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Your body is not a project to be fixed or perfected – it's a sacred temple housing your deepest wisdom and innate healing capacities. Yet for most women, the journey to this realization is complicated by years of cultural programming that keeps us chasing impossible ideals.

Beauty, diet, and puritanical culture have sold us myths about what makes our bodies acceptable, worthy, and good. These forces teach us that love, safety, and acceptance must be earned through checking invisible boxes – having the right look, the right size, the right behaviors. What's worse, these influences didn't originate within us but were imposed from outside, often before we could even form our own relationship with our bodies.

When we add our personal histories – experiences of trauma, shame, or disconnection – we create a perfect storm of body dissatisfaction that can't be resolved through mindset work alone. Traditional approaches like talk therapy can help us understand our issues intellectually, but they often miss the critical component: your body has its own wisdom and needs that can only be accessed through embodiment.

The revolutionary path forward isn't about trying harder to love your body through affirmations or controlling it more effectively. It's about building an entirely new relationship with your physical form based on devotion, respect, and trust. Through somatic yoga therapy and embodiment practices, you can wire up neural pathways that make feeling at home in your body your default state – not something you have to constantly work to maintain.

Ready to feel deeply connected to your body's wisdom? Join me in exploring practices that honor your body as the temple it truly is. Your healing revolution begins not in your mind, but in the sacred vessel that carries you through this life.

Let's connect on Instagram @the_nourished_woman or through my website KeriMarino.com

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The sacred practice of yoga holds tremendous power for healing, integration, and transformation—but with that power comes the responsibility to navigate the yoga world with awareness and discernment. Drawing from personal experience and years of professional observation, I pull back the curtain on the sometimes uncomfortable reality of yoga cults and high-control groups that have caused harm to vulnerable practitioners.

From fallen leaders like John Friend of Anusara Yoga to the well-documented abuses within Bikram Yoga and Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan, we explore why these dynamics develop and how to protect yourself. The vulnerability inherent in deep yoga practice creates openings that require careful boundaries around who we allow to guide us through these tender spaces.

Your yoga journey should always strengthen your connection to your own inner wisdom rather than create dependency on a teacher. I share three crucial elements to look for in yoga spaces: teachers who actively engage in their own mental health work, who continuously invite you to listen to your inner knowing rather than positioning themselves as having all the answers, and who respond to feedback with openness and validation rather than defensiveness or gaslighting.

These insights aren't just for yoga—they apply to any healing or personal growth environment. The ultimate message isn't to fear yoga but to approach it with eyes wide open, choosing trauma-informed practitioners who honor your agency while providing supportive community. For those who have experienced harm yet still yearn for yoga's benefits, know that healing is possible and that rediscovering yoga on your own terms can be part of your recovery journey.

Whether you're a yoga practitioner, teacher, or someone curious about the practice, this conversation offers essential guidance for navigating the sometimes murky waters of modern yoga while preserving access to its profound gifts. Choose wisely, trust your instincts, and remember that true yoga always returns you to your own wholeness and power.

If you enjoyed this episode, I love hearing from you let me know on Instagram @the_nourished_woman and if you're curious about ways I can support you or my work, visit my website: www.KeriMarino.com

For Resources on Yoga and Other Cult Documentaries, Cults and Cult Recovery:

Yoga Documentaries:

Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator (Bikram Yoga), Breath of Fire TV Series and True Believers (Kundalini Yoga), Wild, Wild Country (Osho)

Other Cult Documentaries:

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, Holy Hell, Source Family, One Taste, Escaping Twin Flames and so many more.

Organizations that Can Help: People Leave Cults and International Association of Cultic Studies both have great resources on their blog.

If you're curious about what somatic yoga therapy could to improve your mental health, reduce anxiety, help you recover from trauma or simply feel deeply at home & at peace within yourself. Join us inside The Nourished Woman Sanctuary for just $47/month.

Join by the end of October for access to our 5 day Meditation Challenge, get started today.

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Amidst the constant clamor for our attention, finding moments of intentional silence has become both revolutionary and essential. Drawing from personal experience, I share how even a simple 30-minute drive home in silence became a profound challenge—catching my hand mid-reach for the radio dial, repeatedly recommitting to the practice despite my wandering mind.

This struggle isn't unique. Every woman in my Nourished Woman community shares similar experiences with meditation and mindfulness. We live in a world where gas pumps blare advertisements, social media bombards us with content, and the sacred resource of our attention is continuously pulled outward. Many of us have developed habits of filling every potential quiet moment with some form of input, leaving no space for inner stillness.

