Ayurveda 101 with Brett Aldrich

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We explore a warm, accessible path into Ayurveda with counselor and breathwork practitioner Brett Aldrich, moving from big ideas to daily choices that soothe the nervous system. Practical tools, a simple breath exercise, and a gentle rethink of routine help us feel more like ourselves.

• what Ayurveda is and why it matters
• the five elements and choosing opposites for balance
• doshas explained and how to notice your mix
• differences from western symptom focus
• the 50 percent training rule to prevent burnout
• daily rhythms mapped to the dosha clock
• a simple box breathing practice for calm
• self-awareness, acceptance, and loving action
• first steps to reconnect with body and wisdom
• where to learn more from Brett and free consults

Show Guest:

Brett Aldrich is an Ayurvedic Counselor, Breathwork Practitioner, and founder of Seed the Spirit in Portland, Maine, whose work blends decades of service with deep holistic training. Her career has taken her from supporting survivors of trauma and children with developmental needs to guiding others in Ayurveda, breathwork, and yoga. A graduate of the Kripalu School of Ayurveda and affiliated with the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance, Brett helps people create lasting physical, emotional, and spiritual balance and transformation through simple, sustainable practices.

You can connect with Brett at her website. Seed the Spirit.

Transcript

Speaker: 0:00

Welcome to Couch Time with Cat, your safe place for real conversation and a gentle check-in. KWVH presents Couch Time with Cat.

Speaker 1: 0:10

Hi friends, and welcome to Couch Time with Cat, Mental Wellness with a Friendly Voice. I'm Cat, therapist, bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and endurance athlete. But most of all, I'm a wife, mama, and someone who deeply believes that people are good and healing is possible. Here in the Hill Country of Wimberley, Texas, I've built my life and practice around one purpose to make mental wellness feel accessible, compassionate, and real. This show is for those moments when life feels heavy, when you're craving clarity, or when you just need to hear, you're not alone. Each week we'll explore the terrain of mental wellness through stories, reflections, research, and tools you can bring into everyday life. Think of it as a conversation between friends, rooted in science, guided by heart, and grounded in the belief that healing does not have to feel clinical. It can feel like sitting on a couch with someone who gets it. So whether you're driving, walking, cooking, or simply catching your breath, you're welcome here. This is your space to feel seen, supported, and reminded of your own strength. I'm so glad you're here. Let's dive in. What if ancient wisdom held the key to the balance we're all craving? Not in some faraway place, but right here in the rhythm of our daily lives. Today on Couch Time with Cat, I'm sitting down with Ayurveda counselor and breathwork practitioner Brett Aldrich for an honest, heart-opening introduction to Ayurveda. What is it? Why does it matter? And how even the simplest shifts can reconnect us to ourselves. Sometimes you come across a word that feels like a whisper from another time. A word that intrigues you but also kind of floats by. Ayurveda was that word for me. Listener, even as I'm saying that, I'm having to really slow down. Here's how it's spelled. A Y-U-R-V-E-D-A. Ayurveda. Ayurveda. I'm tripping over that. But listener, that's okay because this is really Ayurveda 101. I've heard it here and there in yoga classes, and I've read it in wellness blogs, but I've never really understood what it meant. And I've really never stopped to ask, what is it and what does it actually mean? And I think a lot of us feel that way. Here in the Hill Country, we're surrounded by wellness and wellness practitioners, and we really hold that close. And so I think it would be really helpful for us to learn a little bit about this ancient practice. But here's the thing it's not um a trendy thing, right? It's a different way of looking at life and at the body and the mind through the lens of balance. It's also beautifully simple once we start to learn and listen. And that's what this episode's all about. You're listening to Couch Time with Cat. I'm Cat, and today we're going back to basics Ayurveda 101. For me and for you. And today to help us through that is Brett Aldrich. Brett Aldrich is an Ayurveda counselor, breathwork practitioner, and the founder of See the Spirit in Portland, Maine. Her work blends decades of real-world service with deep holistic training. She's worked in domestic violence shelters, grief support, and special education. And through her own healing journey, she found her way to Ayurveda, breathwork and yoga. She's a graduate of the Kripalu School of Ayurveda and is affiliated with the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance. Brett believes in simple, sustainable, and deeply personal practices that help people feel whole again. And she's here to help us all begin our own gentle journey to Ayurveda. Hi, Brett. Welcome. I'm so glad you're here.

