so, daydreaming might be part of the answer for you.

Candice Wu 24:01

So, this is a pretty short episode today, and I’m curious what you all have to say or what comes up for you about daydreaming or about having this on planned, fertile space and ground for your soul to thrive and to be seen, to unleash, to come to the surface. I love to hear your thoughts, your envisioning or the inspirations that might come from just practicing this, and what I’ll do later this week is offer a brief meditation to support accessing the dream space and to be with you through a segment of dream time where we can let this messy, aliveness, be heard and held. So, stay tuned for that or you can just jump in right on to my website and find that experiential at CandiceWu.com/daydream.

Candice Wu 25:08

Thanks for tuning in today about this topic that can really allow our souls to wake up even more. I invite you to let the mystery of your life and your story, your soul to come alive and to spend a little more time daydreaming. Thanks so much for showing up today. If you’d like to stay, plugged in with me through my newsletter, you can find that at CandiceWu.com/embody, and there I update you about events, podcasts, experientials and news about my life, and what is being offered as well as self-love notes that come, and this is just about a once a month or every three-week newsletter.

Candice Wu 25:58

Before you go, I also want to drop a little note about the podcast and the meditations that are on the podcast, that all the podcasts that have been published every 101 of them are searchable via the database on my website. You can find that at CandiceWu.com/podcast and search any topic, and if you want to find the meditations and experientials, those are specifically at CandiceWu.com/meditations. So, for example, if you’re looking for something on loving yourself or working with your energetic vibration or relationship breakups, you can search something in that database and see what pops up.

Candice Wu 26:44

Thanks so much for joining me today and wishing you a lovely dream time if you decide to plan that into your week, and I look forward to seeing you next time on the Embody Podcast.

Candice Wu 0:00
This experiential is to support you in surrendering into a state of being that opens curiosity, witness, and spaciousness for daydreaming.

Hello, and welcome. You're listening to the Embody 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.

In this experiential, I will offer a few out of many different ways to come into a spaciousness for daydreaming. You may have your own ways already, that's great, and this may or may not work for you, so, really see what your body and your nervous system would need. If you'd like to learn more about the benefits of daydreaming and just hear some of my thoughts about daydreaming, check out the main episode at CandiceWu.com/daydream.

If you feel overwhelmed at any point in this experience or close to overwhelm, just open your eyes if they're closed, look around your space and just center yourself into the here and now. You can give yourself some soothing touch to any part of your body that would feel supported if you touched it or make contact or do something that helps you feel your own safety. If you're in need of that there is an episode that gives you many different ways to come back into grounding and presence at CandiceWu.com/overwhelm.

For some people, daydreaming is not quite a comfortable experience, and if that's you, you may want a little more healing support before allowing yourself this kind of open free space, but it also may be something that really nourishes you. So, it's just a matter of seeing what works for you and what support you, what feels right. So, let's jump into this experience if you are ready, and let's bring in the mystery, the aliveliness, the messiness, juiciness, playfulness, and curiosity of our dream space.

Whatever you're doing, just take a couple of breaths and feel your body, you can give it touch or just sense from the inside out, drawing your attention inward. With the next few breaths, let go of everything including work, school, outer world relationships, daily to do's, and draw your energy and attention inward into your body, being aware of your breathing and any sensation that's happening inside. Whatever you're sitting or lying on, let your body be as comfortable as it wants to be and feel whatever is underneath you, supporting you, and imagine that your body is melding in with that support and being held.

Feel the weight of your body and turn on the witnessing part of you that can just watch everything happened, without judgment, without filter, without the need to move forward or make sense, and turn off any pressure or agenda, any expectation on yourself. Release yourself into the freedom of being right here in this moment without anything to do, with nothing to accomplish, nothing that needs your immediate attention right now. Sense into any part of your body that feels safe or grounded or even neutral and feel those spaces.

If it's challenging to feel into safety or neutral feeling, imagine that you could feel safe or okay right now. Imagine what it would feel like if you felt safe, and notice what begins to happen inside.

Feel this container of the body that supports you and catching a daydream or a night dream or notices a feeling, a thought, a sensation, a movement or an image and turn on all of your sensing capacities.

If you're not aware of what your sensing capacities are or even if you are aware, allow yourself to be open to whatever you could perceive and sense in this moment, and with each breath, let your body deepen into the weight of your body, continuing to notice whatever there is to notice without expectation of anything in particular.

And as you deepen into this presence, let your curiosity and playful wellness come to the forefront, the sense of mystery, revealing inner life and soul, what may be unexpected or unimagined, unplanned for, have space here and be open to letting whatever is here, be here, even if it's nothing, and whatever happens release any pressure or need to make any logical sense of anything, and feel free to follow anything that catches your curiosity. Follow what's being shown to you, any whisper, make quiet sense or intuition or knowing. Let yourself be in the daydream space. Don't worry about what's coming to or remembering anything, just be, observe and witness.

Now, feel free to imagine that you are traveling on a rainbow, traveling and traveling to wherever you need to go right now or wherever calls you, not needing to know exactly where that is, but just letting yourself travel.

Release any need to make sense or to make something happen and let herself deepen into this space of daydreaming, of witnessing and observing anything that's happening, letting your imagination be free and brief, letting things from the underworld or unconscious bubble up to the top of what's in the dark, come into light.

Whatever is happening, continue to happen. Allow yourself to flow with whatever is happening as long as you feel safe and that your body can contain what's happening.

Now, I'll give a little bit of quiet time and space as you deepen into your dream space. After two minutes, I will draw you in to close and come back to the present moment together or you can pause the experiential at that time and extend your daydream. So, here's a bit of quiet time as you deepen into however, your spirit, your body, your inner wisdom, want to use this space and want to be in this daydream.

Now, slowly begin to be aware of your surroundings, be in to be aware of your breath. Wherever your mind or your awareness or consciousness has gone, call yourself back to your body right now. Magnetize all of your energy back to the core of your being, right into your body, here.

Feel free to touch your body or start to stretch our move, and take a moment to honor this time that you've given yourself, to do nothing, to have space for daydreaming without an agenda to the best of your ability today, to give some room for your soul and your spirit to breathe, and for the mystery of life to be alive through yourself. The couple more breaths just honoring what came through, anything you noticed or felt or sensed. Notice how your body feels in this moment, as we close, and we'll close this daydream session with love and gratitude.

If you'd like to continue on into the depth of your daydreaming, feel free to stop the experiential. Set a timer if you need a boundary of time or just let yourself be in this space of openness and curiosity and play, just witnessing whatever happens for as long as you'd like to. And if you're closing here today, begin to notice even more your surroundings, opening your eyes if they were closed, and take a little time to transition back into the flow of your day, and notice what might be different for you, now, as you step into the next breath, the next moment and feel free to bring any of the dreams you have harvested with you as you travel through the day.

It's wonderful to have you join me today, and I hope your dream time was lovely, and if difficult or challenging, emotions or experiences came up, be gentle with yourself. Get support if you need from the podcast or from friends, from therapists, coaches or healers. Support yourself in any way you need, and if creative and fun ideas emerge, see what might happen if you let those land a little further into your awareness, and I'm delighted to see where that goes for you. I'd be happy to hear.

So, as we close today, wishing you plenty more moments and spaces of daydreaming and just letting yourself have that as this is the way that your soul wants to speak to you, and the soul of the universe speaks through you and to you, and to give some time to honor that.

Thanks so much for joining today, and see you next time on the Embody Podcast.

Candice Wu 0:00

Where can we soften? And how do we invite our bones to change? In this episode, Lauren Maxwell and I explore finding pleasure, how to change the shape of your spine, where we can soften to support and know ourselves and the human task of learning to feel safe in your own truth.

Candice Wu 0:18

Lauren teaches people how to uncover the south and chaotic times and to heal their spine.

Candice Wu 0:27

Hello, and welcome. You’re listening to the Embody Podcast. A show about remembering and embodying your true nature, inner wisdom, embodied healing, and self-love.

Candice Wu 0:40

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 1:01

Some of you have already heard about the dream class that I have on Skillshare. It’s a class on how to unfold and awaken your dream life so that you can harness the power of your dreams, take the wisdom of your dreams, and bring that into your life. And so this class is about how to record your dreams, harvest your dreams, or remember them and create intentions for your dreams that you can begin to collaborate with your dream world.

Candice Wu 1:45

It’s a class that is free until the end of January. So that means you can view the class for free right now. I would love to invite you to see that class and to take that into your life. And to also take a look at the future classes that I will have, that will invite you to explore your dreams through embodied and natural ways, and to feel into the meaning of your dreams. And bring that energy into the wholeness of your being and your daily life.

