September 2, 2025 • 39 mins
We want to hear from you! Send us a text message.
In this episode, I’m joined by Tiffany Baskett—a yoga therapist, healer, and advocate for diversity in the wellness space—for a deep and inspiring conversation.
Tiffany shares her journey from dancer to holistic healer, including how she became disillusioned with what she calls the “sick care system”—a system that often treats symptoms but misses the root causes. She reminds us that when we only focus on one isolated part of the body, we lose sight of the bigger picture and the beautiful interconnectedness of our body, mind & spirit.
We dive into some fascinating territory, like the often-overlooked fascia and lymphatic system. Did you know the lymphatic system has only been seriously studied for about 30 years? And unlike the circulatory system, it doesn’t have a pump—it depends on movement to function. Such a powerful reminder that our bodies are designed to move!
One of my favorite parts of this conversation is hearing how Tiffany weaves together a Christ-centered approach to yoga. She beautifully bridges Eastern movement traditions with her Christian faith, showing that yoga doesn’t have to be about adopting certain beliefs—it can simply be a way to use breath and movement to connect more deeply with God.
We also swap stories about the healing remedies passed down through our families—like oregano and olive oil in my Italian household, or mint leaves for respiratory issues and castor oil in Tiffany’s family. It’s such a reminder that cultures who keep these traditions alive often experience better health outcomes, sometimes even avoiding things like menopausal symptoms thanks to herbal wisdom.
This conversation is all about remembering what our ancestors knew and finding ways to bring that wisdom into the present moment. Tune in to learn how blending ancient traditions with modern knowledge can open the door to true, holistic wellness.
And I’d love to hear from you—what healing traditions or herbs have been part of your family’s story?
Nearly Enlightened Podcast
Your high-vibe toolbox to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. Empowering you to uncover your Inner Wisdom.
Subscribe & Listen on your favorite platform.
Explore More: Meditate to Elevate | Blog | Free Guide
Let's grow together: @nearlyenlightened | Nearly Enlightened
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Nearly Enlightened Podcast, a high
vibe toolbox designed to helpyou connect to your body, mind
and spirit.
I am your host, gianna Giruso,and I'm here to share tools,
conversations and insights tohelp you on your journey of
self-discovery.
This podcast is all aboutexploring what it means to live
a conscious, connected andnearly enlightened life, because
the truth is, the answersaren't outside of us, they
(00:24):
already lie within.
Let's dive in.
Today, I am joined by TiffanyBaskett.
She is a mom, a healer, a yogatherapist and an advocate for
diversity in the wellness space.
We first met in the booty yoga300-hour teacher training.
Honestly, tiffany, you are oneof the most inspiring women that
(00:46):
I have met, even to date.
Thank you, you're welcome.
I just loved your approach tohealing and the body and you
really inspired me to keep goingand to keep learning, and that
was like one of the reasons Idid my lymphatic training after
the 200, after the 300 hour.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Oh awesome, I love that.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
So tell us a little bit about what got you started
on your journey.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Oh man.
Okay, so I'm going to go kindof far back and then pop around
a little bit because it's it'smulti-layered and multifaceted,
as most things are in our lives.
I was a dancer from age threeyears old, so movement has
always been a thing in my life.
Once I got injured, I was toldto do yoga, and at 17, you're
like what Get out of here.
(01:36):
It's so boring, but itliterally became a part of my
life.
Even when I was pregnant, I didprenatal yoga and eventually it
just kept being a thing.
So I used to teach like 30different types of fitness
formats and somehow Bootsbyfound me, so that's our teaching
booty, but it wasn't ever likethe pinnacle.
(01:58):
So, like you, I just wanted tolearn more.
I wanted to know more about allthe styles of yoga and all the
styles of movement, and I wantedto be a doctor.
At one point I wanted to be apharmacist in this I call it the
sick care system now, becauseit's being on the pills, not
really healthcare.
That spiraled into like, oh,maybe physical therapy.
(02:19):
And then I was like, oh,actually, fascial stretch
therapy, because physicaltherapy you get the same
exercises, just based on like,what part of the body is injured
.
You don't look at the wholeperson.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Right, and when you're talking about fascia, all
of these places are connected.
So if you're only isolatingthat one part of the body, then
you're kind of like you'remissing the big chain, then
you're kind of like you'remissing the big chain.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yes, and not only that, but when I got into the
neuro myofascial space like evenfurther than just fascial
stretch therapy and going intoneurovascular with the veins and
the circulatory system there'sso many emotions, memories and
feelings that get stored in thebody that also get skipped over
in the healthcare system.
It's more like they'reliterally just looking at the
symptoms, but the causes are somuch deeper or higher or more
(03:12):
rooted than just what's takingplace in your physical body.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Right and they're treating the symptoms, so
they're just putting a bandaidover those symptoms and not
finding out like what isunderneath all of that.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
There are a few good doctors, though, that are that
are talking about this.
So, um, it gives me hope SameMe too.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
I just had someone come in who had surgery and
their doctor left their fascia.
So her healing process is somuch easier and so much quicker.
Because sometimes they willliterally just cut that out
along with the muscle or alongwith the tendons and I'm like
how have we not realized fasciais important.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I know, and like one, like one of the the ways that
they treated tight fascia in thefeet was to cut it, and it's
like, treated like tight fasciain the feet was to cut it and
it's like, oh well, that'scausing like a world of other
issues.
So I'm glad that we're startingto talk about it now.
It wasn't something that wasreally studied until pretty
modern times, so it's kind ofcrazy that we just like didn't
(04:16):
think this was important and itwas just part of the body that
we just threw away and it waskind of like the lymphatic
system to Modern science hasonly really studied it for the
last 30 years, so there is somuch undiscovered territory
there.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yes, I just spent a month in Thailand and when we
got to the lymph system andwhere it drains, I was like this
is crazy.
No one would think that fromhere you're getting drained in
your skull and there's a spacein the skull and then in the
upper body underneath the arms,behind the scapula, and then in
the lower body, kind ofbasically in the ilium, where
(04:50):
the psoas is.
I'm like that's important toknow.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Yeah, so important to know.
Yeah.
And the fact that the lymphaticsystem doesn't have its own
like.
It's not like the heart, whereit has, like a pumping mechanism
.
It literally only works whenyou move.
Yes, so important.
Yes, it is so important.
(05:15):
So, speaking of movement, youare kind of leading the charge
in in the yoga world.
I think, of bringing moreeducation to the yoga world and
I think a very powerful way,because I, you know, you learn
so little in a 200 hour and youdon't have a lot of time for
(05:38):
anatomy or physiology, so a 200hour yoga teacher is stepping
into the space, like.
I remember, when I finished my200 hour, I was like the first
class I taught, I was like, wow,I know nothing and I had so
many people show up withinjuries because their doctor
told them to just like youmentioned at the beginning of
this episode, and a teacherthat's like unprepared to deal
(06:01):
with some of the injuries thatare showing up in the yoga space
.
It was one of the drivingforces to be like, okay, I am a
forever student, I have to keeplearning so that I can show up
the best that I can.
And you are launching a 500hour now.
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Thank you.
Yes, I am so I don't know justlike so passionate about the
body and injuries andadaptability and things like
that.
But even within my 200 hour Idid have a yin training, a chair
training, et cetera.
I think that what happens a lotof times, especially in the
(06:41):
West, is we try to take some ofthe Eastern philosophies and
break that down rather thanwhat's happening in the body and
in my 500 hour, because it isChrist-centered, so I even go
away from some of the otheresoteric language of the chakras
and the nadis.
(07:02):
I give the awareness.
So you know, and I draw theparallel lines from Kemet, egypt
, to Vedic traditions in India,also to some of the ancient
Asian and Thai traditions, sothat you have knowledge of this
and that.
But what does the Bible say?
Why is it important to move?
What is meditation when youbelieve in Jesus or God, and
(07:25):
what does that look like and howis it different?
And not only that, now thatyou're going to touch people,
what is the quality of touch?