Speaker: 4:19

Hi there. How are you? Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1: 4:21

I'm well, thank you. And thank you for being so gracious as I trip over Ayurveda. Okay, let's just start with how do we pronounce this word?

Speaker: 4:34

Sure. I well, I pronounce it. Um Ayurveda.

Speaker 1: 4:40

Ayurveda. Ayurveda. Ayurveda. And if we can't quite get that pronunciation, Ayurveda, how do people, how what's like a I don't want to completely butcher its um origin, but what would be like a little bit of a simpler way to say that? Ayurveda.

Speaker: 5:01

Ayurveda.

Speaker 1: 5:02

Ayurveda. Like what are your preferences? Your Ayurveda.

Speaker: 5:11

I say I, you know, I, then your Veda. Perfect. And then you kind of bring it together.

Speaker 1: 5:17

Okay. Thank you for that 101. I know that's, I'm sure, so incredibly elementary to you, but for a lot of us who don't know, sometimes it's sometimes even saying a word out loud is intimidating.

Speaker: 5:29

Yes.

Speaker 1: 5:30

Okay, so can you give us a sense of what Ayurveda is?

Speaker: 5:34

Absolutely. Ayurveda, you know, I can say where I began, the first inkling or understanding is they called it the study of life. And it is for me, I feel the understanding of everything matters when it comes to your health and who you are walking this earth and what you are doing being on this earth as a human being, right? And it has been coined the sister science to yoga. So the physical active action of yoga, but also the philosophy of yoga. So we take simple practices in life. However, it is a really big subject. It's got philosophy, it has health, it has food, everything is involved when it comes to Ayurveda, when it comes to your overall well-being. And this is also where the individual is considered the priority, you know, that makes the rules of how you live in your own body. So we understand you, we we or you or I are made up of our own personal constitution or um we call elements or makeup. And we are unique of our own. So our decisions and our life practices are determined or um we choose based upon what we're made out of and who we are. And it could be very different from somebody else. And so um it's a large subject where we consider our uniqueness as essential when it comes to our well-being and how we walk on this earth. If that makes sense. That's how it makes sense to me.

Speaker 1: 7:15

Yeah, absolutely. That makes sense, and it feels really broad and it feels like we it could be just such a rich experience and exploration of different types of perspectives or different different perspectives to look at different aspects of our health.

Speaker: 7:35

Yes, absolutely. And the wonderful thing about Ayurveda that I I feel is that if there's some practices that don't necessarily work well for you to help you feel better, if there's something going on in the body or in the mind, um, there's another way. So, you know, we sort of can't get away from trying to make you feel better, or we there's there's other ways to support you if one way isn't always working for you. Um, so in Ayurveda, we created as simply as, you know, we have five elements that we're made out of, and everything is made out of these five elements. We just have a certain amount, right? In comparison to someone else or something else. So can you tell me more about elements?

Speaker 1: 8:28

What is that? What does that mean?

Speaker: 8:30

Of course, uh, everything is made out of these five elements. So it's ether, air. So ether is like space, um, air, um, earth, water, and fire.

unknown: 8:43

Okay.

Speaker: 8:44

So that's what we all are made out of. And each element has their own characteristics or usefulness uh within the body and or in the world, right? And so everyone and everything is made out of a combination of these five elements. So when we choose what food we eat, what practices we place into our day, uh, we first look at ourselves to see what we're made out of. And then we choose alternative things or different things outside of ourselves to balance ourselves out. So if I have a lot of fire within me, I'll probably pick something more watery or cooler in my life.

Speaker 1: 9:27

Balance me. I'm sure this is such a it's a nuanced question, and we'll get to it. But just uh we'll get to a, I guess, a deeper understanding a little later in the show. But for now, I'm just so curious. What would a choice like that look like? So you're made of fire, so you're gonna choose something that has a little more water. What does that look like?

Speaker: 9:48

Absolutely. So uh, so for example, if I want to choose a food, right? Um, you know, if I feel that I've had, you know, I can be spicy, right? So if I'm made out of fire, there's spices that we can choose that are more fiery, like cayenne peppers, a little bit spicy and that's got a lot of fire to it. So instead of that, what I would personally choose would be um if I was feeling warm, I would do like room temperature cucumber water, right? Or um if I was going to eat something, um, it would be like a soup or a brothy food with um food in it that's cooling to the body, which could be um zucchini, you know, like the the cucumber family food. And daily practice would be walking down to see if I can put my feet in water. Or a daily practice would be a slow, slow yoga practice, a nurturing, kind, quiet yoga practice versus a more like rigorous, um, hot yoga, so to speak. I'd be more of um choosing a slower place like a yin or a uh restorative yoga. So that's great.