Candice Wu 1:59

So look out for those classes. And you can find this class at CandiceWu.com/dreamclass1. And if you do decide to sign up for a premium Skillshare membership, you can do so at the link as well and get two free months for free or some other special offer from this link that I’m offering at CandiceWu.com/dreamclass1. And that premium membership will allow you to access the future classes that are within the premium membership. That also includes other teachers and other skills that are being taught. All sorts of things like yoga, photography, arts, really interesting things. So feel free to check that out. And I would appreciate your support and checking out the class and giving me your feedback and joining in. So again, it’s CandiceWu.com/dreamclass1.

Candice Wu 2:55

Welcome back, everyone. It’s wonderful to have you here today. I’m thrilled to have Lauren as a guest here. I want to just give you a quick update by now. I’ve been in Ireland a couple of weeks, and I am getting adjusted quite well to the cold, to the mud, to working with horses. Last week I shared an alive now episode where I talked very candidly about what are the challenges that I’m experiencing and what I’m learning, what I’m going through, as far as living on a farm, being with four horses and learning natural horsemanship. All the things that I’ve never done ever in my life, and it has not been easy. So you can check that episode out at CandiceWu.com/horselifeireland.

Candice Wu 3:46

But for today let’s jump into talking with Lauren here on this subject of where can we soften on all of the wonderful topics that she brings. She has a zine called How to Uncover Self in Chaotic times, and very simple and basic practices that everyone can get on board with. I love how she talks with such a gentleness around herself and reminds herself where she can soften and be compassionate to herself.

Candice Wu 4:18

She is a creative human being who specializes in writing, storytelling, and her daily practice, and also is a Yoga for alignment back care and scoliosis teacher who believes in the transformational power of healing work. In her personal yoga practice, she was able to eliminate her back pain and change the shape of her spine. And what she found was she was laughing and creating more. And so now she’s honored to help others do the same thing.

Candice Wu 4:46

That’s really lovely to see how Lauren creates a soft open space for others to gently and lovingly come back to self. So she offers yoga ritual and intuitive coaching that is meant to empower others to navigate their life challenges in a way that honors their truth. And she loves helping others choose a softer paradigm for success to claim their creative channel in the world and step into a more loving relationship with themselves. So without further ado, here is Lauren.

Candice Wu 5:21

Today is a lovely day to have learned Maxwell on the show. Lauren is a creative human. She’s a storyteller. She’s a yoga teacher, she does yoga for alignment, back care and scoliosis. And she has this wonderful zine on How to Uncover Self in Chaotic times. And today over here, in Germany, where I am, it’s kind of gray, it’s very slow, it’s after the holidays. And Lauren, as I understand it, it’s raining over there. It’s the perfect weather to tune into the feeling of softening, which is one of the energies that you bring to the world. Welcome, Lauren.

Candice Wu 6:05

Thank you so much, Candace is such a pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me, it’s an absolute pleasure to have you. And I would love for you to just share a little bit about yourself, what you offer to the world, what interests you and who you are.

Lauren Maxwell 6:19

Thank you, I really appreciate your intro. And you know, the ability that we all have to step into these multifaceted identities because so often, you know, we end up kind of sticking with one label or another. But I’ve been exploring, you know how I am, a writer and a creative, and a student, and a teacher, and an intuitive coach. And I focus on back here I specialized in scoliosis, herniation, spondylitis, general back pain, and other things. And all my work centers on the idea of uncovering self and learning to nurture the truths that are there, whether that’s in a physical practice, or a spiritual or a creative practice. So the idea is to find and create together soft open space to really feel comfortable and doing that.

Candice Wu 7:14

That’s beautiful. I love the feeling of tuning into softness. And I’m so curious, when you first learned about that, or brought that into your life? What was that like for you?

Lauren Maxwell 7:29

Yeah, you know, it’s been a really interesting journey, and something that I think everyone might be able to relate to, in some way. Because the idea of softening can have to do with the physical body, or the emotional and energetic body. And often, in my experience, those things are very intertwined.

Lauren Maxwell 7:46

So for example, when I began my own path, in the back care world. I was living with a lot of back pain and had sort of a hardened, almost protective shell that I had developed with my own back and my own tissues. And as I began to work on that, I thought I was working on other things in a different plane, you know, inner work, work with personal development, and struggle and healing. And then eventually, it became clear that those are all related, and you know, everything is actually connected. And so the ability to soften energetically, physically, really had to do with thinking a lot about boundaries and protection, which enabled me to learn how to step into my truth with confidence and express that and be that in the world, without this sort of fear element and this need to self protect and hold. And so I think that the idea of softening can be really powerful, especially, you know, in a society that doesn’t necessarily encourage that.

Candice Wu 8:55

Absolutely. And when I think about what you’re doing with working with the back and the spine, and alignment, it makes complete sense, that kind of softening, that centering and healing also connects right up with the alignment of self, alignment of who you are, and truth. Is that how are you seeing that work for yourself and for your students?

Lauren Maxwell 9:22

Yeah, absolutely. You know, I think in terms of the back, we can literally carry a lot there. And so for example, with me, I was also working at the same time with the chakra system. And over time, with the guidance of one of my teachers who was doing a really beautiful series on the chakra system, her name is Caitlin Heppell, she’s in New York City, I discovered that, you know, some issues I thought had to do with the heart chakra, were actually maybe money for a chakra, the solar plexus, and that is the center of self-protection.

Lauren Maxwell 9:58

And you know, we often find that we’re gripping there and I was finding at times that sometimes I couldn’t catch my breath, you know, the diaphragm was literally a bit tense and tightened up. And as I learned to soften into that, and release, because you know, it’s maybe working with healthier boundaries, or thinking about that in a different way, I was able to soften the breath, soften the solar plexus, learn to be in my body, and therefore in the world, in a different way. And that really did support my emotional work and healing as well.

Candice Wu 10:33

Beautiful. For a person who is learning to soften in that way. How do you describe that? How do you do it?

Lauren Maxwell 10:42

Yeah. Wow, this is such an intriguing question to me, you know, because I’ve thought a lot about pleasure. And the idea of allowing ourselves to live with the themes of pleasure rather than guilt and shame, for example. And I think that pleasure offers so many keys to our own healing, you know, if we stop and are willing to listen, there can often be signals or allies waiting for us there within a pleasurable experience.

Lauren Maxwell 11:17

And, you know, in the book, Emergent Strategy, which I’m reading right now, Adrienne Maree Brown. And I recommend this book to everyone it’s so great, calls herself a pleasure activist, and she talks about and this really resonated with me and the thinking and work that I’ve done around pleasure in my own life.

Lauren Maxwell 11:35

She talks about how pleasure encourages stepping into evolution and expansiveness and growth and confidence, you know, in its own way, whereas we’re living through a lens of shame and guilt, we’re probably acting from a place of constriction and limiting ourselves, and that same lens of fear that I mentioned earlier.

Lauren Maxwell 12:00

So, you know, I’ve really thought a lot about, when you find something pleasurable, you know, how can we listen to what it’s telling us, and also, I think, corresponds with what we mentioned earlier about how our society doesn’t necessarily encourage softening or pleasure, instead, we’re taught, that, you know, success corresponds with blood, sweat, and tears, and we have to, you know, grab the bootstraps and pull ourselves up. And there’s certainly something to be said, for you know, working through difficult times, and finding achievement anyway. But there’s also another approach that is within us and available to us, and is stereotypically, often thought of as more feminine in nature, and it’s more collaborative and more community based and more cyclical. And, to me, that does correspond with the ideas both of softening and of pressure.

Candice Wu 12:55

There’s so much in that with what you just said. I’m just taking it all in.

Lauren Maxwell 13:02

Yeah.

Candice Wu 13:03

Let the stuff get into me. I think, pleasure, it’s in my early years of healing work, I and yoga, and being in my body, I just had no idea how to feel pleasure, really. And I think that I had just conditioned myself to harden and to protect, and to survive. And I did that very well with all this tension in my body, and by the time I got to my healing work, it was like, okay, let’s feel through all this stuff. And I kind of like plowed through it. So it wasn’t in such a soft way. And then when pleasure came into the mix, it was like, oh, there’s a different way to do this all.