Yet it's precisely in these moments of inner quiet where the magic happens. When we create space for silence, our intuition speaks more clearly, answers emerge naturally, and we reconnect with our deepest selves. This episode explores meditation myths—particularly the misconception that successful meditation means maintaining perfect focus. As spiritual teacher Ram Dass noted, holding attention on anything for even ten seconds is nearly impossible. The wandering "monkey mind" isn't a meditation failure; it's simply part of being human. True meditation mastery lies not in perfect focus but in the humble commitment to keep returning to presence.

Ready to reclaim your attention and rediscover the power of inner quiet? This episode offers practical insights for creating sacred silence in your life, approaching meditation with both discipline and playfulness, and measuring your practice not by perfection but by devotion. Your relationship with inner quiet may be the most important relationship you cultivate—it's where true nourishment begins.

Did something about this episode move you? Tell me about it on Instagram @the_nourished_woman or dive in and start putting what you've learned here into practice inside The Nourished Woman Sanctuary. For $47/month members say, it's "stacked with value," and that they can't believe how powerful these short somatic yoga rituals are.

If you're curious about what somatic yoga therapy could to improve your mental health, reduce anxiety, help you recover from trauma or simply feel deeply at home & at peace within yourself. Join us inside The Nourished Woman Sanctuary for just $47/month.

Join by the end of October for access to our 5 day Meditation Challenge, get started today.

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What happens when we approach yoga not as a workout, but as medicine?

In this soul-nourishing conversation with Liz Delaney, owner of Greenville Yoga and coach for women in transition, we explore how traditional yoga practices offer a powerful counterbalance to our culture's obsession with speed, perfection, and visible results.

Liz shares how her 20-year journey as a studio owner began with a commitment to create a space where everyone belongs—where accessibility trumps Instagram-worthy poses, and embodiment takes precedence over performance. "I always like everything to feel accessible," she explains, "maybe a little challenge, but just a little beyond your comfort zone." This philosophy has created a thriving community where healing happens through being witnessed, breathing together, and connecting authentically.

The conversation takes a fascinating turn as we discuss how our yoga practices often initially reinforce our existing patterns rather than disrupting them. For perfectionists, yoga becomes another arena for perfectionism; for those who can't slow down, it becomes another way to stay busy. The true transformation begins when we recognize these patterns and allow our practice to become "an interruption" to our programming—a wake-up call that invites us to explore differently and find genuine pleasure in our bodies.

Perhaps most powerful is Liz's butterfly metaphor for navigating life transitions, based on Martha Beck's change cycle. Just as a caterpillar must cocoon, dissolve into "goo," and struggle to emerge with strong wings, we too need time to grieve, dream, and eventually rebuild after significant changes. "Sometimes we don't have all the information and we want to take the next right step, but sometimes the next step hasn't provided itself because it's not time yet."

Whether you're a seasoned yogi or curious newcomer, this episode offers permission to slow down, embrace mystery, and find your own rhythm of growth and healing. As Liz reflects on her own evolving practice: "It's always kind of met me right where I am."

Did this episode resonate with you? Please share it with a friend. 🌹

If you want info on The Sacred F*ck Its: Less Hustle, More Wholeness audio course, check it out here. It's only $144 with payment plans available.

Let's connect on Instagram @the_nourished_woman or through my website www.KeriMarino.com

Find out more about Liz Delaney and Greenville Yoga's offerings at www.GreenvilleYoga.com

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Breaking generational patterns isn't easy, especially when they're wrapped in the guise of virtue. For centuries, women have been conditioned to believe our worth is measured by how much we sacrifice, how empty our cups become in service to others. This martyr complex doesn't just exhaust us—it fundamentally disconnects us from our own souls.

What if the most radical act of love isn't putting yourself last, but first? Not from selfishness, but from the profound understanding that you cannot pour from an empty cup. Your nervous system, as a woman, sets the tone for everyone around you. When you operate from depletion, that depletion radiates outward. When you operate from wholeness, that wholeness becomes medicine.

True self-nourishment goes far beyond bubble baths and manicures. I'm talking about soul work—deep practices like meditation, yoga, somatics, and intuitive connection that fill you from the inside out. These aren't luxuries; they're necessities for women who want to break the generational curse of self-abandonment. Whether you start with just two minutes of intentional practice or you're ready to dive deeper into devotional paths like bhakti yoga, each step toward self-nourishment is a revolutionary act.