Speaker 1: 11:00

So it sounds like your choices aim to balance out your elements. Yes. Okay, absolutely. Okay, and how does this approach differ from Western, let's say how Western medicine approaches a problem?

Speaker: 11:19

Sure. You know, we look at um the person, not always the diagnosis, but or I do anyhow. You know, everyone has their own style too as well. Um, you know, Ayurveda is a very big subject matter, and a lot of us have a lot of teaching or received teaching. We all do it our way, right? Uh for me, what I could say from personal experience, uh, you know, it would be patch up the problem and then keep going afterward. You're good and just keep going, right? Um with Ayurveder, or what we do is yes, we want to patch up what's happening, like the symptoms, we want them to subside because it could be um irritating or uncomfortable. However, at the same time, we're looking at the underneath core issue or a core issue that's what's going on. And it may be unknown, right? So, what we do is we experiment a little bit, but also we start um educating yourself on the whole person. What is your life like? Um, what do you do every day? Um, what could be something very small over time if you do it every single day can become something that is significant and could change your life. So it could be something very small of you know, consuming too much of something that you've been doing your whole life. And maybe just we just slowly make those little teeny shifts and changes to um over time support um, you know, whatever really specific is going on with someone instead of patching it and then moving forward. Or sometimes, you know, I can certainly say I was a person of excess, so I'd be like, well, I need to get into shape. So I'm gonna go to the gym and lift who knows who knows all the run all these miles, and then I get hurt, you know. So um it really is about um what with in Ayurvedically speaking, when we think or hear someone wanting to exercise, we say only do 50% of your maximum amount. No, yes, only do 50.

Speaker 1: 13:32

Oh, Brett, that makes me ooh who wants to do that, not me. Um I am an endurance athlete, and um I am I am um saddled with the thought that more is more.

Speaker: 13:50

I and I can relate absolutely. I've I was a huge oh gosh, like loved running, running, running, running, running. And um absolutely it is uh a passion that I had myself um that I love. And asking myself to slow down was a real big challenge.

Speaker 1: 14:12

Uh and took a long time. Tell me about the 50%. Why 50%?

Speaker: 14:18

Well, if you consider 50%, it's that that threshold of prevention of overextending yourself and allowing your body to slowly heal. Because when we run or lift weights, there's a version of injury that's very, very small, right? Especially, or if you're jumping, you know, there's those tiny, teeny, teeny fractures in the bone that reheal, which brings strength. However, at the same time, if we go a little too far, it takes longer for us to recover. So when, or and sometimes, you know, we have real injury, so it takes like weeks or a month, right? So um, when we do the 50%, um, it allows the small, tiny injury so we can heal and become stronger over time. Okay. And that is a big deal. So when you think of that, okay, so a month from now, my 50% is not gonna look like the 50% from a month before.

Speaker 1: 15:16

Ah, okay. I can get on board with that. Okay.

Speaker: 15:19

Yes, yeah. So over time, you build momentum of strength towards so, like those of us that have done marathons, yeah, you know, we've done a marathon, but are we gonna do a marathon every single day to get to that marathon that we choose to do with that race, right? It takes time, yeah, absolutely. And so, you know, we all choose our end goal, right? So, how maybe our end goal is a little further out? Maybe it takes us a little longer to get there.

Speaker 1: 15:49

Okay.

Speaker: 15:51

Okay.

Speaker 1: 15:52

Yeah, so my little overachiever heart can understand that.

Speaker: 15:56

Yeah, it took so long for me to really go, oh gosh, I think I'll be okay with that. But it could be a suspension of injury that could stop you completely.

Speaker 1: 16:06

I'm actually uh more in just I am literally in the middle of um, I cold plunge every day and in the winter in our pool, and um our pool isn't heated, and so the it's been 45 or so the water. And in the last two or three days, I've had really big, really big emotional days. Our heater broke at our house, all sorts of stuff. And I actually decided not to cold plunge and not to exercise. My wisdom inside said, listen, friend, um you this is going to be more harmful than helpful on these days. Like fine, on the other days, your heater is working, you're not stressed out, like fine, we can do this. But my body in the last three or four days has said, don't add insult to injury. Like my body needed more nourishing than it did pushing. And so, even though I'm joking about the 50%, half of me is joking about the 50%, but the other half is like, yeah, okay, I get that.