So even I have some Thaitechniques in there for hands-on
assistant things.
When you're talking about how totouch people, you have to
listen to their body.
You can't just go and forcethem into a pose because you
(07:46):
think it should look likesomething.
How do they walk in?
I teach people to body readfrom the time the person walks
in the door.
What do their shoulders looklike?
Are they taking steps wheretheir arms are swinging?
Are they using heel to ballsteps?
Or what's happening?
Because you can see just fromthat where they're going to be
tight, where they're going tohave some restrictions and some
(08:08):
poses, and if you're reallypaying attention, you'll be able
to address each body in yourclass and know that all poses
are not going to look the sameyeah, and I think that's really
important to remember.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Like, if we're talking like, this tradition
started over 5,000 years ago andtypically it was only taught to
men.
So those traditional cues don'twork for the modern body and a
lot of them don't work for womenat all, because our bodies are
so different.
Yes and not just men.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
It actually started with the children, the 12 and 13
, because they were trying toharness their puberty, right.
Well, they were getting readyto come into, harness this
energy and like this is how youdo it.
So it is very like restrictive,it's very narrow hips, it's
very, you know, things like that, and even when it comes to sun
salutation.
So I again, I give thebackground.
(09:00):
So people have the background,but I have been, and Father
forgive me if I'm sayinganything wrong, but I have been
under the guidance that we needto break that up, Because it can
be.
If you hear people talk abouthow yoga is a religion, it's
actually not, first of all.
Secondly, you're not worshipingthe other deities and things
(09:22):
like that if you're not doingcertain things like chanting or
like calling in those ancestralcomponents and breaking up the
movement even more so that it isnot a worship to the sun, it is
only a worship to God, Like howdo you move?
Every class is different.
You have to move intuitivelyand be led by the spirit.
(09:46):
When you're coming through mytraining, you learn how to focus
on how the body moves.
How do joints move, whatdirection do muscles go in and
then use your breath to link theposes or the movements.
I like to actually go pastposes and go into the movements
that are going to be the mostfunctional, stable, expansive
(10:08):
and transformative for everyperson.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
I love what you're saying here because this is
something that's kind of new tome.
I grew up Catholic, I went toCatholic school my entire life
and then I feel like, because ofthat, you become kind of like
atheist and you turn away fromit.
So my 20s were all about likefinding new age spirituality and
like falling into that trap andthen coming out on the other
(10:35):
side.
Now I'm starting to go back tomy roots as well and I've talked
about it on the podcast beforewhere I started to read the
Bible again with new eyes before, where I started to read the
Bible again with new eyes, andso I love this and I want to
know how that distinctionhappened for you too, where you
connect both, because a lot ofpeople who are practicing
(10:55):
Christian they will not practiceyoga Right.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yeah, that distinction happened for me
because, like you, I went on thesearch and I wanted to know all
about all the other traditionsand religions and movements and
things.
And what is so interesting is,no matter where you go, there
are similar types of movementsthat are in every culture.
And so I said, ok, that's athing.
(11:20):
And without necessarilysubscribing to polytheism or
even like the traditions ofBuddhism because you know what?
We don't, even in the West, wedon't actually practice Buddhism
the way that it is.
We have this idea of that.
It's like sitting still andmeditating and getting a mala
(11:41):
and repeating these mantras isso much more, it's so much more
disciplined than even that.
That I'm like, okay, that's athing.
And then Muslims are sodisciplined in their traditions
as well, hindus and I kind ofstudied all those things and I
was like, well, what about theBible?
Why is it different?
Why is everything else?
Kind of saying these things inthis one thing is saying
(12:04):
something a little bit different.
Well, because narrow is the way.
But we are spiritual beings whohave a soul, that are living in
a physical body.
So the breath is important.
The Bible even talks about howmovement is important and how
meditation is important, but youmeditate on the word.
You don't necessarily meditateto become empty, because if you
(12:27):
are void, then other influencesare more attracted to you and
you can be more susceptible.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
I love that you're saying that too, and I've said
it on the podcast before.
It's like if you cleared yourmind, you would be dead, like
you would cease to exist.
Like you cannot physicallyclear the mind, it's impossible.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
So meditating on the word I.
I like that because it givesyou something to focus on, to
practice.
You're not clearing your mind,you're bringing it back to the
center.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Yeah, yeah, and it's for me.
A lot of healing can take placewhen you link breath to
movement and when you even thinkabout the somatic movement
that's coming through, wherepeople are all feel, feel, feel,
yes, and your feelings are notfacts.
So, though you may feel thislike, let's talk more about what
(13:24):
are the qualities of whatyou're feeling?
Is it tight, is it stabbing, isit shooting, is it sharp?
Does it feel like it's notreally happening in your body?
Because then that might besomething else that you're being
influenced by, that is external, and so you have to guard your
ear gates, you have to guardyour eye gates, and in order to
do that, you really need somekind of personal practice, and
(13:46):
I'm never going to try to tellpeople what to believe, but I
feel much more centered, calm,joyous and at peace practicing
where I am reading the Bible,where I am led by the spirit and
where my conversations are withGod, with Yahweh.
It is very freeing not to saythat there are not still
(14:10):
struggles, not to say there arenot still hard things to get
through, but there's so much inthe Bible that people kind of
skip over and or don't knowabout, because perhaps they only
go to church and listen to thepreacher.
Don't know about, becauseperhaps they only go to church
and listen to the preacher.
There's so much.
All the mystical creatures arein there, you know, spaceships
(14:31):
are in, like all the things.
It's like what?
If you're really seeingTechnically it's just as
interesting, if not more so,than some of the other sacred
texts.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
There's a reason that these books have stood the
chance, the test of time.
And I also want to go back towhat you were saying about
discipline, because it's kind oflike a bad word here in the
West, like we don't want to talkabout discipline.
And that is something that I'mpassionate about and bringing to
my yoga classes, because it'snot a fitness practice and I
(15:04):
think here we're starting towater it down where it's just
another gym class.
It's just another way to likesweat and it is so much more
than that and I talk about it inmy classes all the time.
This is a practice ofdiscipline.
Each pose is a practice ofdiscipline, like so many times
you see people half-assing it.
(15:25):
Yeah, and it's like well, likeyoga is not a stretch, it's not
a physical practice, it's somuch more than that.
Like I was talking to my classtoday because people couldn't
open their hands up and I don'tuse video right now so you can't
see but like people are losingthe ability to open up their
(15:47):
palms, to open up their handsand really engage their fingers.
And I just look around and I'mlike this is so interesting,
Like why are we losing thisability?
Like people just flop theirarms up in Crescent Lunge and
their fingers are just liketheir hands, are just like dead
fish.
It's like that's part of you,that's like an extension of you.
(16:07):
How can you use all of that?
Fingers to toes yep everythingand the feet.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
So I noticed the same thing with feet, and your feet
are your foundation.
If I'm telling someone to pickup and spread their toes,
sometimes they're just, it's allyou know, toe on top of toe.
They can't really separate it.
Or they don't know what theball of the foot is.
Or if I'm saying, like, pullthe shins towards each other,
(16:35):
they think that that means, like, push their knees back.
I'm like whoa, what kind ofproprioception is happening out
here in the world?
So sometimes there's a practicein patience as a teacher, to
not only refine your words, butagain, it comes down to that
quality of touch.
If you do, you know, bring yourhand to them to bring their
awareness to their body.
(16:56):
How do you want to touchsomeone in order to get them to
sense something that's moresubtle?
How you do that is important.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Yes, so talk to me about, like where we both talked
about, where forever students.
So what are you currentlystudying right now?
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Okay, I am currently studying Anussara yoga, which
has been a game changer as faras cueing and stability, and I
am also in Ayurvedic practicemedicine, so, yeah, that has
been so.
(17:38):
There's this thing called aKitchery diet and it's okay.
I never knew about this, but ithas helped me.
