Sensitivity, Nervous System, and Your Breath, with Erika Belanger

If you ever feel out of sync with yourself and the world, this practice is for you.  Thi Reharmonizing Spanda practice is designed to release overwhelm, recalibrate your energy, and rediscover your natural harmony. Through guided movement, breath, and somatic awareness, this practice offers a pathway to reconnect with your body, process pent-up tension, and step back into your authentic flow.  I've used this practice with clients who feel: ✨ overwhelm✨ disconnected✨ emotionally or energetically stuck✨ emotionally burnout from attuning to others' needs or absorbing their energy✨ tend towards people-pleasing, overworking, or living in survival mode✨ the need to push their feelings aside to “get through” the day And it's something I also give as homework to clients, so if you’re thinking about 1-1 coaching, this is a great building block practice. Harmonizing movement practices are designed to naturally support your nervous system by helping it to come back to the present moment and regulate itself, laying down the foundation for deeper alchemy work. With this practice, you’ll reconnect with your body's innate rhythms, release pent-up tension, recalibrate your inner harmony and flow and deepen your self-trust and self-acceptance. This 20 minutes somatic practice is part of our premium podcast subscription, to get access to it, become a premium podcast member When you leave a review for the podcast on iTunes you can get a free trial. DM @onandoffyourmatpodcast or email ([email protected]) me a screenshot of your review and we'll get you set up.Your podcast premium membership (as low as $5/month) allows me to continue to create and produce this podcast. I choose to keep this add-free for a better listening experience, so there are no revenue and the membership keeps this podcast alive. If you love On and Off Your Mat and want it to continue, support the show here and have access to this somatic practice and so much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, we're diving into the connection between sensitivity, the nervous system, and your breath through the lens of highly sensitive people (HSPs). You'll discover how your sensitivity is intricately linked to your nervous system and why your breath is the key to finding greater calm, clarity and balance in your life.We'll explore common challenges HSPs face, like overwhelm, emotional reactivity, and feeling perpetually on edge. More importantly, you'll learn how tuning into your body's cues and cultivating a relationship with your breath can help you shift from survival mode into thriving. By the end of this episode, I hope you'll see that your sensitivity isn't a flaw, but a gift that, when coupled with the right tools, can allow you to embrace your unique powers and navigate the world with greater ease.For everything else, get full show notes here: https://erikabelanger.com/260 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, I sit down with Joanna Sapir, a business strategist for holistic practitioners, to explore how implementing repeatable systems and processes can help you build a more sustainable and impactful business.We dive into the key departments every business needs, and how identifying your strengths and weaknesses in each area can help you focus your efforts. Joanna also explains why creating structured programs and client journeys, rather than just selling one-off sessions, is crucial for achieving consistent income, reducing cancellations, and getting better results for your clients. If you're ready to take your yoga teaching or coaching business to the next level, this episode is packed with actionable insights and strategies you can start implementing today.For everything else, get full show notes here: https://erikabelanger.com/259 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I sit down with Victoria Moran, a renowned author and yoga teacher, to explore how yoga philosophy and Ayurveda can completely transform the way we think about getting older. Victoria has written extensively on wellbeing and spirituality, with her latest book Age Like a Yogi diving deep into cultivating a radiant "third act" of life. As a lifelong yogi herself, she shares profound insights on the bigger picture of aging - one that goes beyond wrinkles and joint pain to the very heart of our spiritual journey.If you're ready to shift your perspective on aging and embrace the possibilities of your later years, this episode is for you. Victoria offers practical tips for staying vibrant in body, mind and soul, plus a generous dose of wisdom to inspire a more expansive vision of your life.For everything else, get full show notes here: https://erikabelanger.com/258 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you ever feel like stress or tension is stuck in your body and you just can’t shake it off, this practice is for you. The Psychogenic Tremor practice is designed to gently release built-up tension, ease stress, and create a sense of calm and grounding. Through guided somatic movements that activate your body’s natural shaking response, this practice helps you reset your nervous system, let go of what you’ve been holding onto, and feel lighter and more at ease. I've used this practice with clients who feel:✨ chronically tense or "on edge"✨ overwhelmed by emotions or life circumstances✨ physically tight or stiff from stress✨ energetically drained but unable to relax✨ stuck in cycles of overthinking or emotional reactivity✨ burdened by stress they’ve carried for years And it’s one of my go-to practices for clients who want to feel more in control of their emotional and physical well-being. Psychogenic tremoring is a powerful somatic practice that taps into your body’s innate ability to release stress. By gently activating a natural shaking mechanism, this practice allows your nervous system to offload excess energy and return to a state of calm. With this practice, you’ll release tension, reset your nervous system, feel more present, and restore a sense of ease and balance in