Speaker: 17:23

Absolutely, yes. And, you know, listening to that inner wisdom, it's there, you know, it's there for all of us. Um, we're able to really look deep. You know, you can certainly come to me as an Ayurvedic practitioner and we can have consultations and and really, really fine-tune and go somewhere real um specific. Uh, however, you know, the there's this empowerment here of just really giving yourself a moment to really think, gosh, like I've known my body for how long? Okay, really, like, do I need to do this today and right now? Or shh, either yes or no, right? There's the yes and then there's the no. Um, and those moments where we say, okay, I'll pause and give myself a moment to decide to at that moment, because our mind does want to trump us and override uh what our body or our soul's preference is, right? So because we keep telling ourselves, you know, this is what I'm supposed to do, or um, this is what I've all pilot, right? Yeah, right. Or this is what I've always done. And so um, you know, grateful for those. And we have a morning, I typically have a morning routine or ritual, as we call it in the mornings or whatever we do. And those are those moments to ask yourself those questions, you know, before we leap into the day. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:44

Brett, I've heard this word dosha around Ayurveda. What is a what is dosha?

Speaker: 18:52

Sure. Uh dosha is um I call it, you know, the an energy. So there's um three, and there's three doshas, and they're both they're all made out of different elements and have their own qualities. So there's um vata is one dosha, which is made out of ether and air, so space and air. Um, there's pitta, which is made out of fire and water, and then there's um kappa. Well, I say kappa, but some people say kafa. Um, and that's made out of earth and water. Okay. And I can say that all three kind of work with each other.

unknown: 19:39

Okay.

Speaker: 19:39

Okay. And there's a so um some people have the vata qualities, um, some people have the pitta qualities, and some people have the kappa qualities. And some people have two, one more than the other, some people have all three. Um, and some and there's one that might be a little bit more dominant than the other.

Speaker 1: 20:02

How does how does one know what qualities they have?

Speaker: 20:06

Sure. Uh, there's uh so uh vata, um vata people or vata beings, or there's um the x, you know, and then there's also vata in earth in the world, right? So um you can see it, you can hear it, maybe, you can feel it, and you can be it. Okay. And so um vata is um movement, so it's unstable, it's subtle, it's cold. So vata can be in the season. So wintertime for us, it's cold, it's windy, it's mobile, you know, um, and it can be hard. So there's all those qualities. So you see it, you feel it. Um, and sometimes what we eat also can have those qualities as well. So crackers, right, are dry and hard. What's cold, cold water ice cubes, you know, and um, so there's that piece, and then pitta, the qualities and invata people too also to be that way in mind and in body, too, as well. If you think of that, um, you know, those same qualities, hard, okay. What, you know, our hair may be thinner, um, you may be taller and slimmer. Um, Vata people may potentially be a little bit more scatter-brained if they don't work on that for themselves. That tends to be a quality or a characteristic. Uh, they tend to be upbeat and high energy, but short bursts, because then they tire easily at the same time. There's a little bit more mobility there. Um, the consistency is a challenge for some people who have vata. So, what we do with Vata people is we try to assist them and give them um tips and ways to be able to find that balance.

Speaker 1: 21:57

And is this a verbal assessment? Do I take a quiz in a magazine. How do I know what I am?

Speaker: 22:05

Yeah, absolutely. Well, yes, absolutely. We do a long con have a long conversation about life and what their your experiences have been. We also, as um practitioners, we've also had our own training on, you know, looking at physicality and you know, we do, you know, tongue, we look at our the tongue, the eyes, you know, mannerisms. Uh, that also is helpful. We also look at people's preferences, you know, what do you prefer? What do you crave? You know, and that usually gives us a sign. You can certainly go online, you know, and Google it and look into that sort of thing. Can I look myself up and do a questionnaire, which is also available and um, which is great. Uh, however, you know, you can also look in deeper and you know have conversations with an act um practitioner as well.

Speaker 1: 22:55

Yeah, we'll probably get a lot richer, deeper, more meaningful experience and conversation if we seek out a practitioner.