Lauren Maxwell 13:56

Oh, I love that. Yeah, wow, it’s so interesting, the way that we will approach our healing and unfolding work with that same, you know, achievement mindset, success mindset, milestone mindset, that we’ve been so programmed to buy into. And the writer and tarot reader, Sarah Gottesdiener, who did the many moons workbook has also influenced my thinking on this by talking about how, you know, healing is not linear, and progress was not linear. And that also ties back into these spiraling and cyclical patterns that we were talking about earlier, that are everywhere in the natural world, and that I think we have the ability to allow ourselves if we, you know, stop and listen and consider different patterns that we might start to adopt.

Candice Wu 14:45

Yeah, and to think of cyclical and moving in and out, and just how things can weave in and come loop back in sometimes or jump back to a different place to try to control all of that, is a complete hardening and, like, so much tension.

Lauren Maxwell 15:09

Yeah.

Candice Wu 15:10

So you have, one of the things you share in your biography is that you change the shape of your spine and you had back pain. Can you tell us about that?

Lauren Maxwell 15:21

Sure. So I thought that my spine was just built a certain way, and that I needed, the one that I was going to have to live with pain, and just kind of accept that. And it was really an illuminating and beautiful experience to meet a teacher at yoga union in New York City, who took one look at me and said, hey, we need to fix that shoulder. That’s probably why you’re having hand pain. Listen, do this practice and then you’ll probably start to feel better.

Lauren Maxwell 16:08

So I was sort of tied to my old thinking around yoga and the practice I’ve been doing for years. And I thought, oh, well, if I slow down and approach this differently, I might lose strength, I might lose flexibility. And she said, Lauren, but what if you can do something better for yourself on a deeper level. And I thought, okay, that’s interesting. So I tried it. And sure enough, my hand pain and back pain disappeared within about two weeks. And you know, I had tried physical therapy, chiropractic. And it’s not to say that those things aren’t valid, because they are, but it’s to say that looking at my spine in a very personalized and therapeutic way was transformative. And my mind was blown.

Lauren Maxwell 16:30

And I had been sort of drawn to studying yoga for a little while, but I thought, no program felt quite right to me. I felt like I was searching for something that offered a different kind of depth, and I wasn’t sure what that might be, or specialty. And then all of a sudden, it was like, oh, this is it. So I had some asymmetries in my spine, a bit of curvature and then most importantly, I had my upper spine, there’s a natural rounding in the upper spine that everyone should have. But mine was accelerating into hyperkyphosis, which is a bit more rounding than should be there.

Lauren Maxwell 17:07

And this, you would know, what I was talking about with a visual, the shoulders begin to round, the chest begins to collapse, the head begins to come forward off the spine. And this is really can be a form of heart protection, this can be just a simple issue with posture, for example, I’m very tall and also very relational and you know, my moon is in Cancer, I love connecting with other people. So I find myself often getting down on their level trying to get my eyes in the same position as theirs. And then, of course, all of our technology and devices makes it really hard to stand up.

Lauren Maxwell 17:45

And sometimes you have, for example, my joints there but hypermobile so that makes it easy to be slouchy. So anyway, I ended up doing this practice and what we do in the back care style of yoga, is take a lot of time to linked in and traction the spine. And then we also strengthen the postural muscles, so that the body can support the structure of the spine and learn how to sometimes stand in a different way.

Lauren Maxwell 18:19

So sure enough, after about nine months, I was seeing a chiropractor who takes X-rays regularly and we took my X-rays, and you know, my spine had changed. And it was just amazing that the hyperkyphosis was totally gone. And you know, I did grow. So I was getting a bit taller. So I knew that that had happened. And I also knew in my yoga practice, that things had shifted.

Lauren Maxwell 18:42

And so it was, you know, again, a reminder to myself, to try not to be results-oriented with this amazing X-ray. But also it is a wonderful validation to see, you know, the time that you’ve put in has been meaningful and has counted for something really important. And so it’s like, always that reminder and this is something I often share with my students, when they say like, talking about scoliosis, for example, well have the curves reduced, how many degrees, what are the numbers.

Lauren Maxwell 19:16

And I totally understand that because that’s where I started, because you want to live without pain, and you want to know that change is possible. And then the thing is, okay, the X-rays are great, but the true gift is living without pain is being comfortable in your own body, which when you’re at ease with your own back, your own shoulders, your own spine, then I think you can be more at ease and the world around you. And that also corresponds with living your truth and accepting it and presenting it as it is.

Candice Wu 19:48

What I’m also hearing from what you’re saying is that sometimes when we want something, it can lead us in the right place. Sometimes it doesn’t, but it can sometimes lead us, you know, to the right path. But then if we stay in that sort of militant path of getting to what we want, like the degrees of the back changing, or whatever, it can at some point limit us from what deeper healing there is, what deeper ease there is, and there is some letting go of, of that whole way of being.

Lauren Maxwell 20:27

Hmm. Yeah, I think that is a beautiful point. And it reminds me of what we were talking about in terms of like, the healing work being cyclical, and cyclical versus militant, if we were to call it that, you know, it’s like, sometimes you address something, and you really feel significant progress. And this could be in your back, or this could be in your emotional life, for your family life, for your own development. And you think, oh, wow, I’m just so proud of myself, I made some progress there. And then, you know, four months later, it might kind of reappear, and you’re like, but wait a second, I thought I dealt with this. And it’s a beautiful practice to learn to say, well, I’m just spiraling through the same thing again.

Lauren Maxwell 21:17

And it might not be as powerful or as controlling as it was the first time around, because I have worked with it. And I have grown, but recognizing again that it’s not a linear path that we’re on, but we will touch these things again and again.

Lauren Maxwell 21:31

And I’ve thought about this in terms of like, the sort of, like, deep, you know, painful struggles that we might go through, but also simply in terms of like, our relationship with our cell phone, for example, you know, like, this is something that we’re all very involved with. And it’s still like, I’ve had times where I felt like, oh, you know, I’m doing great. I’ve put some boundaries in place about what I want the dynamic to be between myself and my devices, you know, and this feels wonderful. I’ve felt like, my brain feels free and expansive, and then all of a sudden, a few months later, it’s like, oh, I think I’m spending too much time on my phone again. And it’s, you’re like, I thought I dealt with this. But yeah, no, it’s the cycle. And you know, we have an opportunity to revisit and reframe and it never has to be the same.

Candice Wu 22:19

Yes, I hear you. I definitely have that experience. You know, just yesterday, I was like, wow, this feeling of grief and fear is coming up and it’s so familiar, but actually, when I went and revisited it and took it to adapt, and a seriousness, like stayed with myself, it actually was a different kind of grief, like just another facet to the diamond.

Candice Wu 22:48

It wasn’t the same exact feeling. And it was coming from a different angle, it was touching in on some parts of my family system that probably experienced this kind of grief. Or actually probably didn’t experience it, but it was left behind for someone else to. But yeah, that cyclical nature, I find that even though it’s such a familiar feeling, if you go a little deeper, if I go a little deeper, I find that it’s something slightly different or a new part of it.

Candice Wu 23:21

So I’m so curious, what is the practice that you did for two weeks that helps everything shift?

Lauren Maxwell 23:31

Yes. So this was, you know, yoga for back care. And it is a very intentional way of looking at the spine and how to address it with yoga postures and breath work. And there are a few principles that I like to think about when working with people that worked in my own body. And you know, first, it’s important to decompress existing muscle patterns that might be pain-inducing.

Lauren Maxwell 24:06

And then it is also important to lengthen the spine like we were talking about, create space for new patterns to be formed. And then yes, form those healthier patterns, strengthen the postural muscles, or teach under working areas of the back, that need to work more or, but you know, all of these things.

Lauren Maxwell 24:27

And then also, there’s an integration component. And these are things that I’m so grateful to my teacher, Allison West in New York City. And also the kind of matriarch of Yoga for Scoliosis, out of the Ayengar System by Elise Browning Miller. They each have themes and principles that they work with. And then it’s interesting, because I think the different teachers in this system, all experience it in their body in different ways, and then you know, unique things to offer students.

Candice Wu 24:55

Beautiful. Sounds amazing. And it’s like this shaping and molding of the back and body.

Lauren Maxwell 25:02

Right, right. It is. And that has been fascinating for me to think about over the past couple of years, because I have a beloved, you know, body worker who, yes, supports the physical structure, but also works with energetic and emotional release, because like we were saying that those things are tied together. And I had a sort of some issues with a shoulder and she’s working on my right collarbone. And I said to her, are you moving my bone right now? And she said, Yeah, why not? You know, bones are alive and well. And they can be, we can work with them, we can negotiate with them. So that’s something you know, I talked about a lot with my own students.

Lauren Maxwell 25:42

And the bones are always regenerating new cells, so in that simple way of thinking about it, like, yes, why can’t you invite the bone into a new position?

