Ep #102: Judgement-Free Awareness of Self with Katie Nesbitt

In this week’s episode of Going Pro, Michael sits down with guest Katie Nesbitt to discuss all things yoga, present moment awareness, somatic work, and mindfulness. Katie describes her background shifting from childhood athlete to corporate worker in LA to yoga instructor and wellness consultant. 

Katie dives into the elements of present awareness and shares techniques that have helped her on her own journey, as well as with her clients. Katie talks about the three pillars of mindfulness: being in the present moment, being in the present moment with intention, and the hardest of the three… non-judgement. She explains why we cannot and should not judge our mind for whatever emotions arise in the present moment. A place that is often very difficult as we are used to criticizing and judging ourselves, the practice of non-judgement, she says, is where the real work begins.

Katie and Michael also dive into practical tools to help oneself when having a traumatic response. They go through the different stages of our response system and talk about the importance of really understanding what our triggers are so that we can support ourselves before, during or after our body enters a trauma response mode. She also ties this into the different parts of the brain and explains what’s actually happening on a technical level. Katie emphasizes how the brain’s primary purpose is to keep the body alive, which is why we can’t judge ourselves for it. We don’t have control. Our brain and body are building new neural pathways to create a sense of safety and relaxation that allows us to proceed with life.

In this info-packed episode, Katie shares invaluable information on becoming aware of ourselves without judgment and shares tools including shaking and breath work that listeners can use in their day to day lives. She even offers a mindfulness exercise in the last 15 minutes of the episode that’s not to be missed! 

01:27 Katie Introduction

06:36 The Moment Yoga Changed the Path

09:21 Connecting to the Breath

15:40 Trauma Response in Yoga

18:45 Dysregulation and Depression 

19:55 Three Pillars of Mindfulness

25:00 Michael Discusses Trauma and the Nervous System

27:10 Reptilian Brain

41:20 Body Movement during these Practices 

43:40 Active Breathing and Energy 

47:30 Shaking Practice in your Life

49:50 Avoidance 

53:23 Ignoring vs Accepting

56:43 Customizing These Practices

58:00 Katie leads an Exercise

1:10:00 Closing Remarks

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