Speaker: 23:03

Yes, practitioners are helpful, just and they and we can usually, you know, give you an understanding, a little bit of a deeper understanding of of what path to move towards, typically, and um, you know, if and kind of give you an understanding. I like I what I really like to say is there's understanding there. Oh, so this is who I am. All right, well, that makes more sense. So, how can I work with this? Um, and then there's the guidance comes in. How can you work with it? Um, instead of be like, oh, I do this all the time. Like, why do I do this? You know, well, it's just hey, that's who you are.

Speaker 1: 23:41

Yes, that sounds a lot like I'm a trauma therapist and the work that I do, a lot of it centers around awareness and the just the awareness of what we've experienced and why we are the way we are. Um, that often opens up a lot of possibility for change or adjustments or um acceptance, even.

Speaker: 24:09

Yes, absolutely. And that is um acceptance without comparing, right? And that's the individual piece that I feel is so essential for anyone um that you're working with. Um and and there's the level or of the the awareness. Once there's awareness, action comes later, and the action is based on that awareness. So, and that is an act of self-love that many of us sometimes don't have that quite that connection yet. It's a form of self-love, it's a form of understanding. And our bodies are telling us too, our bodies love us unconditionally, and it's communicating with us, and these um characteristics are our body's way of communicating to us of who we are and asking for that love in return. And what it is is these actions that we teach are based on love, period.

Speaker 1: 25:06

You're listening to Couch Time with Cat. I'm Cat, and today we're learning about Ayurveda 101 with Brett Aldrich. If you have a question you'd like to ask anonymously, text or call 956-249-7930. Okay, Brett, let's bring this into daily life a little bit. Let's say someone is feeling really burnt out or disconnected. What's an Ayurvedic practice that they could experiment with?

Speaker: 25:34

Sure. Um, well, usually what I try to ask them is what happens in the morning before they really start their day? Do they have five minutes? You know, if the can you assist yourself with just five minutes of something that you can do connect? Um, you know, and I make it as I try to make it as simple as possible and as quick as possible. Just can you place your hand on your heart, close your eyes, and breathe. Do that first. Whether you do it while you're lying in bed, you know, or or when you've getting up in the morning, um, that's the one and only thing that I ask for people to start experimenting with to begin. Um, and sometimes that is a challenge for some.

Speaker 1: 26:20

Yes, I know that when my eyes open in the morning, it is a straight shot of cortisol. Yes. I can feel it. I I literally, you know, those carnival games where you get the mallet and you hit it really hard and you're trying to get the little thing to go ding, like all the way up. That is how my heart feels when I open my eyes. Um, and I've tried to my alarm is is not abrasive. Um, like I've really tried to soften the way I enter the world in the morning. Um, but wow, it is just boom. And probably that would be a really good moment to stay in bed and to just breathe and kind of let that come down and then approach the morning.

Speaker: 27:15

Yes, absolutely, you know, one of my teachers says it's traumatic to wake up. Our body is to wake up. We've been lying down, you know, horizontal asleep and you know, in dream world, right? For a period of time. And, you know, um when our eyes open, you know, we're kind of like rebirthing, we're coming back to the earth again. So yes, so um hand on the heart and slowly move. And jokingly, I was taught, which I've done to myself, is slide out of your bed and lay on your floor. Just don't even really stand up right away when you wake. Oh just you know, um, you know, weight, yes, the weight before movement, you know, right? That again, we're gonna get closer to the self, right? Before you move, pause right before you get out of bed, you know, pause before you get out of bed, pause before the next action. Because you can ask yourself honestly, like, what do I need right now? What can I do right now? Um, and that really is that's getting closer and closer to yourself.

Speaker 1: 28:25

As we talk about coming out of a dream world and waking up in the morning, I'm thinking about rhythms. And can you share with us, do rhythms matter? Does it matter what we do when we do it? And if so, why?