Candice Wu 25:57

Yeah, I love it. Yeah, yeah. Well, it’s like talking to your body. It’s communicating and having this relationship and inviting it to step into something different.

Candice Wu 26:11

Yes.

Candice Wu 26:11

I love it. It’s true. And I love the listening component to because I think it goes back to the personal work, the work of uncovering self and the softening. There’s a lot of listening involved, you know, and on a healing journey, in general, it’s like, okay, am I listening to what my back is trying to tell me? Or am I listening to what that tight? solar plexus, the tight money for a chakra is telling me? You know, what’s, what’s there? What can I offer to that situation? What is that situation telling me and just with pain in general, you know, kind of like stopping to listen and say, well, what is the message here? And can I take some steps to offer compassion to that scenario, offer healing to that scenario?

Lauren Maxwell 26:58

Yeah, it gets such adept to how we can relate to ourselves and heal and feel more at ease in our bodies, like a whole slew of steps before we might need to take medicine, when we might do that in combination, or in compliment to but there’s just so much more. And I think we can often just like feel a pain and release a very past way of being for me, I’d feel pain and be like, oh, gosh, what’s wrong with me? Maybe I need to go the doctor, or what do I need to take to make this better, but there’s, it’s about that listening, as one line of, you know, connection with the pain or with the experience?

Candice Wu 27:50

Absolutely. And I think when you are willing to listen and offer that kind of combination of dedication and compassion, to your own body, your own spirit, really miraculous things can happen. And I do think that there’s absolutely a time and a place for Western medicine. And at the same time, it is very healthy and wise to say, what else can I be doing?

Candice Wu 28:19

For example, with back care issues? Often in the Western medical world, the thought is, well wait and see what happens and or do we need pills and surgery? And so in my mind, if there’s something that can be done in terms of simple decompression for pain relief, or breath work, then why not explore it?

Lauren Maxwell 28:40

Yeah, especially when we can tune in and support ourselves with it. Just right then and there.

Candice Wu 28:48

Right. It’s always available.

Lauren Maxwell 28:51

Absolutely.

Candice Wu 28:52

So what kinds of miraculous or maybe even surprising things have you uncovered? For yourself, like about self? About yourself?

Lauren Maxwell 29:05

That’s a good question. You know, one interesting piece has been opening the creative channel more freely. And I do think that creative channel and spiritual channel are very closely intertwined. And this is something that I had sort of experienced over the past year, and then recently picked up the book, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. And you know, it turns out, she’s been writing this exact same thing for 25 years, or something like that, maybe even longer. And so that’s so beautiful too, because it brings to mind that, you know, this is a universal truth and how cool that I kind of stumbled into it. But other people are experiencing it too.

Lauren Maxwell 29:49

And so the creative channel, a spiritual channel idea has been just like, yeah, there are so many ways to tap into the truth that is there within all of us. And sometimes it’s creative, you know, I like to do free writing in the morning, which in the artist’s way is referred to as morning pages. And it’s just kind of like, at least maybe three pages or so of unstructured, free-flowing writing. And I find that that’s where my ideas really shine through. Whereas, if I were to try to do this later in the day, after I’ve been tied into technology, and devices, and work, and expectations, and meetings, it’s a different experience. Writing is a very different feeling. So I love to be very intentional about that, not looking at a screen for a while until I’ve had that chance to touch in, do some writing. And then I find that that sets up my day differently.

Candice Wu 30:50

Yeah, just having that time to go inward and express freely before everything else happens in your day. Sounds really precious.

Lauren Maxwell 31:01

Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, there are some days where the right thing might be to take a walk in the morning or to have a yoga practice in the morning. I tend to be a little bit quieter and more reserved in the morning and save physical things through later in the day. You know.

Candice Wu 31:21

Yeah, I’m not a stereotypically morning person. So the writing works well.

Lauren Maxwell 31:25

That’s good.

Lauren Maxwell 31:26

But I think that taking time for in whatever way works for you to connect with self in the morning, before you engage with the rest of the world is a powerful tool. And finding your right balance with things, what really works for you if you’re a morning or not person.

Candice Wu 31:46

Right, right. And, you know, I think tapping into your own truth in that way, often can help you present the best of yourself to the world, when it’s time to do that. So, you know, whether it’s in partnership, or in a job, or whatever it might be.

Lauren Maxwell 32:04

Yeah.

Candice Wu 32:05

So I’m curious, where are you on your journey and what challenges or struggles do you face nowadays?

Lauren Maxwell 32:16

Yeah, well, you know, one thing that has been a theme in my life for the past few years, is the idea of place, and this has become a challenge, because I’ve been moving around a lot, and kind of working between three different cities. And also, without knowing exactly what city I might end up in next.

Lauren Maxwell 32:39

So dealing with some unknowns, dealing with some moving and so, you know, the practice through me there is how can I look at this as an opportunity and a gift, rather than just focusing on the challenges and the struggles. Because the challenge side of it is kind of felt like, while my foundations are kind of like experiencing some upheaval, it can be harder to feel grounded, and really tap into the work that I want to be doing, the writing I want to be doing and that kind of thing.

Lauren Maxwell 33:09

But you know, the gift of it is place can teach us so much. It was a trip to Utah in 2016, that astounding, you know, National Parks there, that really kind of started shifting my brain and ended up you know, changing my career changing my lifestyle. Because in Utah, I saw amazing colors and just expansive sky and clear night skies, incredible views of the moon and stars. And I came back from that trip feeling kind of depressed, like, well, I’m going back to working on a computer every day feels a little bit limiting.

Lauren Maxwell 33:49

And I then thought.

Candice Wu 33:51

Yeah.

Lauren Maxwell 33:53

Yeah. You know, and everyone talks about, you know, post-vacation blues. So that’s nothing you need to me, but I started thinking, well, how can I experience that sort of mental freedom? Almost creative freedom, spiritual freedom, just like my brain feels expansive? How can I feel that in my every day, why do I need to save that for vacation, you know? And baby steps there lead from one thing to another. So yeah, that theme of places just still coming back.

Lauren Maxwell 34:23

For example, right now I’m working with one city where I live for a few years. I feel very comfortable, very known, have very dear friends, a very kind of safe haven home that I’ve created. And then a newer city where I don’t know anyone, but it’s a creative and exciting place and the new city is Nashville.

Lauren Maxwell 34:44

And you know, it’s like, the gift of that is kind of being able to express the latest evolutions of yourself to people and being seen in that way without being seen for like, who you’ve been for the past seven years or whatever, you know, and both are beautiful, right? It’s like there’s the gift of being known and appreciated and having your evolution witnessed by others. Sometimes they don’t understand and sometimes they do, and that’s fine. But there’s also a gift and just being able to present yourself as who you’ve become.

Candice Wu 35:19

Yeah, it’s so present in the moment, who you are right now.

Lauren Maxwell 35:25

Right.

Candice Wu 35:25

And no one questions it or is puzzled by it. You know, they just accept what it is.

Lauren Maxwell 35:31

There’s nothing to compare it to pass you wise.

Candice Wu 35:32

Right.

Lauren Maxwell 35:39

Yeah.

Candice Wu 35:40

Oh, interesting. Yeah, I think I didn’t know that about you that you were moving around so much. I think we actually have a lot in common with that, as you said to me before we started recording here.

Lauren Maxwell 35:54

Yeah, it’s really interesting to go from place to place. And I think the interesting thing for me is feeling at home in myself, regardless of what’s around me. And moving around has been able to give me that opportunity to practice that, like that my home is my body.

Candice Wu 36:16

I love that. Yeah. And I love what you’re saying about the evolution. The evolution of you being presented in this one moment or what’s evolved in you. And I think traveling, moving around from place to place really can bring that forward, for me as well.

Lauren Maxwell 36:39

Absolutely. And you know, there’s a lot of inspiration and changing place, and our observation of our surroundings, you know. Again, if we’re willing to listen. And so, about being at home in your body, I’ve really felt that too and had to ask myself, yeah, what makes me feel grounded no matter which space I’m in? And how can I, you know, I deal with in my, like, astrological makeup and my dosha, a lot of fire and air in a little water. So it’s like, Earth is the piece that I need to always be remembering to include, you know what I mean, so that.

Candice Wu 37:18

Yeah.

Lauren Maxwell 37:19

Grounding practices, whether it’s breath work, or opening the pelvic floor, or even just working with, you know, I love things like black obsidian and hematite. These kinds of things that can help center us back into ourselves and draw energy back in and make us feel protected and centered.