your body. This 15 minutes somatic practice is part of our premium podcast subscription, to get access to it, become a premium podcast member When you leave a review for the podcast on iTunes you can get a free trial. DM @onandoffyourmatpodcast or email ([email protected]) me a screenshot of your review and we'll get you set up.Your podcast premium membership (as low as $5/month) allows me to continue to create and produce this podcast. I choose to keep this add-free for a better listening experience, so there are no revenue and the membership keeps this podcast alive. If you love On and Off Your Mat and want it to continue, support the show here and have access to this somatic practice and so much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elyse Wagner has dedicated her life to transforming the world's approach to health and well-being. With a foundation in functional medicine, health psychology, and holistic nutrition, she empowers coaches and individuals to create lasting, positive change. Her own transformative health journey led her to co-found the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy and now she continues to spread well-being education through her impactful programs.We dive into the specific challenges Highly Sensitive People face when it comes to self-care and how to overcome the guilt that often arises when we start putting ourselves first. Elyse shares practical tips for identifying your needs, setting boundaries, and creating sustainable well-being practices.For everything else, get full show notes here: https://erikabelanger.com/256 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest, Nyk Danu, shares her journey with yin yoga and how it has become a refuge for her as an HSP. Nyk is a certified yoga therapist, yin yoga teacher trainer, and yoga business mentor who specializes in teaching therapeutic yoga to students who don't feel at home in mainstream yoga circles. She combines her extensive training in yoga therapy, yin yoga, and traditional Chinese medicine to create a unique approach that prioritizes the nervous system and accessibility. If you've tried yin yoga before but found it uncomfortable or challenging, either because of the long holds, the quiet space, or the thoughts and sensations that arose, this episode is here to provide valuable insights and tips to help you deepen your practice. Nyk shares how therapeutic yin yoga can help HSPs build reserves, move energy, and find a soothing balm for their overstimulated selves.For everything else, get full show notes here: https://erikabelanger.com/255 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By learning to feel your shame more fully, you'll be able to be yourself more authentically and access more joy in your life. Hiding your emotional self unintentionally disconnects you from who you are and turns down the volume on all your emotions. But everything changes when you give yourself permission to feel, and discover that it's not as scary as you think.I share the process I use with coaching clients to help them shift out of shame and into a place of presence. Learn what shame really is, how it affects HSPs differently, and why creating safety and regulation in your nervous system is key to healing from shame.Click here for the 1:1 Somatic coaching application or click here to join the waitlist for my Feel It to Heal It mini course.For everything else, get full show notes here: https://erikabelanger.com/254 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you love gratitude practices, this might be a new very powerful way to connect to this emotion, and If you’re highly sensitive and you’ve struggled to connect authentically to gratitude practices in the past, this practice if for youThis is my client’s favorite way to connect to gratitude and truly experience it in their body. You can also use this format with any positive high-vibration emotion you want to experience more fully in your life.If you are trying to experience gratitude without involving the body, your efforts to change how you truly feel often stay at the surface level and the shift either doesn't happen or it doesn't last.To truly change a belief, habit, or how we feel, we need a genuine connection between our emotions and body. This is because our thoughts and behaviors are often tied to physical responses stored in the body from past experiences. Real change happens when we engage both mind and body, and this is what we are doing in this practice.This practice is part of our premium subscription, to get access to it, become a premium podcast member.When you leave a review for the podcast on iTunes you can get a free trial. DM @onandoffyourmatpodcast or email ([email protected]) me a screenshot of your review and we'll get you set up.Your podcast premium membership (as low as $5/month) allows me to continue to create and produce this podcast. I choose to keep this add-free for a better listening experience, so there are no revenue and the membership keeps this podcast alive. If you love On and Off Your Mat and want it to continue, support the show here and have access to this somatic practice and so much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this powerful episode, Kristin Windsor shares her incredible journey of self-healing and the unique approach she developed along the way. As a teacher and mentor, Kristin leads people to return home to their innate wholeness by reunifying mind, body, and soul. After independently healing over 100 health battles, 20 years of complex trauma, and 7 years of amnesia, Kristin integrated her wisdom into a groundbreaking method that combines neuroscience, consciousness, and infinite love.We dive into the role of neuroscience and consciousness in the healing process. Kristin explains how to make more sense of our experiences and behaviors, and how to create lasting change by understanding that everything in life comes down to navigating life to get the love we need and crave.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/252 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.