I did it for three days and itliterally helped restructure the
microbiome I feel like in mysmall intestines and I was like
I couldn't have thought of thaton my own and oils and herbs and
(17:59):
things that people don't thinkabout, like something super,
super simple cinnamon, ginger,cardamom how that can help
balance with heat in your body,but in a way that's going to be
anti-inflammatory and help yourjoints move Even more.
Mind-blowing mind-blowing.
(18:19):
I know that the allopathicmedicine does have its place
right.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
There's absolutely a place for what's happening in
the West, but God literally gaveus things, and a lot of these
herbs are literally invasiveweeds and you have to wonder
like he made it so abundant fora reason.
These are the healing tools.
(18:44):
These are how you get the rootcause.
So it's funny.
I was introduced to Kitcheryprobably almost 10 years ago now
and I do a three day Kitcherycleanse every single winter.
Oh, wow, okay, I don't put myown spices together.
I get them from Banyan.
I'm not sponsored by them, butthat is the brand that I use.
(19:04):
There might be a better one.
My friend Tori is an herbalistand she has been on the podcast
before, so I'll have to touchbase with her and see what the
best brands are.
But it's so, like you said,it's so simple.
It's clarified butter, gheemixed with these spices, and
then basmati rice and mung beans.
Yep, it's so simple, but it'sso healing and you feel the
(19:28):
difference right away.
I always love to add likecilantro or some kind of fresh
something to it too.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Ooh, that sounds good , I did not do that, but that
sounds good.
I might do that next time.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Oh yeah, like chop it up and like throw a ton on top.
That is like, oh, it's so good.
A ton on top.
That is like, oh, it's so good.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
And have you ever tried Hingwash Talk?
No, okay, so it is an herb thatwill help if you have some
excess pizza or fire or heat inyour body, and I'm trying this
out now to see how it helps withhormones as I'm becoming a
woman of a certain age.
I want to go through this ageperiod pretty smoothly.
But Hing Wash Talk you couldput it like a seasoning on your
(20:08):
food if you want to.
It tastes really good.
It's going to have a little bitof salty, also herbal component
, but it tastes so good it canreplace, like your seasoning
salt or something like that, buthave a much more cellular
benefit to your body.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Oh, wow, I love learning about herbs.
I parasite cleanse three timesa year using herbs and that has
made such a powerful difference.
I literally healed a baker'scyst like completely gone by
week three of my first parasitecleanse has not been back.
It's been like two or threeyears now.
That's crazy.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Yeah, I just started parasite cleansing.
I only have done one so far.
So how was it?
It was so interesting.
I only say interesting rightnow, cause I was like let's do
that again.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
I know it's the first .
The first one is the worstbecause I think like there's so
much like almost backed upbecause we don't treat these
things regularly in our culture.
And, going back to the herbs,one of the other things I wanted
to mention is Tori also talksabout this on her social media
(21:19):
pages, but women in certaincultures do not experience
perimenopause and menopausalsymptoms or side effects because
of the herbs that they use,because of the preparation that
they support their bodies with.
So I think that that is veryinteresting and I think that
(21:39):
it's also very interesting thatin our culture, we don't
parasite cleanse.
You know, this brings up and wewere saying the last time we
saw each other was like rightbefore 2020 and and that I think
we graduated our 300 hourteacher training on February
22nd 2020.
Yep, that's when it and then,like weeks later, all hell
(22:02):
breaks loose and I feel likethat was like really preparing
me for what came next yeah, sameand so, and like supported me
through.
But that was like a preparingme for what came next yeah and
so, and like supported methrough, but that was like a
huge topic during that time is,you know, the ivermectin and
does it work?
Does it not work?
Is it a hoax?
But we don't parasite cleansehere in the West.
(22:24):
We're mammals.
You have to wonder why.
You know my cousin rides horsesand they cleanse the horses
three times a year.
So, like I don't know, it's soweird to me Farm animals get
cleansed three times a year,like why wouldn't we?
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Yeah, I don't know, and especially with the type of
food and the things that arebeing put in the food here in
the West, I'm, I have to say I'mso grateful for RFK right now,
just kind of shining a light onsome of those things that people
have been saying for a whilebut then called like conspiracy
theories.
But this is literally bad foryou.
This literally causes ADHD.
(23:00):
This causes autism.
There are studies that show this, and so I'm glad that people
are starting to know that.
But even just to get on a wholefood diet or to fast for three
days.
So if someone's not ready forparasite cleanse, one thing that
stood out to me with Ayurvedicmedicine is you don't want to
have them completely switch uptheir lifestyle so quickly,
(23:22):
because then they'll just revertback.
But what they could start withis try a three-day juice fast or
a three-day water fast, orwhere they're fasting until 6 pm
and then doing a kitchari Right, so you can weave in these
things until you're ready forsomething big like a pair of
cyclins or to do a dry fast forthree days.
(23:43):
Because that's that is insane,I want to say yeah, I't no,
nothing barely made it.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
yeah, I have not done that.
I've done water fasting, um,kitchery, cleanse, juice
cleanses but yeah, not that, buteven something as simple as
moving your lymphatic system,massaging near your collarbones,
like start there, that totallydoable, like sitting at the TV
doing you know whatever you'redoing just massaging lightly
(24:13):
near the collarbones, like juststart to get your lymphatic
system moving.
One thing that I love inAyurveda is CCFT.
It's cumin, coriander andfennel seed and you make a tea
with it and that really helps toget the lymphatic system going.
And that is something that I'veused for a long time now and
that really helps to get thelymphatic system going.
And that is something that I'veused for a long time now.
And I am going to besuperstitious and knock on wood
(24:36):
here, but I have not gotten acold, flu or sick in the last
almost two years.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Yeah, well, I'm, I have COVID five times and it
literally ended up being kind oflike a cult lasted less than 48
hours, and the only reason thatI knew is because I was like,
oh, I feel weird.
That's the other thing is whenyou start to become aware of the
subtleties, your proprioception, neuroception, like what are
the thoughts, what are arehappening, your nocioception,
(25:07):
what is your pain perception andyour interoception are you
hungry?
Are you this?
Are you that?
Are you really that or is it afeeling?
Anyway, when you're more aware,you can notice when things are
off and it might be like alittle bit off, but every single
time, just because of all ofthe fear.
And I also never closed thestudio because I said, well,
(25:31):
it's essential, it's essentialto the community.
I love that, thank you.
So I wanted to be very clear.
I had the COVID testing strips.
I would sometimes go to CVS andI had it and I I was like, okay
, great, I noticed this.
And then I would use thingslike ginger teas, some turmeric
(25:52):
cumin, all of the things thatthey say are not going to help,
absolutely do.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Absolutely do.
I have always had a healthydistrust for modern medicine,
because modern medicine is whatalmost killed me.
As a child, I had chronic strepthroat that no one could
diagnose, like for some reasonthey weren't testing me for
strep and I lived with that foryears until one doctor was like
this poor kid has been sufferingwith strep throat.
(26:21):
Um, and my mom has always beena little bit more like crunchy
mom, leaning, even before it wascool.
So I herbs have been a big partof my life and I grew up in a
very Italian household andoregano and olive oil are used
for literally everything.
It's like my big fat Greekwedding with the Windex, like
(26:43):
that is the way my family is.
With oregano and olive oil itwill fix anything.
And oregano is one of like themost healing herbs.
It's anti-parasitic, it'santiviral, it's antifungal, it's
like an antibiotic.
So it's like interesting to seehow different cultures use
(27:03):
these herbs and, like you know,one of I believe one of the blue
zones is in Italy and like youhave to wonder why, like their
use of herbs is interesting.
Yeah, yeah, I agree, and wehave fennel in Italy because of
trades with India.
So we, it's just it's it's veryinteresting to see how all of
(27:25):
the healing cultures areconnected and it's also
interesting and a littledisheartening that it's so hard
to find here.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
You almost have to go to the farmer's market plus an
herb shop, plus a like findsomebody who came from India
that brings everything in.