Candice Wu 37:39

Hmm, beautiful. Yeah, I think that’s such an important question. Like, what can make you feel grounded? And what really makes you feel like you? And getting in touch with the truth of you is a lot of your practice is in mind, too.

Lauren Maxwell 37:54

Yeah.

Candice Wu 37:55

Definitely.

Lauren Maxwell 37:56

Absolutely.

Candice Wu 37:56

So you have this beautiful zine: “How to Uncover Self in Chaotic times”. Am I saying the title correctly?

Lauren Maxwell 37:57

Absolutely. Yes.

Candice Wu 38:06

Yeah. Yes. And I love to the part about, I’m just going to quote you here, in you’re talking about shifting from “We have to suffer to succeed to well-being and pleasure, reframing and rejecting the patriarchal capitalist society. So when we choose to operate from this different paradigm, we issue a way of life that was formed on the backs of slaves, and the incarceration and abuse and marginalization of entire groups of people.” I was just astounded by reading that because it just completely resonated. It’s like we’re completely shifting to that softness, to that connection, and listening, collaboration and respect. That shifts what I guess can bring something different. And well, let me just ask you, what does that mean for you? I’m curious, how you feel into that.

Lauren Maxwell 39:12

Yeah, I think there’s so much there and really appreciate you, you know, taking the time to read and share that. And for me, as a white cisgender woman, it’s been, you know, really important to think about my own participation, you know, in racist society, in patriarchal society.

Lauren Maxwell 39:37

And there are some thinkers who have influenced me in this regard. Layla Saad online is one of them. Rachel Cargo, and they talk, they’ve talked a lot about dismantling our participation in racism in, you know, the white patriarchy. And a lot of times, you know, I feel like, it’s not my place to speak on these things, but rather to listen and to really consider how I’m benefiting from the systems. And then, given my intrinsic privilege, what opportunities do I have to, if any, to shine a light on marginalized voices, to use my privilege in a way that can help to tear down systems that I don’t necessarily agree with.

Lauren Maxwell 40:26

And that has really led to a lot of thinking about how, you know, our actions, really, when we can tie our actions to our belief system and to our values. So in behaviors, start to meet our values, that’s when you know, we can begin to change our own life, our own way of being in the world, and that can start to have a ripple effect on those closest to us and our communities. And that just starts to go outward and expand. And, you know, we’re responsible, first and foremost, for our own actions.

Lauren Maxwell 41:02

And so that’s why it’s really important to think about, okay, are these systems benefiting me? And what can I do about it? And I think that place where actions meet values is where meaningful change starts to happen.

Candice Wu 41:14

Hmm, that’s beautiful. I really like the feel of that going inward. That taking care of self and revealing self, feeling into wholeness and well-being for oneself to create the backbone of that shift versus there’s absolute beauty and all sorts of social justice and activism that’s out there, and people supporting one another. There’s just so much there that’s really helping change things. And I think that having this as the primary backbone to each individual, and then stepping into the world with whatever else can be offered is just so essential.

Lauren Maxwell 42:04

Absolutely. And I think it also relates to, you know, each of us being called to do the work within ourselves. And this applies to activism and to healing work, like, it’s so easy to talk about, you know, the issues that we see in the world. But until we really pause and look at our own lives and our own, the way that we’re acting and behaving. Is it relating to our deepest values? Or is it relating to what we think society has, expects of us or requires for success, so-called success? Or is it just kind of been programmed into us? And we haven’t stopped to think about it. So how can we stop to think about those things, take personal responsibility for our actions, and then seek collaboration and community in that?

Lauren Maxwell 42:53

And that’s another thing that I’ve really been working on is, how can I, you know, feel that sense of community around these beliefs and this work?

Candice Wu 43:02

Yeah, it’s one thing to do to it on the inside, which I’m very good at, like, I can work with my own inner world and heal so much. And I think that has a very collective unconscious connection. But then it’s also very supportive to find that community that you’re speaking of.

Lauren Maxwell 43:27

Yeah, I think so too. And that’s part of the process of learning to feel safe with your own truth. And those things are, you know, first, you learn, okay, maybe how do I work with energetic boundaries? How do I work with boundaries in the day-to-day? Then you might make a little progress and you might begin to say, you know, am I surrounding myself with the people who support me in this truth and who support the things and feelings that I want to be experiencing each day and those values that I want to live by.

Candice Wu 44:06

I’m just thinking back to when we began this conversation, and you talked about your back holding, and protecting, and being a bit of armor around the heart, and holding so much. And it’s interesting to bring that back to this part of the conversation about protection and boundaries. Because it’s like, creating new kinds of boundaries and protection that are on the outside, but also support this ease and well-being in your body. Because it’s like a replacement for the armor, the tension of armor that constricts the body, but rather, opens now.

Lauren Maxwell 44:58

Absolutely, I love that. And it reminds me of another point that I recently saw in Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown, and she talks a lot about how these collaborative behaviors are mirrored in nature and how powerful that is. And so it’s like the oak tree, you know, can withstand crazy flooding, when the house is next to it are being ripped off their foundations, because the oak tree has not driven down into this singular, individualistic root system. But instead, it’s reached out to all the oak trees around it and has sort of intertwined its roots. And they have found so much strength together in that community. And I think that’s true.

Lauren Maxwell 45:42

But again, it always begins with self. And all right, how can I give myself permission to be true, be soft, be who I am, you know, if there’s pain blocking it, how can I listen to the pain and move through it? And then maybe once you get comfortable with that truth, you can start to sense who, around you, fosters and cultivates that? You know what I mean?

Candice Wu 46:11

Absolutely. It can be so powerful to do that. I remember one of the times where I was just really feeling alone, in my own healing work and discovery of self and where I was growing into. And I realized I had this belief that I had to do it all by myself, and to open that up and realize that there are other people out there that would want to talk about this stuff, too. It was an incredible feeling. And then I started creating a women’s circle. We met every couple of weeks, and it was just so beautiful. So I can completely connect with what you’re saying.

Lauren Maxwell 46:52

That sounds wonderful. And my next question was going to be how did you find that feeling? And I love the idea of a women’s circle. And I think that, yeah, these people are out there, you know?

Candice Wu 47:04

Yeah, I think many people are craving that kind of connection, where it is a safe place and has some kind of boundary around it that supports that free connection and authenticity.

Lauren Maxwell 47:19

Absolutely. Yeah. And it’s almost like, liberating in a way to know that you’re stepping into a circle or class or something like that, where depth of thought, depth of conversation is encouraged. Whereas in your everyday exchange, sometimes it can feel like, okay, not quite sure who’s into that. I mean, sometimes, you know, automatically, but I can be nice to just step into a space and know, this is encouraged here, just sharing, evolving together, supporting one another.

Candice Wu 47:52

And being able to be vulnerable in that way. It’s so precious as well.

Lauren Maxwell 47:58

Absolutely. Yeah.

Candice Wu 48:00

So let’s switch gears, Lauren. Would you like to play little lightning round?

Lauren Maxwell 48:04

I would love to.

Candice Wu 48:06

Okay, I have some fun questions for you. Let’s see. Let’s start with this one. What curious dream have you had lately?

Lauren Maxwell 48:14

Oh, my goodness. I’ve had so many because I’ve been kind of trying to learn to work with dreams, you know. But let’s see this is perhaps, oh my gosh, yes. Okay, I just remembered too, so now I know which one I’m going to go with.

Lauren Maxwell 48:30

I dreamed that I was in space. And I was on a mission to go save someone, like, on another planet. And I was with two friends. And this was the incredible part, the door opened and I could see the moon, and another planet, and earth. It was so close to me. It was like, I could reach out and touch it. You know, there were none of the normal space issues were there. I had no trouble breathing and I didn’t float away. So we were just able to open the door, experience space, and it was incredibly like, mystical and alluring.

Candice Wu 49:06

Wow, I can hear the amount of excitement, inspiration, and its empowerment in your voice.

Lauren Maxwell 49:14

Yeah.

Candice Wu 49:14

Thinking about this dream.

Lauren Maxwell 49:16

Absolutely.

Candice Wu 49:16

Oh, that one sounds really fun to dive into and embody.

Lauren Maxwell 49:23

Yeah.

Candice Wu 49:25

Cool.

Lauren Maxwell 49:26

I don’t know if the second one is interesting to you or not. But you know.

Candice Wu 49:29

Do you want to share it?

Lauren Maxwell 49:30

Why not? I had a funny dream that Connie Britton was, I ran into her and she just like, automatically became this, I don’t know, sort of maternal figure. She was hugging me. She was putting these beautiful clothes on me, beautiful hat. And I’ve always appreciated Connie Britton. So I thought that was amusing.