Speaker: 28:42

Yes, absolutely. Uh, rhythm is a large piece of Ayurvedic practices. It's it is naturally, or as I say, an indigenous practice, right? So it's native to this earth we live on, right? And so when we know that there is sunrise and sunset, right? That's a rhythm alone, right there. We were awake with the sunrise, and with the sunset, we slow down and we go to sleep as well, you know, and that's a rhythm alone. Um, and in Ayurveda, there is a dare I say clock or time frame, right? And um, each part of the day has its own dosha. Each part of the day has its own theme or or um elements. So when we understand how they play into the day and how we work with them, over time you can start to feel your inner rhythm going with the 24-hour cycle. Um, you know, women are a little different, you know. Um, I can only speak for myself, right? I'm a woman. So we not only have the sunrise and sunset, but we also have our internal rhythm too, as well, when it comes to the moon cycle, too. So we have a lot of moving parts. However, um, rhythm is key when you understand how it works. Um, you can also play with that and the elements are there too. So understanding the rhythm of the day and the self and knowing how to address that, you know, morning time is more of the kappa time of day. So it's sturdier, um, it's earthier, it's um heavier. Uh, so that is a time of day we're strongest, you know, from six to 10 o'clock in the morning. It's advised to, you know, that's when you exercise and move your body. That's when you have a small meal. Um, that's when you um I send my emails, right? That's when I'm like more alert and and able to withstand that activity. So that's for me. Um, you know, and then from 10 o'clock to two o'clock in the uh morning to afternoon, that's the pit to time of day. That's the fiery time of day, that's when the sun is at its highest, right? That's when our digestion is more rigorous and more able to process food. So that's where it's advised to eat mindfully and eat our largest meal and try not to do anything too um hectic that day, just that time of day. Um, and then from two to six in the late afternoon is the vata time of day. So that's when things are airier, it's a little more mobile. That's where people become, that's where sometimes meetings are nice to have because then you can talk and um there's creativity during that time of day. Um, and it's also a good time to move because that's where I feel a little tired personally. So that's when it's a good time to get up and move your body to be mobile. And then we head towards another uh time of day, which is more of the kappa time of day again. So it would be from 6 to 10 p.m. And that's where we start to slow down. That's where we get heavier, that's when we reflect on our evening. We have a smaller, brothier type of meal at that time of day. Um, so we're able to digest and process everything at night. So, and then you go to bed around 10 p.m. if you can. Some people are like, I'm a night owl, but if you can try to sleep from 10, you know, from 10 p.m. to two, 2 a.m. in the morning, that's when we hope to sleep. And that's where we process everything from the day before.

Speaker 1: 32:12

Did you just say 2 a.m.?

Speaker: 32:15

Yes, to sleep.

Speaker 1: 32:16

Then do you wake up at 2 a.m.?

Speaker: 32:19

No, we still sleep. So from 2 a.m. I know, right? What? I know. I know, no, thank you. Yeah, and then there's from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. That's the vata time of the morning, and you still sleep. Um, however, that's the more airy ethereal time of the evening. There's like um, it's a I feel is a bit of a spiritual time. That's when you're slowly coming out of deep sleep and processing and moving into more of a spiritual time of the of the 24-hour period. Um, and that's when some of us wake up. You know, some of us wake up four, five, six in the morning. So depending on your preference, um, some of us spend that time. Usually, if you wake up around 5 a.m., you're sitting in quietly before you really start moving in the day. So we usually try to wake up right before sunrise because I I I'm with you. The cortisol does kick in around 6 a.m. And that's when our heart rate gets up a little bit too, as well. And that's why we wake up, some of us, anyhow. Yeah. Um, so it is advised with our practices to do a little bit before six in the morning to prevent that heart rate jump.

Speaker 1: 33:31

Ah, interesting.

Speaker: 33:32

Yeah. So it does assist in easing into the day a little bit, kind of.

Speaker 1: 33:37

Listeners, is there a moment in your day that consistently feels rushed or ignored or maybe really overwhelming? Ayurveda teaches us that those are the exact places that we can be mindful about, maybe bring a little care into. And I want to encourage you to think about what might it feel like to honor even one of those moments this week. So maybe you know that at 6 a.m. a five-minute breath work moment would be really helpful. And so, what would it be like to just experiment with that and maybe not just rush through it? Speaking of breath work, I know that this is a really important part of Ayurveda. Can you share with us, Brett, a little bit about how it fits into Ayurvedic practices and healing?