You know, it's like going on awild goose chase sometimes.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
I know I used to get cacao from a lady that would
bring it back from Guatemala andwe it was like a joke, it was
like almost like dealing drugs,like we would meet in a parking
lot and she would give me ablack brick of cacao and I would
give her cash and I was likethis is literally so crazy.
Okay, like that.
But I wanted to make sure I wasgetting like the purest, best
(28:10):
stuff and like that is likesometimes you got to go digging
a little.
Yeah, you're not going to getit at Whole Foods we used to be
kind of like that with casserole.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Um, my grandmother used casserole for a lot of
things, so disgusting.
But you, I didn't have strepthroat as a child, but I was
allergic to smoke and my dadsmoked, so I always had
bronchitis.
And it wasn't until my greatgrandmother actually.
She got some mint leaves andshe, like boiled them in a pot
(28:47):
and she had me just kind of goright over the pot and breathe
it in and I was like this isinteresting.
I mean, I'm a kid, I don't knowwhat I'm doing.
But even then she was like, no,this will help with your
bronchitis and I was like, okay,great.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
And it did.
Yeah, all of those littletricks worked Like the same
thing.
My dad used to go and pickwhite pine needles when we were
sick and he would boil likewhite pine needles, like this
bark looking thing and a lemon,and we would drink it and then,
like the next day you would feelbetter and you were like what
was that?
Speaker 2 (29:20):
yes, something happened the generation between,
like our grandparents.
To us, I think, conveniencesmade things seem better, but
really we kind of cut out a lotof the good or a lot of the
beneficial things.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Speaking for my family, I think it was a little
bit, because I'm firstgeneration.
My dad was born and raised inItaly and I think it was
assimilation.
They felt such such, notpressure to assimilate, but like
they were coming to the bestcountry in the world and they
were getting this new life, andso I feel like they wanted to
(30:00):
assimilate so much that some ofthose things kind of got left
behind.
But it's funny because the,like you said, like the, the
cells, the tissues remember.
So I think that was like a hugepart of my awakening was like
remembering all these things andthen getting curious, because I
was lucky enough to have mygrant all four of my
grandparents until I was 27, andso I really got to dig in and
(30:24):
to be like, okay, what were allthese weird things that you guys
used to do when we were little?
I need to know about them.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Yeah, I'm grateful for the last few years that I
have with both of my grandmas.
They lived into their ninetiesand I would sit with them and
record conversations and I wouldask these questions, like about
our family, about the herbsthat they used to use, about
their favorite things to grow,because eventually I would like
to have a garden.
And if I listen back to thoseconversations it's like it seems
(30:55):
so simple, like a much moresimple time, a much more simple
way.
But they had so much knowledgethat I almost just cry every
time if I listen back, andespecially while I was sitting
with them, I was like I don'tunderstand why we weren't all
sitting at your feet, right, thewhole life that we've lived,
(31:15):
because you know everythingalmost it's incredible and I I
think, um, like we lose that inour culture a little bit because
we kind of don't have the samerespect for elders that past
generations have had, um, orother cultures have.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
And I'm really lucky to have like a close-knit family
, so I kind of did get that likeraised by a village kind of
kind of vibe, um, but yeah, Imean, there's so much time that
it was like, oh, it's not coolto hang out with my grandparents
, like I don't want to be doingthat, but like, yeah, they have
so much knowledge.
And in my 20s I actually livedupstairs.
(31:55):
My grandparents lived on thesecond floor of an apartment
building.
I lived on the second floor ofan apartment building, I lived
on the sixth floor.
So I really got to spend a lotof time with my paternal
grandparents as an adult and youknow it was so interesting
hearing their stories from WorldWar II and because they lived
in Italy, they were like in thethick of it and just like
(32:19):
literally poor farmers in Italyand how they managed, like they
did not have electricity orrunning water and my dad was
born in 1955.
It was like not that long ago.
So when they came here itreally was a whole new world.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
That is so cool.
Yeah, I think that we can bringthat back and that is one of
the things I do with my son isturn the TV off.
We have days that we sit andjust talk to each other and
luckily he's a martial artist,so he's not too much into TV and
he doesn't even have a TikTok,which is crazy because he's 16,
but he's like no, I don't wantto do all that.
(32:57):
I don't need all that.
I'm going to go study this andI'm going to study that and he
teaches me and I and he'shomeschooled.
So we get to, we get to makethe world the teacher for real,
for real.
And I I want to bring and we arenow with my mom, so he gets
direct access to her and and theknowledge that she has too, and
(33:18):
some of her not regrets, butthings that she wished she would
have done differently with me.
She does right with him and Iget to learn how to be a better
parent along with my parent,which is interesting, but I also
grew up Southern Baptist and Iwas going to say, with
unlearning things orassimilating to things, that
certainly was a part of thechurch system that I think
(33:43):
people get hurt by is they go tochurch.
They see these things, they seethese people not being perfect,
for which no one is perfect,first of all, and just because
people hurt you, that doesn'tmean that God hurt you or that
Jesus did it to you, you know.
So you have to have your ownrelationship, but, regardless,
(34:03):
I'm watching my mom renew herrelationship with God in a
different way, and learningalongside her helps me guide
myself as a parent, guide myselfas a parent, and then I bring
that into my programs, becauseit's so interesting how much the
(34:24):
formative years of our livestake control of the adult parts
of our lives.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Oh my gosh.
Yes, I was just saying thisthis past weekend that we're all
basically like hereight-year-olds running around
in adult bodies.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
Yeah, it's incredibly insane, but it is a thing and
I'm trying to catch it with myson for the last four years, so
I don't know, we'll see.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
But is that when you started homeschooling?
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
How has that journey been?
I mean, you're a naturalteacher, so it probably wasn't
that difficult.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Well, luckily they have these things where you can
do classrooms online and you canhave direct access to a teacher
.
So for subjects like physicsand his pre-calculus and his AP
world history, we have teachers.
I was like this is beyond myscope of knowledge.
I will never give you wronginformation or bad information,
and let's also look at this.
(35:19):
So I like to focus on the sevensacred sciences with him, which
would be geometry, arithmeticand then with language, there's
three of them in language.
But how we talk to each other isalso important, and when I'm
(35:39):
talking to him, sometimes I talkto him like he's a peer and
other adults in my family arelike you give him too many
choices, too much this, too muchthat, and I'm like well, he
will never know how to form anopinion if I don't cultivate
that.
He will never know how to makea decision if I don't give him
options to make a choice.
(36:00):
So, homeschooling, when we'regoing through the curriculum and
making sure that we're not onlyin line with the state but that
we're doing things that he'salso interested in it's been
interesting because he and I aredifferent but but same.
It's hard.
It's hard to describe.
It's like that is definitely myson, but also he's on another
(36:22):
level that's like the mostamazing part of when you're
talking about generationalhealing.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
It's like looking through things through that lens
.
That's amazing.
I'm so happy to have talked toyou today, um, is there any way?
So, first of all, when doesyour training start?
Is there still time to sign up?
Speaker 2 (36:43):
Yes, it doesn't start until January.
There is still time to sign upand I would love that Anybody
who wants to get in contact withme can do so on Instagram, at
True Align Life, or at the T-H-Eunderscore Tiffany B.
They can also read more aboutthe program, more about me, more
(37:04):
about one-on-one sessions withme at truealignlifecom, because
I am doing I'm still doingneuromyofascial sessions, which
is kind of the cross betweenphysical therapy and massage
therapy all at once and therapytherapy, because people end up
talking you know how to start inyour tissues, and they
certainly do, and I'm doing someAyurvedic consultations as well
(37:28):
, which is amazing.
And then the program, so theycan learn more about that at
trueinlinelifecom, and ifthey're in Atlanta, they can
come and take a class at theFitness Collective, so there's
group options and a sauna hereat the studio and all of that.
So there's multiple ways.
Speaker 1 (37:48):
Oh, that's so nice.
And your trainings?
Are they online, in person?