Candice Wu 49:54

Sounds fun. It sounds really fun.

Lauren Maxwell 49:56

Right.

Candice Wu 49:56

Right.

Lauren Maxwell 49:57

It’s like maternal energy, like, okay, how are we working with that? You know, these kinds of things?

Candice Wu 50:03

Oh, wow, that sounds really fun. Oh, okay.

Candice Wu 50:08

What is one daily ritual that you have?

Lauren Maxwell 50:14

Well, I have a few and I don’t necessarily get to them every single day. And I think, you know, we’ve made it clear that my yoga practice is very important to me. And I mentioned walking in nature. That’s really important to me when the weather allows, moving my body, getting the brain and blood flowing. But another thing I’ve really been finding value in this year is tarot cards. And I’ve been studying on my own and often pull cards to explore questions that I have, or upcoming events or transitions. And I find a lot of value in the archetypes and the symbols. And see it, kind of, as a mirror into my own wisdom.

Candice Wu 50:55

Awesome. Okay, um, what do you have doubts about?

Lauren Maxwell 51:02

Doubts that pop up from time to time about my own, you know, worthiness, enoughness? So being accepted by certain groups just how I see myself, you know. If I see myself as a creative or an artist, or writer. Do other people see me that way? And then I always have to kind of circle back and remind myself, well, it doesn’t matter. And you know, part of this whole process, for many of us, is releasing the need for external validation and external indicators of success. That’s one of those things that cycles back for me and I have to continually remind myself of my own sovereignty, my own, again, sense of truth. And that is what it is, regardless of who recognizes it.

Candice Wu 51:49

I love that. Absolutely. Yeah, I resonate with that, too. And it’s an interesting thing to want to fit into a group, like that you identify with in some way. And if we’re truly ourselves, we wouldn’t exactly fit into the way that the group is.

Lauren Maxwell 52:07

Absolutely. In the way that it is, because we’re adding something uniquely ours.

Candice Wu 52:14

Yeah, yes, it’s so true. And oftentimes, I think that ties back into the idea of a label, and we don’t fit cleanly within these categories and these labels. And sometimes, rather than trying to kind of smush these various facets of ourselves into one, why not just let it be what it is, and it might not feel totally comfortable in terms of what that label has made you think, should feel comfortable, you know?

Lauren Maxwell 52:43

Absolutely.

Candice Wu 52:44

Okay. The last question is, what job would you be horrible at?

Lauren Maxwell 52:49

Oh, that’s a good question. I think I would be horrible as a flight attendant, because takeoff and landing, especially if there’s turbulence can be a time when I have to deal with my own anxiety. I don’t need to be dealing with, you know, hundred other people’s anxiety as well.

Candice Wu 53:12

You might scare a few people.

Lauren Maxwell 53:14

Yeah, exactly. I mean, you know, I love teaching breath work, but I’m not sure that’s the place.

Lauren Maxwell 53:24

Like it’s being in a plane, it brings so much air, right, as you said, you’re already like…

Candice Wu 53:31

So true.

Lauren Maxwell 53:31

…air quality Vata, right?

Candice Wu 53:33

Yes.

Lauren Maxwell 53:33

Adding so much more air quality, the quality and sense of air to the body. So you don’t need more than that, more than what’s on the ground sounds like.

Candice Wu 53:45

Yes, that is so true. I’ve never thought of it that way. But makes sense.

Lauren Maxwell 53:50

Of course, it does.

Candice Wu 53:52

Well, thank you so much, Lauren. I’ve learned so much about you and about the type of yoga that you do, as well as I just feel inspired by this conversation of pleasure and softness, and community.

Lauren Maxwell 54:09

Thank you so much.

Candice Wu 54:09

Is there anything else? Oh, you’re welcome. Is there anything else you want to share today?

Lauren Maxwell 54:15

I don’t think so. I just really appreciate being here with you and the space that you hold for these conversations. And so thank you for that. And thank you to all of your listeners.

Candice Wu 54:25

And I want to give you just a little space to invite you to share your offer for our audience for all the listeners today.

Lauren Maxwell 54:34

Yes, I am so excited about that. And would love to offer a handful of free half-hour consultations for anyone who might want to explore themes of uncovering self. For anyone who might be living and dealing with back pain. And then also a discount on the first private session booked. So if you reach out to me via my website, email me and mentioned the Embody Podcast. We can schedule that together.

Candice Wu 55:05

That sounds like a wonderful opportunity. And do you work? It sounds like you work online as well. In different places?

Lauren Maxwell 55:13

I do. Yeah. With back care, we can talk about practical things like sitting and sleeping and how you might be able to support your own spine. And I can also share yoga practice of course without the hands-on component through online meetings.

Candice Wu 55:32

Great. So where can people find you as well as your zine?

Lauren Maxwell 55:38

Thank you. Yeah, so find me at softopen.space online and then over on Instagram at Lauren_only and Lauren.yoga. I would love to chat with you there, feel free to send a message and email. Whatever feels right.

Candice Wu 55:57

Thank you so much, Lauren, you are a beautiful gift to the world. And I can just tell that whoever comes in contact with you through this work or just in life is going to be touched by the softness that you do bring and the compassion that you’re bringing. Thank you.

Lauren Maxwell 56:17

Thank you so much, Candice. That means a lot to me. And I appreciate the chance to be here with you and the way you make us all feel seen and valued.

Candice Wu 56:30

Thank you. Okay, until next time.

Lauren Maxwell 56:33

Okay, take care.

Candice Wu 56:36

So great to have Lauren on the show today, I already feel that soft open space and that softness infusing into my being. It’s something that I come to from time to time, that gentleness, put that word soft, is so just right for me right now, to see myself with softness, to soften into what I’m feeling right now to just let the guard down a little bit and let things be easy, even through the hardship, even through stuff that doesn’t feel so easy.

Candice Wu 57:12

I hope you enjoyed this episode. And if you resonated with Lauren, check out her website at softopen.space and maybe take advantage of that 30-minute consultation for free and the offering of a first full session with a discount after that.

Candice Wu 57:32

You can also check out her taster, which is going to be a Pranayama. A breathwork practice from yoga that can support you in feeling into your alignment and what’s here now for you.

Candice Wu 57:47

Thank you so much for joining us today. And I invite you to check out that dream class that I spoke about earlier at CandiceWu.com/dreamclass1. And if you want to continue to be notified of other classes or received the self-love notes that I have for you every other week as well as the podcasts that go out, you can join the Embody Community at CandiceWu.com/embody.

Candice Wu 58:13

Also, if you’re interested you can join the Facebook Embody community where there are 5 to 10-minute videos from wherever I am in the world, just offering some self love tip or a healing meditation or experience from family constellations, somatic experiencing, or another bodywork practice that can support you and feeling like yourself, and moving through the daily stuff, as well as the trauma or whatever else is cluttering up your feeling of being yourself. And that’s the Embody community on Facebook.

Candice Wu 58:46

Well, I want to leave you with one more thing today. And as many of you know that Mary Oliver died just a couple of weeks ago. And I’ve been sitting with this poem that she wrote for quite a bit of time now since she passed away. And it’s called I Did Think, let’s go about this slowly. It’s from her elegy to her partner. And here it is.

Candice Wu 59:05

“I did think. Let’s go about this slowly. This is important. This should take some really deep thought. We should take small, thoughtful steps. But bless us, we didn’t.”

Candice Wu 59:34

So hope you take that with you as you go today. And give yourself that sort of forgiveness and compassion when you don’t do things the way you intend or the way that you feel you want to. Thanks again for joining me and Lauren today, and I look forward to seeing you next week on the Embody Podcast.

Introduction

Hello, welcome back. This episode is with my special guest, Lauren Maxwell, who is a back pain for yoga specialist and a coach. Lauren has a full podcast conversation with me at CandiceWu.com/laurenmaxwell.

So, check that out to find more about Lauren, and this practice here is a guided practice that includes mudra, which is gestures with the hands, as well as a few poses and movement to guide to into a breathwork practice, which is Viloma I, the pranayama that is from the tradition of yoga.

I love how Lauren talks about feeling safe and centered here, and knowing that you’re breathing, being conscious of your breath, as well as the mudra that she’s using that as the gesture of inner secret, protection from limiting beliefs and releasing beliefs, as well as how she explores with you how to expand the inner landscape of the mind.

Expand the Inner Landscape of the Mind

So, grab a yoga mat or find a space where you can do a little bit of movement with your body, grab a blanket, because you’ll need that for the practice, and enjoy.