Speaker: 34:32

Absolutely. Breath work is a real potent medicine. It is something that um was brought into my world while Ayurveda, you know, it was parallel to my my learning of Ayurveda, my education. Um, there are many ways to utilize the breath um to support you and your body and your mind and the spirit while you're living your life. There's so many practices we can teach and you can take on for yourself. Um, I teach many different versions. Um, there's a cyclical breathing that I teach one-on-one that assists with um the body getting through um any somatic tissue that um is holding on to stress. Whoa, cool. Yeah, which is really helpful. The other one is, you know, there's all sorts of techniques that have their own, you know, use, right? And um I always advise to get assistance before practicing personally on your own. Um what does that mean? Yeah, so um if you want to do like um there are these things called best trika breath or sun breath, there's um kapalabati breathing, there's um dual nostril breathing, there's um breathing techniques you just want to learn and learn how to do that um in a way that uh best serves you. Once you understand it and you can do it, go you know, do though do them with whatever works best. But some of the more invigorating breath breathing techniques are helpful if you're feeling a little tired, um, a little low. Um if you need just uplifting um emotionally, some of the more um more rigorous breath breathing techniques are assist that. Um, if you need assistance like calming the nervous system, um, bringing yourself back to um your body, there is the dual nostril, which is you know, in one nostril outside the other, and then vice versa.

Speaker 1: 36:49

Anything that's possible to kind of sample right now, or is that too complicated?

Speaker: 36:55

No, we and you know, I can I can definitely uh support you when they call it box breathing, which is just a counting of your breath, and um you can do it on seated. Okay. Uh so I put my hand on my heart uh whenever I start to breathe in this manner. And the box breathing is I count to, I'll count to four.

Speaker 1: 37:16

Okay.

Speaker: 37:17

And you'll inhale through the nose, a four count. So you'll call it count one, two, three, four. You'll hold your breath for a four count. One, two, three, four. Exhale on the four. Two three, four, hold the breath again for four. Three. And then inhale again to a four. Two, three, four, hold a four. Exhale for four. Three, four. And then you can just stay in just in your own breath.

Speaker 1: 38:07

Does it matter if we breathe through in our nose or our mouth?

Speaker: 38:11

This one you'll want to do through your nose. Inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale. Okay, great.

Speaker 1: 38:18

Okay, lovely. Um I was I right now I felt like a child holding my breath. I don't know why I was excited to do it. So all my breath stayed in my chest, but I know that that's not great. Your breath should be in your belly, right?

Speaker: 38:33

Yes, you know, you can also start, you know, just with the four count breath too as well. You begin in the belly, go up towards the chest, towards like the clavicle area, and then exhale back towards the other direction, out the chest and belly and down towards the hip points. So you can take a full diaphragmatic breath, which starts at the, you know, you can it, I guess basically the words are it affects down towards the hip points and then pull the way up towards the clavicle and then back out. And the breath also affects going out the chest, but also out the back. So the whole point is to try to have a full diaphragmatic breath, and it actually massages all of the internal organs all the way up to the heart. So if you think about just taking one full diaphragmatic breath or one full breath, just really like soothes and eases the whole internal body.

Speaker 1: 39:29

Beautiful.

Speaker: 39:30

Yeah, that's the hope.

Speaker 1: 39:32

Thank you. Thank you for that. Brett, in doing a little research, I read on your website, it says become who you have been seeking. Can you tell me a little bit about that and what that means to you?

Speaker: 39:47

It's for me, it's bringing yourself back to you. You know, because you've always been here, right? And and life circumstances or things happen in life where you start to leave yourself sometimes. Um, you start to, you know, seek out external things in order to feel better, right? Which we do do. However, what it is is finding that path of that you've always been on, but being aware of what it is now, seeing it for what it truly is, and seeing yourself for who you really are. And sometimes we forget. Sometimes life circumstances we we change our path onto we're going in a path that you know doesn't necessarily fit us. It's not who we are. Um, and we just find that slow process of returning to the self. Like, I just want to feel better, right? Like you can, you know, you just got to find who you are and accept and accept that fully. Yeah.

Speaker 1: 40:47

Do you feel like that that is a running theme with the clients you work with? Like you're always kind of supporting them in that journey back.

Speaker: 40:56

Yes. Sometimes I am. It's it's funny when you hear the language that they're what they're saying, they're like they know who they are. They really do. Um, and you just have to reflect that back to them. Sometimes you just said this about yourself. Yeah, absolutely. You are so right. You know exactly who you are, you know, and just reflecting that back to people is that you know exactly who you are, and you're making the right steps, and this is what you're doing. And oh, I am. Oh, you're right, I am. I really am doing the right thing, you know. I really do know who I am.

Speaker 1: 41:30

Um, and just yes, reminding them that they know who they are, kind of really reassuring their sense of self and their their sense of wisdom about themselves.