They are hybrid.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
You can do online or in person until the very end.
At the end we have a one weekretreat and that's already
included in the price.
So your food and your stay forthe one week retreat at the end
is the only time everybody ismandated to be in person.
But that's where we let it allintegrate and implement and a
(38:16):
lot of the online portionthey'll do on their own.
But when we get together,whether they attend our live
sessions online or in person, wecall them the implementation
labs, because you will have thispart to read.
But now when we get together,we're doing and I think that's
also a piece that's missing insome trainings where you're not
doing as much, You're not ableto practice cueing, You're not
(38:38):
able to practice how to stand,what to do, how the body works
and even when we're talkingabout anatomy, if I'm talking to
you about the arm lines,encompassed in the arm lines is
even the heart.
So the pecs, the heart, thechest, the biceps, triceps, all
the things in the forearms, thefingers, digits, all of that.
We look at things globally andthen go locally.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
Thank you so much for being here today and thank you
for tuning in to today's episodeof the Nearly Enlightened
podcast.
If this conversation resonatedwith you, I would love it if you
shared, left a review or if youreach out to me and let me know
your thoughts.
And if you're looking for moreways to deepen your connection
to body, mind and spirit, checkout my meditate to elevate
guided meditation portal orvisit nearly enlightenedcom for
(39:26):
more resources.
Until next time, stay curious,stay connected and remember the
or the answers already liewithin.
Welcome to the Nearly Enlightened Podcast, a high
vibe toolbox designed to helpyou connect to your body, mind
and spirit.
I am your host, gianna Giruso,and I'm here to share tools,
conversations and insights tohelp you on your journey of
self-discovery.
This podcast is all aboutexploring what it means to live
a conscious, connected andnearly enlightened life, because
the truth is, the answersaren't outside of us, they
(00:24):
already lie within.
Let's dive in.
Today, I am joined by TiffanyBaskett.
She is a mom, a healer, a yogatherapist and an advocate for
diversity in the wellness space.
We first met in the booty yoga300-hour teacher training.
Honestly, tiffany, you are oneof the most inspiring women that
(00:46):
I have met, even to date.
Thank you, you're welcome.
I just loved your approach tohealing and the body and you
really inspired me to keep goingand to keep learning, and that
was like one of the reasons Idid my lymphatic training after
the 200, after the 300 hour.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Oh awesome, I love that.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
So tell us a little bit about what got you started
on your journey.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Oh man.
Okay, so I'm going to go kindof far back and then pop around
a little bit because it's it'smulti-layered and multifaceted,
as most things are in our lives.
I was a dancer from age threeyears old, so movement has
always been a thing in my life.
Once I got injured, I was toldto do yoga, and at 17, you're
like what Get out of here.
(01:36):
It's so boring, but itliterally became a part of my
life.
Even when I was pregnant, I didprenatal yoga and eventually it
just kept being a thing.
So I used to teach like 30different types of fitness
formats and somehow Bootsbyfound me, so that's our teaching
booty, but it wasn't ever likethe pinnacle.
(01:58):
So, like you, I just wanted tolearn more.
I wanted to know more about allthe styles of yoga and all the
styles of movement, and I wantedto be a doctor.
At one point I wanted to be apharmacist in this I call it the
sick care system now, becauseit's being on the pills, not
really healthcare.
That spiraled into like, oh,maybe physical therapy.
(02:19):
And then I was like, oh,actually, fascial stretch
therapy, because physicaltherapy you get the same
exercises, just based on like,what part of the body is injured
.
You don't look at the wholeperson.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Right, and when you're talking about fascia, all
of these places are connected.
So if you're only isolatingthat one part of the body, then
you're kind of like you'remissing the big chain, then
you're kind of like you'remissing the big chain.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Yes, and not only that, but when I got into the
neuro myofascial space like evenfurther than just fascial
stretch therapy and going intoneurovascular with the veins and
the circulatory system there'sso many emotions, memories and
feelings that get stored in thebody that also get skipped over
in the healthcare system.
It's more like they'reliterally just looking at the
symptoms, but the causes are somuch deeper or higher or more
(03:12):
rooted than just what's takingplace in your physical body.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
Right and they're treating the symptoms, so
they're just putting a bandaidover those symptoms and not
finding out like what isunderneath all of that.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
There are a few good doctors, though, that are that
are talking about this.
So, um, it gives me hope SameMe too.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
I just had someone come in who had surgery and
their doctor left their fascia.
So her healing process is somuch easier and so much quicker.
Because sometimes they willliterally just cut that out
along with the muscle or alongwith the tendons and I'm like
how have we not realized fasciais important.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
I know, and like one, like one of the the ways that
they treated tight fascia in thefeet was to cut it, and it's
like, treated like tight fasciain the feet was to cut it and
it's like, oh well, that'scausing like a world of other
issues.
So I'm glad that we're startingto talk about it now.
It wasn't something that wasreally studied until pretty
modern times, so it's kind ofcrazy that we just like didn't
(04:16):
think this was important and itwas just part of the body that
we just threw away and it waskind of like the lymphatic
system to Modern science hasonly really studied it for the
last 30 years, so there is somuch undiscovered territory
there.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yes, I just spent a month in Thailand and when we
got to the lymph system andwhere it drains, I was like this
is crazy.
No one would think that fromhere you're getting drained in
your skull and there's a spacein the skull and then in the
upper body underneath the arms,behind the scapula, and then in
the lower body, kind ofbasically in the ilium, where
(04:50):
the psoas is.
I'm like that's important toknow.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Yeah, so important to know.
Yeah.
And the fact that the lymphaticsystem doesn't have its own
like.
It's not like the heart, whereit has, like a pumping mechanism
.
It literally only works whenyou move.
Yes, so important.
Yes, it is so important.
(05:15):
So, speaking of movement, youare kind of leading the charge
in in the yoga world.
I think, of bringing moreeducation to the yoga world and
I think a very powerful way,because I, you know, you learn
so little in a 200 hour and youdon't have a lot of time for
(05:38):
anatomy or physiology, so a 200hour yoga teacher is stepping
into the space, like.
I remember, when I finished my200 hour, I was like the first
class I taught, I was like, wow,I know nothing and I had so
many people show up withinjuries because their doctor
told them to just like youmentioned at the beginning of
this episode, and a teacherthat's like unprepared to deal
(06:01):
with some of the injuries thatare showing up in the yoga space
.
It was one of the drivingforces to be like, okay, I am a
forever student, I have to keeplearning so that I can show up
the best that I can.
And you are launching a 500hour now.
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Thank you.
Yes, I am so I don't know justlike so passionate about the
body and injuries andadaptability and things like
that.
But even within my 200 hour Idid have a yin training, a chair
training, et cetera.
I think that what happens a lotof times, especially in the
(06:41):
West, is we try to take some ofthe Eastern philosophies and
break that down rather thanwhat's happening in the body and
in my 500 hour, because it isChrist-centered, so I even go
away from some of the otheresoteric language of the chakras
and the nadis.
(07:02):
I give the awareness.
So you know, and I draw theparallel lines from Kemet, egypt
, to Vedic traditions in India,also to some of the ancient
Asian and Thai traditions, sothat you have knowledge of this
and that.
But what does the Bible say?
Why is it important to move?
What is meditation when youbelieve in Jesus or God, and
(07:25):
what does that look like and howis it different?
And not only that, now thatyou're going to touch people,
what is the quality of touch?
So even I have some Thaitechniques in there for hands-on
assistant things.
When you're talking about how totouch people, you have to
listen to their body.
You can't just go and forcethem into a pose because you
(07:46):
think it should look likesomething.
How do they walk in?
I teach people to body readfrom the time the person walks
in the door.
What do their shoulders looklike?
Are they taking steps wheretheir arms are swinging?
Are they using heel to ballsteps?
Or what's happening?