Begin with Lauren Maxwell

Hello, and welcome. My name is Lauren and I’m so glad to be here with you today and honored to share a breathwork practice for centering and protection.

In the classical yoga text, the yoga sutras from Sri Patanjali, we learned that the point of all yoga, all its many components, is simply to still the fluctuations of the mind. We all know that the world today, especially does not lend itself to quieting the mind, there’s a lot of noise and a lot of chaos, and pranayama or breathwork is a beautiful way to find tranquility.

Working with the breath is a subtle and powerful approach to soothing the nervous system and shifting reality of the body, whether it’s the physical body, the subtle organic body or the emotions because we breathe all day, every day.

It’s easy to forget what a magical way this can be, to explore a sense of feeling safe and protected, and centered and grounded. So, that’s what I hope you experience after breathing today.

In Yoga: A Gem for Women by Geeta Iyengar, she talks about this beautifully. She says, “Just as the moon is not reflected clearly in the turbid waters of a river, so, also the soul is not properly reflected in an oscillating mind. A clear mind alone reflects the soul. For self-realization, the fluctuations of the mind have to be removed.”

Breathwork is one way to work with mind and body to help find that quiet calmness. The breath is known to clear toxins released move stored emotion, balance the subtle body or the energetic body, even help change the body structure and to shift consciousness.

I’ve experienced all of these things to be really true and powerful in my own life, so, I’m super happy to be able to share them here today.

Also, in Yoga: A Gem for Women, Geeta Iyengar says that pranayama studies the pulse, makes the body supple and the complexion radiant. The sutras also say simply that pranayama brings up your mind. So, pranayama, I think, has a bit of a mystery and confusion surrounding it sometimes. So, I just wanted to give you a very clear introduction to what pranayama is.

“Prana” means air or breath or vital life force, which is a really nice and simple way to summarize that, and “Ayama” means expansion of length, breadth or volume. When we join those two words together, we understand that pranayama means directing or controlling the breath or put another way, directing life energy through conscious breathing. So, it’s kind of gathering the magical life force of the universe and then using it intentionally within the body to produce the desired result.

There are many different forms and styles of pranayama, the one that we’re going to be exploring today is called Viloma I. Some of the breathing practices within pranayama are quite advanced and really should be explored with the help of an experienced teacher, but the Viloma I is one that is quite accessible and powerful that we can explore here together, today.

Viloma means against the grain and Viloma I is interrupted inhalation. So, we’ll be working with interrupting the inhalation very intentionally, and I’m going to talk you through everything. Ideally, in pranayama practice, we would prepare the body and mind, and nervous system together to really optimize the experience.

So, we’re harnessing vital life force and we want to make the most of it, right? Well, hopefully someday we can explore that in person together and for today, we’re going to be doing a few things to lightly open the ribcage and activate the energetic channels of the body so that the prana can flow more freely.

I have provided some images over on my Instagram, which is lauren.yoga to support your practice today, you’re welcome to reference that or simply to move through it as it feels best to you. There’s a blanket setup that I do recommend using, if at all possible, you can use any blankets or towels that you have at home, as long as they’re folded as firmly and neatly as possible.

Folding the blankets carefully is important because it enables the body to release fully into the support without any distractions. The point of this blanket setup is to open the ribcage and open the chest and support the entirety of the torso and the spine so that you can access the breadth and the depth of the lungs without any strain.

This careful preparation allows the pranayama to bring its fullest benefits to the body, the mind, and the nervous system. When working with the breath, it’s important to avoid any signs of stress or strain. The work is very delicate and uplifting, and not meant to be anxiety-provoking. So, if at any point, you find yourself experiencing stress, simply return to normal breathing.

That might be exactly what your body is asking for, today. We work with breath retention for many reasons, and it’s nice to think of it almost as a percolator. So, when we retain the breath, we hold this beautiful life force energy of the universe inside of us for a moment to let it work its magic and percolate and then we release.

If you experience any anxiety when you try it, just take a nice exhalation instead and try retention another day. This practice is completely yours, so, please feel empowered to ease into it and care for your own needs in a way that invites tranquility and peace for the nervous system rather than excitement.

Now, I want to invite you to pause the recording and prepare your blanket setup if you haven’t done so yet.

Now that the blankets are ready, sit down on the blankets and cross the shins in the middle of each shin. The feet will rest underneath the knees and you’ll find yourself in sukhasana or easy pose. The hands can rest on the thighs and take a look and see if the knees are up above the hip socket. You want the knees to be in line with the hip socket or below. If they’re above the hip sockets, no worries, simply take the head blanket off of your setup or find another tower blanket nearby. Fold it and place it underneath your hips. You want to add enough height so that the knees are in line with the hip socket or below.

The point of this is so that we can work with a long neutral spine. If the knees are above the hip socket, the lower spine is rounding. We already round our spine a lot in everyday life with technology or slouching while using our devices or sitting at a desk or in the car. So, we are choosing to work with along the spine here partly because it does open the energetic channels so that prana will flow more freely in our breathwork practice.

Now, that you found your seat, close the eyes, soften the skin of the eyes and soften the skin of the face. Begin to watch the breath. Be a witness to your own inhalation and exhalation. You may find that it begins to soften or deepen or expand. We’re going to work with a mudra today. A mudra is a gesture or a seal. Mudra translates to bringing forth enchantment or pleasure, which is a beautiful thing to work with.

The hands and fingers contained so much energetic content, that measure can be a powerful way to call forth certain things into our life or into our body or into our mind. Today, we’re going to work with Gupta Mudra, the gesture of the inner secret. Gupta Mudra provides protection from our limiting beliefs. It’s helpful for exploring and releasing limiting beliefs that keep us from experiencing the safety of our true inner being. It reduces stress and supports the function of the immune system. It helps to relax the shoulders, neck, face, and head, which can be helpful for neck pain and TMJ. Most of all, Gupta Mudra enhances a sense of centering and safety which is what I hope that might offer you today.

To begin, interlace the fingers loosely with the fingers pointing towards the chest. Interlace them so that the right thumb is on top. I recommend doing the interlacing towards the middle knuckle or slightly above depending on the size and shape of your hands and fingers. Now, bring the base of the hands gently together and if the hands or fingers feel too restricted or tight here, simply take the base of the hands apart and bring the interfacing of the fingers closer to the fingertips. Then bring the base of the hands together. Cross the right thumb over the left thumb, and bring the hands gently down in front of the abdomen.

Close the eyes now. Return to watching the breath. Now, soften the shoulders. Soften the neck. Soften the elbows away from the sides of the torso so that you find some buoyancy in the side chest and in the armpits. Allow the mudra, the gesture to be wide and soft. Sense the earth underneath both sit bones. From the support of the earth, reach up through the crown of the head lengthening the spine. Soften the shoulder blades back and down onto the back, nestling them towards the back of the ribcage. Keep the buoyancy in the sides of the chest as you widen the very edges of the shoulders. Now, maintain that width as you soften the neck, soften the eyes and soften the skin of the face.

Gupta Mudra, as limiting beliefs are released, I rest in the sanctuary of my true inner being. Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out. I know that I am breathing out. Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out. I know that I am breathing out

If you’d like, repeat these phrases with me internally as you continue to breathe softly and expansively.

Breathing in: I know that I am centered. Breathing out: I know that I am safe. Breathing in: I know that I am centered. Breathing out: I know that I am safe. Release the measure and open the eyes. Now we’re going to do a bit of movement to open the channels of the body and prepare for an optimized breathing practice. Stand and take tadasana, mountain pose. To tadasana, parallel the feet and stand with the feet at hips with the parts so that the outer ankles are underneath the outer hips.

Stand tall reach through the crown of the head. Widen the collarbones, widen the sternum. Soften the grip on the diaphragm. Soften the corners of the eyes and the corners of the mouth, and continue to breathe. Now, take both arms and reach overhead, Urdhva Hastasana with the reach of the arms we lengthen the spine and open the side of the body. We lift the sides of the chest which helps prepare us to access the lungs and pranayama. If you notice that as you’re lifting the arms, your ribcage is kind of shutting out in the front or popping out so that you can put the biceps next to your ears. Simply move the arms a little bit wider and forward in front of the ears. If the ribcage is popping forward, don’t grip it back into place. Simply soften it towards neutral so the spine can be in a soft, neutral position.

Working with a neutral spine, again is meant to prepare through pranayama, allow the nervous system to be quiet. If the rib cage is popping forward, then the kidney band is being pressed inward and that’s right where the adrenals are and can be very exciting for the nervous system. So, return to the reach of the hands even if they’re slightly in front of the body, and use that reach as you inhale to lengthen the spine upwards.