In a world experiencing political unrest, environmental crisis, and social division, we need more women who are deeply resourced and fully present. Your self-devotion isn't just for you—it's for everyone whose lives you touch. The ripple effect of your wholeness extends far beyond what you can imagine. Ready to break the pattern? Join me in The Nourished Woman Sanctuary where we're creating a new paradigm together, one deeply nourished woman at a time.

Let's connect on Instagram @the_nourished_woman or through my website www.KeriMarino.com

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Mental health is conventionally addressed through mind-focused approaches, but this misses crucial aspects of wellbeing found in the body and spirit. Trauma becomes stored in our nervous system, creating patterns that affect our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors long after the original experience.

• Every person experiences trauma—both "big T" traumas like major life events and "little t" traumas like childhood embarrassment
• Trauma is anything too overwhelming for us to process in the moment
• Panic attacks and anxiety are normal, natural trauma responses from the body
• Body-based tools like sunshine exposure, cold compresses, and specific breathing practices can help regulate the nervous system
• Mental health disruptions are often rooted in nervous system patterns, not just the mind
• Yoga is a powerful somatic trauma recovery tool that creates space for body awareness and healing
• Accessing the wisdom in your body can help re-pattern your nervous system

If this podcast episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it. Send me a message on Instagram at The_Nourished_Woman, or through my website, KeriMarino.com. If you're looking for a space for deeper support, mentorship or simply a space to feel held, I'd love to have you join us inside the Nourished Woman Sanctuary.

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Growth changes everything—especially relationships. Whether it's your partner, close friend, or family member, embarking on a healing journey inevitably shifts the dynamics between you and those you love. Sometimes this creates friction that can be confusing, painful, and even frightening.

As women, we're naturally relationship-oriented. Many of us wake up each morning motivated by the connections in our lives. Yet when we begin to transform through growth work, yoga, or healing practices, we're changing fundamental parts of these precious relationships. Every significant relationship consists of three elements: you, the other person, and the dynamic between you. Your personal evolution inherently changes two of these components, creating natural growing pains that few discuss openly.

Some women avoid growth work altogether, fearing what truths might emerge or how it might threaten relationship stability. Others eagerly pursue transformation, hoping for deeper connections and new possibilities. But when your journey outpaces your partner's readiness or understanding, difficult moments arise. You might feel misunderstood, criticized for changing, or even have your growth thrown back at you: "If you've done so much inner work, why are you getting emotional?" These experiences touch vulnerable parts of ourselves that crave safety and validation in our relationships.

Yet despite these challenges, there's profound freedom waiting on the other side. The women I work with discover resilience, inner resourcefulness, and a sense of being deeply at home in themselves. While we can't control others' reactions or force them to join us on our path, we can embrace the truth that our growth ripples outward in ways that ultimately benefit everyone. Not everyone will understand your journey—and they don't need to. Your healing path will naturally be polarizing, and that's not just okay, it's part of the liberation process. I've never met a woman who wanted to return to who she was before this work. Once you've tasted this kind of freedom within yourself, there's only forward movement into greater authenticity, wholeness, and peace.

Ready to explore these relationship dynamics in a supportive community? Join us in the Nourished Woman Sanctuary, where you'll find the mentorship and holding space to navigate these complex waters with grace and wisdom.

Send me a message on instagram @the_nourished_woman or peruse my website at KeriMarino.com

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We explore the invisible load that women carry and how to honor ourselves by embracing our authentic selves rather than trying to be all things to all people.

• Women's brains are wired differently, making us more perceptive of emotions and creating additional mental load
• The female nervous system tends toward people-pleasing (fawn) or freeze responses
• Decision fatigue and mental clutter prevent us from becoming the women we're meant to be
• Getting "a case of the f*ck-its" means honoring yourself rather than following "shoulds"
• Envisioning the woman you want to be helps guide aligned action
• Doing less but more of what matters creates space for what's truly important
• Honoring your cyclical nature and nervous system state is essential for self-care
• The most powerful version of you has clarity around what truly matters

Send me a message on Instagram @the_nourished_woman or visit kerimarino.com if this episode resonated with you.

If you're looking for deeper support, mentorship, or a space to feel held, I'd love to have you join us inside the Nourished Woman Sanctuary.