Speaker: 41:41

Absolutely. And sometimes it is about um when we find balance, you're able to re-reconnect with who you are. When you find the balance, you're able to heal that peace and start healing. Um, and it is sometimes we dare say about the nervous system is returning to that balance and soothing the nervous system so you're able to start healing within. And it is about just reflecting them back to them who they really are. They really do know.

Speaker 1: 42:12

For someone who feels disconnected from their body or soul, so they're out there and they're thinking this doesn't feel right. What would be the first? Not it doesn't have to be the first step, but a first step that somebody could take to kind of make that U-turn back to themselves.

Speaker: 42:32

Yeah. Uh, you know, the fact that someone is just asking for that, they've already started the process. So I really feel that, you know, once someone comes to see me, they already are doing it, right? So you want to congratulate them for that and give them a pep talk that they've already started that. They already know, they're already going there. Uh, so that is one thing. And just again, I say this often to return to the body, it's sometimes really challenging for people to really return to their body. It's so tough. So the small little uh triumph, whatever that might be, you know, you really want to be your cheerleader. And I say this all the time, cheerleader support. You really are doing it, you know, just the reinforcement. You really are doing this, you know, and saying that to themselves, you can do this, like that though those terms, like I can say I can do this, but really is sometimes I say, say to yourself, you can do this. Just that moment of like, you can do this, you can do this, and the momentum forward, you can do this. Okay, what is the next thing I gotta do for me? You know, and that sometimes can be a piece that gets them to there, or you can do this, and what it is, just place my hand on my heart and take a breath, you know.

Speaker 1: 43:54

Um and in the saying you that inherently is like a wise self, cheerful. On our sitting in the office chair self saying, like, hey, I see you, you can do this. So sometimes I can do this feels um it's hard to it's hard to really connect with because if we haven't been able to do it before, sometimes we doubt ourselves. But when we hear that voice from the outside in, sometimes that's the push that we need.

Speaker: 44:27

Yeah, and and that is the inner, you know, inner self or inner being, inner child, soul, soul self saying you can do this, you know, that it is here in the heart, and um, it is that inner love that um that is there 100%. Yeah, it's there.

Speaker 1: 44:46

Brett, thank you for being here today and being so generous with your wisdom and teaching us. And I know I am completely new and green to the subject, and so I appreciate you um being so gracious with my 101 questions.

Speaker: 45:02

Absolutely. No, it was a pleasure.

Speaker 1: 45:04

Where can listeners learn more or connect with you?

Speaker: 45:08

Sure, absolutely. You can you can just go to my website, um seedthespirit.com. Um, you can locate me there and you can just um you can even just I have free consultations, 20-minute consultations. So if you want to just connect and have a conversation, um I'm more than happy to do that. Um, and uh you can email me as well, brett.seedthespirit at gmail.com, if you prefer to interact through email as well. Um, I am here in South Portland, Maine. So I do have an office here um in South Portland, and I do stay in the community. So I have been frequenting the libraries around here in the community to um just connect with the community here. Um I have one in Cape Elizabeth, um, Maine coming up in uh February. So um take a look there and um yeah, that's how you can reach me.

Speaker 1: 45:59

Thank you. And listener, I'll put all that in the show notes so you'll be able to find Brett if you'd like to connect with her. Listener, thank you so much for being here today. And uh you don't have to be an expert in Ayurveda, I don't have to be an expert in Ayurveda to benefit from it, but we just have to be willing to begin and listen gently. And today, before I go get lunch, I'm gonna ask myself, how am I feeling and what would be something that could maybe balance a little bit? And I am gonna try the breathing in the morning before I shoot out of bed. So that's my commitment to you guys. I'd love to hear what you're gonna try. You can tag me on Instagram or send me a DM or call or text 956-249-7930. And I'd love to hear from you. Until next week, be good to yourselves. I'll see you soon. Thank you for spending this time with me. If something from today's conversation resonated, or if you're in a season where support would help, visit me at gattyahollam.com. That's C-A-T-I-A-H-O-L-M dot com. You can also leave an anonymous question for the show by calling or texting 956-249-7930. I'd love to hear what's on your heart. If Couch Time with Cat has been meaningful to you, it would mean so much if you'd subscribe, rate, and leave a review. It helps others find us and it grows this community of care. And if you know someone who needs a little light right now, send them this episode. Remind them they're not alone. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. Keep showing up and know I'm right here with you.