Sense the earth underneath the soles of the feet, and from there, lengthen up through the crown of the head and then through the fingertips. Take your left wrist in your right hand and pull the left wrist over towards the right and a side bent. Keep the feet sensing the earth underneath them, and open the left side of the rib cage, in a side bent. Continue to breathe. Breathe into the left side body and as you inhale, find spaciousness, as you exhale, side bend a little further.

Now, return to reaching the arms up, lengthen the spine and then take the right wrist in the left hand and pull the right wrist over towards the left, opening the right side of the body. From the planted feet, inhale spaciousness into the right side of the ribcage.

Exhale, side bend more towards the left. Inhale, find spaciousness and expand. Exhale, side bend more towards the left. Bind expansiveness and side bend towards the left. Now reach the hands up towards the sky once more, keeping the spine neutral and the ribcage and the kidney band quiet.

Now, if you’re in a place that allows it I would love for you to take an Adho Mukha Shvanasana downward facing dog. This pose is invigorating and is a great way to prepare the body for the rest of pranayama.

As you take downward-facing dog, focus on keeping a neutral spine as much as possible. This might mean bending the knees to take the hamstrings out of the equation. So, while you’re on the floor, use the strength of the arms and the shoulders to press the hips away from the hands. Press press press, bending the knees if you need to, and the focus is pressing the hips up and away rather than pressing the heels towards the floor. So, focus on the lift and pushing the hips as far away from the hands as possible. Soften the base of the skull here, soften and lengthen the diaphragm and push the hips away. If you’re ready to try straightening the legs here, lift the skin of the size up and back as you press the hips away from the hands. Continue to breathe. Smooth out the breath as much as possible, especially as the work becomes sensational.

After you’ve taken 10 breaths and Adho Mukha Shvanasana, place the knees on the floor and come up. Next, you’ll take a seat on the blankets and move into baddha konasana or cobblers pose. Bring the soles of the feet together and let the knees go wide. Place the hands on the lower shin directly above the ankles and use the grip of the hands to pull the chest through the upper arms. Lengthen through the crown of the head and keep the spine long and neutral even here. Soften the breath, soften the diaphragm and as the needs move away from one another, you may find that the torso can go forward.

For our purposes, we’re going to keep the spine long. So, if the spine begins to round and flex forward so that you can reach the floor, simply lengthen it again even if it means not going down as far as you’re used to. Lengthen through the crown of the head and then turn at the pelvis over the thighs and the spine simply moves along with the pelvis. Take 10 breaths here. Breathing in: I know that I am centered. Breathing out: I know that I am safe. Breathing in: I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out: I know that I am breathing out.

Next, you’re going to take a spinal twist and then move into our breathing practice. Sit on the narrow edge of the blankets and place both feet towards the left side of the body and place only the right sit bone on the corner of the blanket, both knees are facing forward and with both feet to the left side, cross the left foot over the arch of the right foot and sit tall. This is Bharadvaja’s, a seated twist, and all you’ll do is lengthen up through the crown of the head finding a neutral spine again, and then turn towards the right. The left hand will rest palm facing outwards with the back of the hand against the right thigh. From there, you’ll inhale, lengthen up and exhale, twist towards the right.

Place the right hand behind you as you twist with the elbow out and the armpit again buoyant, the fingertips can be delicately cut on the floor. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale, twist.

Now, come out of the twist and prepare to go to the other side. To twist towards the left, you will put the feet on the right side of the blanket. Put the left sit bone on the edge corner of the blanket, and with both knees facing forward, the right foot can rest gently on top of the left arch. Inhale, lengthen through the crown of the head. Exhale, twist towards the left. Place the outside of the right hand on the left thigh and widen the chest, soften the diaphragm. Inhale, lengthen, and exhale, twist. The left hand is cupped delicately behind you on the blanket if possible, or wherever feels most comfortable and you’ll use the buoyancy of your elbow and the side of your left chest to invite the spine to turn further and continue to breathe.

Now, we’re going to move into our pranayama practice for Viloma I. So, to begin, you will recline on the blankets with the pelvis on the floor. Go ahead and position yourself so that you’re sitting in front of the narrow edge of the blankets. Once you’re there, you will lie back. This is called Shavasana, and once you lie back on the blankets, place the leg straight out in front of you with the feet together and the feet lightly flexed. Now, pick up the head in your hands and glance down to put yourself in an aligned position. So, look at your feet and make sure that the heels, the pubic bone, the sternum, and the chin are all in one straight line.

Lift the pelvis very slightly and lengthen the tailbone away from the lower back. Adjust yourself if you need to, and once you found that line, gently place the head back on the blanket. As you do so, delicately stretched the back of the neck so the base of the skull moves is away from the top of the shoulders. This lengthens the vagus nerve, which is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system and enables the body to rest and restore.

Before you release the feet, place the arms beside you on the floor with the palms facing up. Gently press the forearms down into the floor to nestle the shoulder blades back onto the back. So, as you press, you lift the chest ever so slightly and invite the shoulder blades to go back where they belong, and then release the arms into the floor, soften the chest, and allow the feet to fall outwards from the midline into a soft and open position.

If for any reason you feel uncomfortable here, adjust your setup find comfort, add length, add height. If your chin feels like it’s up above your forehead and you can actually touch both to check, add another blanket or towel underneath your head so that the forehead is slightly above the chin. Once you found a comfortable reclined position, close the eyes and rest, we’re going to move into a breathing practice. So, here just begin to watch the breath, allow it to soften again.

You’ve prepared the body, you’ve invited the nervous system to consider a different way of being. You’ve let the body know we’re going do something here today. We’re going to explore safety, protection, and release.

To prepare, take a full and soft inhalation, and exhale completely. Inhale fully and pause. Exhale completely, pause. Inhale delicately, pause. Exhale fully, pause.

Now, return to unconditioned breathing. Hear the breath is soft. The breath is breathing you. As a reminder, if at any point during this breathwork you feel anxiety or stress, simply return to this place of soft normal breathing.

To prepare, take a full and soft inhalation and exhale delicately. Inhale completely. Pause. Exhale fully and softly. Pause. Inhale softly. Pause. Exhale completely.

And now, returned to unconditioned breathing. Soften the skin of the eyelids from the center of each eye to the corner. As you breathe, keep the eyes soft, the forehead soft and the jaw soft.

I’m going to talk you through a few rounds of Viloma I interrupted inhalation. To prepare, take a full and soft inhalation, pause at the top.

Exhale delicately and fully. Into the back bottom ribs, inhale one third. Pause. Into the sides of the chest, Inhale one third. Pause. Into the top chest, inhale one third. Pause. Take a tiny sip of air in, and exhale completely and gently.

Take a few rounds of unconditioned breathing, as limiting beliefs I released, I rest in the sanctuary of my true inner being.

For another round, take a full and soft inhalation and pause. Exhale gently into the back bottom ribs. Inhale one third. Pause. Sides of the chest, one third. Into the top chest, one third. Pause. Take a tiny sip of air in, and exhale fully and delicately.

Take a few rounds of I’m conditioned breathing. Breathing in: I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out: I know that I am breathing out. Breathing in: I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out: I know that I am breathing out.

Now, take a full and soft inhalation for Viloma I. Pause. Exhale completely. Into the back bottom ribs, Inhale one third. Pause. The size of the chest, one third. Pause. Into the upper top chest. Inhale one third. Pause. Take a little sip of air in, and exhale delicately.

Now, return to unconditioned breathing.

Breathing in: I know that I am centered. Breathing out: I know that I am safe. Breathing in: I know that I am centered. Breathing out: I know that I am safe.

For another round, inhale completely and gently. Pause. Exhale delicately. Into the back bottom ribs. Inhale one third. Pause. Into the sides of the chest one third. Pause. Into the top chest one third. Pause. Take a tiny sip of air in, and exhale softly.

Return to unconditioned breathing. With each breath, expand the inner landscape of the mind.

I’m going to leave you here and invite you to accept the support of the earth beneath you. Relish the feeling of centering and protection and enter softly back into your day whenever you’re ready.

Thank you so much for being here today. Before I leave, I want to take a moment to thank my teachers, Allison West and Caitlin Hippo, who have both influenced my approach to breathwork and also to Geeta S. Iyengar for her book Yoga: A Gym for Women, Anodea Judith four Wheels of Life, and Thich Nhat Hanh for his meditations. All of those people influenced this practice and I’m grateful for their work.

Thanks so much and have a beautiful day.