Because you can see just fromthat where they're going to be
tight, where they're going tohave some restrictions and some
(08:08):
poses, and if you're reallypaying attention, you'll be able
to address each body in yourclass and know that all poses
are not going to look the sameyeah, and I think that's really
important to remember.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Like, if we're talking like, this tradition
started over 5,000 years ago andtypically it was only taught to
men.
So those traditional cues don'twork for the modern body and a
lot of them don't work for womenat all, because our bodies are
so different.
Yes and not just men.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
It actually started with the children, the 12 and 13
, because they were trying toharness their puberty, right.
Well, they were getting readyto come into, harness this
energy and like this is how youdo it.
So it is very like restrictive,it's very narrow hips, it's
very, you know, things like that, and even when it comes to sun
salutation.
So I again, I give thebackground.
(09:00):
So people have the background,but I have been, and Father
forgive me if I'm sayinganything wrong, but I have been
under the guidance that we needto break that up, Because it can
be.
If you hear people talk abouthow yoga is a religion, it's
actually not, first of all.
Secondly, you're not worshipingthe other deities and things
(09:22):
like that if you're not doingcertain things like chanting or
like calling in those ancestralcomponents and breaking up the
movement even more so that it isnot a worship to the sun, it is
only a worship to God, Like howdo you move?
Every class is different.
You have to move intuitivelyand be led by the spirit.
(09:46):
When you're coming through mytraining, you learn how to focus
on how the body moves.
How do joints move, whatdirection do muscles go in and
then use your breath to link theposes or the movements.
I like to actually go pastposes and go into the movements
that are going to be the mostfunctional, stable, expansive
(10:08):
and transformative for everyperson.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
I love what you're saying here because this is
something that's kind of new tome.
I grew up Catholic, I went toCatholic school my entire life
and then I feel like, because ofthat, you become kind of like
atheist and you turn away fromit.
So my 20s were all about likefinding new age spirituality and
like falling into that trap andthen coming out on the other
(10:35):
side.
Now I'm starting to go back tomy roots as well and I've talked
about it on the podcast beforewhere I started to read the
Bible again with new eyes before, where I started to read the
Bible again with new eyes, andso I love this and I want to
know how that distinctionhappened for you too, where you
connect both, because a lot ofpeople who are practicing
(10:55):
Christian they will not practiceyoga Right.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yeah, that distinction happened for me
because, like you, I went on thesearch and I wanted to know all
about all the other traditionsand religions and movements and
things.
And what is so interesting is,no matter where you go, there
are similar types of movementsthat are in every culture.
And so I said, ok, that's athing.
(11:20):
And without necessarilysubscribing to polytheism or
even like the traditions ofBuddhism because you know what?
We don't, even in the West, wedon't actually practice Buddhism
the way that it is.
We have this idea of that.
It's like sitting still andmeditating and getting a mala
(11:41):
and repeating these mantras isso much more, it's so much more
disciplined than even that.
That I'm like, okay, that's athing.
And then Muslims are sodisciplined in their traditions
as well, hindus and I kind ofstudied all those things and I
was like, well, what about theBible?
Why is it different?
Why is everything else?
Kind of saying these things inthis one thing is saying
(12:04):
something a little bit different.
Well, because narrow is the way.
But we are spiritual beings whohave a soul, that are living in
a physical body.
So the breath is important.
The Bible even talks about howmovement is important and how
meditation is important, but youmeditate on the word.
You don't necessarily meditateto become empty, because if you
(12:27):
are void, then other influencesare more attracted to you and
you can be more susceptible.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
I love that you're saying that too, and I've said
it on the podcast before.
It's like if you cleared yourmind, you would be dead, like
you would cease to exist.
Like you cannot physicallyclear the mind, it's impossible.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
So meditating on the word I.
I like that because it givesyou something to focus on, to
practice.
You're not clearing your mind,you're bringing it back to the
center.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Yeah, yeah, and it's for me.
A lot of healing can take placewhen you link breath to
movement and when you even thinkabout the somatic movement
that's coming through, wherepeople are all feel, feel, feel,
yes, and your feelings are notfacts.
So, though you may feel thislike, let's talk more about what
(13:24):
are the qualities of whatyou're feeling?
Is it tight, is it stabbing, isit shooting, is it sharp?
Does it feel like it's notreally happening in your body?
Because then that might besomething else that you're being
influenced by, that is external, and so you have to guard your
ear gates, you have to guardyour eye gates, and in order to
do that, you really need somekind of personal practice, and
(13:46):
I'm never going to try to tellpeople what to believe, but I
feel much more centered, calm,joyous and at peace practicing
where I am reading the Bible,where I am led by the spirit and
where my conversations are withGod, with Yahweh.
It is very freeing not to saythat there are not still
(14:10):
struggles, not to say there arenot still hard things to get
through, but there's so much inthe Bible that people kind of
skip over and or don't knowabout, because perhaps they only
go to church and listen to thepreacher.
Don't know about, becauseperhaps they only go to church
and listen to the preacher.
There's so much.
All the mystical creatures arein there, you know, spaceships
(14:31):
are in, like all the things.
It's like what?
If you're really seeingTechnically it's just as
interesting, if not more so,than some of the other sacred
texts.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
There's a reason that these books have stood the
chance, the test of time.
And I also want to go back towhat you were saying about
discipline, because it's kind oflike a bad word here in the
West, like we don't want to talkabout discipline.
And that is something that I'mpassionate about and bringing to
my yoga classes, because it'snot a fitness practice and I
(15:04):
think here we're starting towater it down where it's just
another gym class.
It's just another way to likesweat and it is so much more
than that and I talk about it inmy classes all the time.
This is a practice ofdiscipline.
Each pose is a practice ofdiscipline, like so many times
you see people half-assing it.
(15:25):
Yeah, and it's like well, likeyoga is not a stretch, it's not
a physical practice, it's somuch more than that.
Like I was talking to my classtoday because people couldn't
open their hands up and I don'tuse video right now so you can't
see but like people are losingthe ability to open up their
(15:47):
palms, to open up their handsand really engage their fingers.
And I just look around and I'mlike this is so interesting,
Like why are we losing thisability?
Like people just flop theirarms up in Crescent Lunge and
their fingers are just liketheir hands, are just like dead
fish.
It's like that's part of you,that's like an extension of you.
(16:07):
How can you use all of that?
Fingers to toes yep everythingand the feet.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
So I noticed the same thing with feet, and your feet
are your foundation.
If I'm telling someone to pickup and spread their toes,
sometimes they're just, it's allyou know, toe on top of toe.
They can't really separate it.
Or they don't know what theball of the foot is.
Or if I'm saying, like, pullthe shins towards each other,
(16:35):
they think that that means, like, push their knees back.
I'm like whoa, what kind ofproprioception is happening out
here in the world?
So sometimes there's a practicein patience as a teacher, to
not only refine your words, butagain, it comes down to that
quality of touch.
If you do, you know, bring yourhand to them to bring their
awareness to their body.
(16:56):
How do you want to touchsomeone in order to get them to
sense something that's moresubtle?
How you do that is important.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Yes, so talk to me about, like where we both talked
about, where forever students.
So what are you currentlystudying right now?
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Okay, I am currently studying Anussara yoga, which
has been a game changer as faras cueing and stability, and I
am also in Ayurvedic practicemedicine, so, yeah, that has
been so.
(17:38):
There's this thing called aKitchery diet and it's okay.
I never knew about this, but ithas helped me.
I did it for three days and itliterally helped restructure the
microbiome I feel like in mysmall intestines and I was like
I couldn't have thought of thaton my own and oils and herbs and
(17:59):
things that people don't thinkabout, like something super,
super simple cinnamon, ginger,cardamom how that can help
balance with heat in your body,but in a way that's going to be
anti-inflammatory and help yourjoints move Even more.
Mind-blowing mind-blowing.
(18:19):
I know that the allopathicmedicine does have its place
right.
Speaker 1 (18:23):
There's absolutely a place for what's happening in
the West, but God literally gaveus things, and a lot of these
herbs are literally invasiveweeds and you have to wonder
like he made it so abundant fora reason.
These are the healing tools.
(18:44):
These are how you get the rootcause.
So it's funny.
I was introduced to Kitcheryprobably almost 10 years ago now
and I do a three day Kitcherycleanse every single winter.
Oh, wow, okay, I don't put myown spices together.
I get them from Banyan.
I'm not sponsored by them, butthat is the brand that I use.
(19:04):
There might be a better one.
My friend Tori is an herbalistand she has been on the podcast
before, so I'll have to touchbase with her and see what the
best brands are.
But it's so, like you said,it's so simple.
It's clarified butter, gheemixed with these spices, and
then basmati rice and mung beans.
Yep, it's so simple, but it'sso healing and you feel the
(19:28):
difference right away.
I always love to add likecilantro or some kind of fresh
something to it too.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
Ooh, that sounds good , I did not do that, but that
sounds good.
I might do that next time.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Oh yeah, like chop it up and like throw a ton on top.
That is like, oh, it's so good.
A ton on top.
That is like, oh, it's so good.
Speaker 2 (19:43):
And have you ever tried Hingwash Talk?
No, okay, so it is an herb thatwill help if you have some
excess pizza or fire or heat inyour body, and I'm trying this
out now to see how it helps withhormones as I'm becoming a
woman of a certain age.
I want to go through this ageperiod pretty smoothly.
But Hing Wash Talk you couldput it like a seasoning on your
(20:08):
food if you want to.
It tastes really good.
It's going to have a little bitof salty, also herbal component
, but it tastes so good it canreplace, like your seasoning
salt or something like that, buthave a much more cellular
benefit to your body.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Oh, wow, I love learning about herbs.
I parasite cleanse three timesa year using herbs and that has
made such a powerful difference.
I literally healed a baker'scyst like completely gone by
week three of my first parasitecleanse has not been back.
It's been like two or threeyears now.
That's crazy.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
Yeah, I just started parasite cleansing.
I only have done one so far.
So how was it?
It was so interesting.
I only say interesting rightnow, cause I was like let's do
that again.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
I know it's the first .
The first one is the worstbecause I think like there's so
much like almost backed upbecause we don't treat these
things regularly in our culture.
And, going back to the herbs,one of the other things I wanted
to mention is Tori also talksabout this on her social media
(21:19):
pages, but women in certaincultures do not experience
perimenopause and menopausalsymptoms or side effects because
of the herbs that they use,because of the preparation that
they support their bodies with.
So I think that that is veryinteresting and I think that
(21:39):
it's also very interesting thatin our culture, we don't
parasite cleanse.
You know, this brings up and wewere saying the last time we
saw each other was like rightbefore 2020 and and that I think
we graduated our 300 hourteacher training on February
22nd 2020.
Yep, that's when it and then,like weeks later, all hell
(22:02):
breaks loose and I feel likethat was like really preparing
me for what came next yeah, sameand so, and like supported me
through.
But that was like a preparingme for what came next yeah and
so, and like supported methrough, but that was like a
huge topic during that time is,you know, the ivermectin and
does it work?
Does it not work?
Is it a hoax?
But we don't parasite cleansehere in the West.
(22:24):
We're mammals.
You have to wonder why.
You know my cousin rides horsesand they cleanse the horses
three times a year.
So, like I don't know, it's soweird to me Farm animals get
cleansed three times a year,like why wouldn't we?
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Yeah, I don't know, and especially with the type of
food and the things that arebeing put in the food here in
the West, I'm, I have to say I'mso grateful for RFK right now,
just kind of shining a light onsome of those things that people
have been saying for a whilebut then called like conspiracy
theories.
But this is literally bad foryou.
This literally causes ADHD.
(23:00):
This causes autism.
There are studies that show this, and so I'm glad that people
are starting to know that.
But even just to get on a wholefood diet or to fast for three
days.
So if someone's not ready forparasite cleanse, one thing that
stood out to me with Ayurvedicmedicine is you don't want to
have them completely switch uptheir lifestyle so quickly,
(23:22):
because then they'll just revertback.
But what they could start withis try a three-day juice fast or
a three-day water fast, orwhere they're fasting until 6 pm
and then doing a kitchari Right, so you can weave in these
things until you're ready forsomething big like a pair of
cyclins or to do a dry fast forthree days.
(23:43):
Because that's that is insane,I want to say yeah, I't no,
nothing barely made it.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
yeah, I have not done that.
I've done water fasting, um,kitchery, cleanse, juice
cleanses but yeah, not that, buteven something as simple as
moving your lymphatic system,massaging near your collarbones,
like start there, that totallydoable, like sitting at the TV
doing you know whatever you'redoing just massaging lightly
(24:13):
near the collarbones, like juststart to get your lymphatic
system moving.
One thing that I love inAyurveda is CCFT.
It's cumin, coriander andfennel seed and you make a tea
with it and that really helps toget the lymphatic system going.
And that is something that I'veused for a long time now and
that really helps to get thelymphatic system going.
And that is something that I'veused for a long time now.
And I am going to besuperstitious and knock on wood
(24:36):
here, but I have not gotten acold, flu or sick in the last
almost two years.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Yeah, well, I'm, I have COVID five times and it
literally ended up being kind oflike a cult lasted less than 48
hours, and the only reason thatI knew is because I was like,
oh, I feel weird.
That's the other thing is whenyou start to become aware of the
subtleties, your proprioception, neuroception, like what are
the thoughts, what are arehappening, your nocioception,
(25:07):
what is your pain perception andyour interoception are you
hungry?
Are you this?
Are you that?
Are you really that or is it afeeling?
Anyway, when you're more aware,you can notice when things are
off and it might be like alittle bit off, but every single
time, just because of all ofthe fear.
And I also never closed thestudio because I said, well,
(25:31):
it's essential, it's essentialto the community.
I love that, thank you.
So I wanted to be very clear.
I had the COVID testing strips.
I would sometimes go to CVS andI had it and I I was like, okay
, great, I noticed this.
And then I would use thingslike ginger teas, some turmeric
(25:52):
cumin, all of the things thatthey say are not going to help,
absolutely do.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
Absolutely do.
I have always had a healthydistrust for modern medicine,
because modern medicine is whatalmost killed me.
As a child, I had chronic strepthroat that no one could
diagnose, like for some reasonthey weren't testing me for
strep and I lived with that foryears until one doctor was like
this poor kid has been sufferingwith strep throat.
(26:21):
Um, and my mom has always beena little bit more like crunchy
mom, leaning, even before it wascool.
So I herbs have been a big partof my life and I grew up in a
very Italian household andoregano and olive oil are used
for literally everything.
It's like my big fat Greekwedding with the Windex, like
(26:43):
that is the way my family is.
With oregano and olive oil itwill fix anything.
And oregano is one of like themost healing herbs.
It's anti-parasitic, it'santiviral, it's antifungal, it's
like an antibiotic.
So it's like interesting to seehow different cultures use
(27:03):
these herbs and, like you know,one of I believe one of the blue
zones is in Italy and like youhave to wonder why, like their
use of herbs is interesting.
Yeah, yeah, I agree, and wehave fennel in Italy because of
trades with India.
So we, it's just it's it's veryinteresting to see how all of
(27:25):
the healing cultures areconnected and it's also
interesting and a littledisheartening that it's so hard
to find here.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
You almost have to go to the farmer's market plus an
herb shop, plus a like findsomebody who came from India
that brings everything in.
You know, it's like going on awild goose chase sometimes.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
I know I used to get cacao from a lady that would
bring it back from Guatemala andwe it was like a joke, it was
like almost like dealing drugs,like we would meet in a parking
lot and she would give me ablack brick of cacao and I would
give her cash and I was likethis is literally so crazy.
Okay, like that.
But I wanted to make sure I wasgetting like the purest, best
(28:10):
stuff and like that is likesometimes you got to go digging
a little.
Yeah, you're not going to getit at Whole Foods we used to be
kind of like that with casserole.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Um, my grandmother used casserole for a lot of
things, so disgusting.
But you, I didn't have strepthroat as a child, but I was
allergic to smoke and my dadsmoked, so I always had
bronchitis.
And it wasn't until my greatgrandmother actually.
She got some mint leaves andshe, like boiled them in a pot
(28:47):
and she had me just kind of goright over the pot and breathe
it in and I was like this isinteresting.
I mean, I'm a kid, I don't knowwhat I'm doing.
But even then she was like, no,this will help with your
bronchitis and I was like, okay,great.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
And it did.
Yeah, all of those littletricks worked Like the same
thing.
My dad used to go and pickwhite pine needles when we were
sick and he would boil likewhite pine needles, like this
bark looking thing and a lemon,and we would drink it and then,
like the next day you would feelbetter and you were like what
was that?
Speaker 2 (29:20):
yes, something happened the generation between,
like our grandparents.
To us, I think, conveniencesmade things seem better, but
really we kind of cut out a lotof the good or a lot of the
beneficial things.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Speaking for my family, I think it was a little
bit, because I'm firstgeneration.
My dad was born and raised inItaly and I think it was
assimilation.
They felt such such, notpressure to assimilate, but like
they were coming to the bestcountry in the world and they
were getting this new life, andso I feel like they wanted to
(30:00):
assimilate so much that some ofthose things kind of got left
behind.
But it's funny because the,like you said, like the, the
cells, the tissues remember.
So I think that was like a hugepart of my awakening was like
remembering all these things andthen getting curious, because I
was lucky enough to have mygrant all four of my
grandparents until I was 27, andso I really got to dig in and
(30:24):
to be like, okay, what were allthese weird things that you guys
used to do when we were little?
I need to know about them.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Yeah, I'm grateful for the last few years that I
have with both of my grandmas.
They lived into their ninetiesand I would sit with them and
record conversations and I wouldask these questions, like about
our family, about the herbsthat they used to use, about
their favorite things to grow,because eventually I would like
to have a garden.
And if I listen back to thoseconversations it's like it seems
(30:55):
so simple, like a much moresimple time, a much more simple
way.
But they had so much knowledgethat I almost just cry every
time if I listen back, andespecially while I was sitting
with them, I was like I don'tunderstand why we weren't all
sitting at your feet, right, thewhole life that we've lived,
(31:15):
because you know everythingalmost it's incredible and I I
think, um, like we lose that inour culture a little bit because
we kind of don't have the samerespect for elders that past
generations have had, um, orother cultures have.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
And I'm really lucky to have like a close-knit family
, so I kind of did get that likeraised by a village kind of
kind of vibe, um, but yeah, Imean, there's so much time that
it was like, oh, it's not coolto hang out with my grandparents
, like I don't want to be doingthat, but like, yeah, they have
so much knowledge.
And in my 20s I actually livedupstairs.
(31:55):
My grandparents lived on thesecond floor of an apartment
building.
I lived on the second floor ofan apartment building, I lived
on the sixth floor.
So I really got to spend a lotof time with my paternal
grandparents as an adult and youknow it was so interesting
hearing their stories from WorldWar II and because they lived
in Italy, they were like in thethick of it and just like
(32:19):
literally poor farmers in Italyand how they managed, like they
did not have electricity orrunning water and my dad was
born in 1955.
It was like not that long ago.
So when they came here itreally was a whole new world.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
That is so cool.
Yeah, I think that we can bringthat back and that is one of
the things I do with my son isturn the TV off.
We have days that we sit andjust talk to each other and
luckily he's a martial artist,so he's not too much into TV and
he doesn't even have a TikTok,which is crazy because he's 16,
but he's like no, I don't wantto do all that.
(32:57):
I don't need all that.
I'm going to go study this andI'm going to study that and he
teaches me and I and he'shomeschooled.
So we get to, we get to makethe world the teacher for real,
for real.
And I I want to bring and we arenow with my mom, so he gets
direct access to her and and theknowledge that she has too, and
(33:18):
some of her not regrets, butthings that she wished she would
have done differently with me.
She does right with him and Iget to learn how to be a better
parent along with my parent,which is interesting, but I also
grew up Southern Baptist and Iwas going to say, with
unlearning things orassimilating to things, that
certainly was a part of thechurch system that I think
(33:43):
people get hurt by is they go tochurch.
They see these things, they seethese people not being perfect,
for which no one is perfect,first of all, and just because
people hurt you, that doesn'tmean that God hurt you or that
Jesus did it to you, you know.
So you have to have your ownrelationship, but, regardless,
(34:03):
I'm watching my mom renew herrelationship with God in a
different way, and learningalongside her helps me guide
myself as a parent, guide myselfas a parent, and then I bring
that into my programs, becauseit's so interesting how much the
(34:24):
formative years of our livestake control of the adult parts
of our lives.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Oh my gosh.
Yes, I was just saying thisthis past weekend that we're all
basically like hereight-year-olds running around
in adult bodies.
Speaker 2 (34:36):
Yeah, it's incredibly insane, but it is a thing and
I'm trying to catch it with myson for the last four years, so
I don't know, we'll see.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
But is that when you started homeschooling?
Speaker 2 (34:50):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
How has that journey been?
I mean, you're a naturalteacher, so it probably wasn't
that difficult.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Well, luckily they have these things where you can
do classrooms online and you canhave direct access to a teacher
.
So for subjects like physicsand his pre-calculus and his AP
world history, we have teachers.
I was like this is beyond myscope of knowledge.
I will never give you wronginformation or bad information,
and let's also look at this.
(35:19):
So I like to focus on the sevensacred sciences with him, which
would be geometry, arithmeticand then with language, there's
three of them in language.
But how we talk to each other isalso important, and when I'm
(35:39):
talking to him, sometimes I talkto him like he's a peer and
other adults in my family arelike you give him too many
choices, too much this, too muchthat, and I'm like well, he
will never know how to form anopinion if I don't cultivate
that.
He will never know how to makea decision if I don't give him
options to make a choice.
(36:00):
So, homeschooling, when we'regoing through the curriculum and
making sure that we're not onlyin line with the state but that
we're doing things that he'salso interested in it's been
interesting because he and I aredifferent but but same.
It's hard.
It's hard to describe.
It's like that is definitely myson, but also he's on another
(36:22):
level that's like the mostamazing part of when you're
talking about generationalhealing.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
It's like looking through things through that lens
.
That's amazing.
I'm so happy to have talked toyou today, um, is there any way?
So, first of all, when doesyour training start?
Is there still time to sign up?
Speaker 2 (36:43):
Yes, it doesn't start until January.
There is still time to sign upand I would love that Anybody
who wants to get in contact withme can do so on Instagram, at
True Align Life, or at the T-H-Eunderscore Tiffany B.
They can also read more aboutthe program, more about me, more
(37:04):
about one-on-one sessions withme at truealignlifecom, because
I am doing I'm still doingneuromyofascial sessions, which
is kind of the cross betweenphysical therapy and massage
therapy all at once and therapytherapy, because people end up
talking you know how to start inyour tissues, and they
certainly do, and I'm doing someAyurvedic consultations as well
(37:28):
, which is amazing.
And then the program, so theycan learn more about that at
trueinlinelifecom, and ifthey're in Atlanta, they can
come and take a class at theFitness Collective, so there's
group options and a sauna hereat the studio and all of that.
So there's multiple ways.
Speaker 1 (37:48):
Oh, that's so nice.
And your trainings?
Are they online, in person?
They are hybrid.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
You can do online or in person until the very end.
At the end we have a one weekretreat and that's already
included in the price.
So your food and your stay forthe one week retreat at the end
is the only time everybody ismandated to be in person.
But that's where we let it allintegrate and implement and a
(38:16):
lot of the online portionthey'll do on their own.
But when we get together,whether they attend our live
sessions online or in person, wecall them the implementation
labs, because you will have thispart to read.
But now when we get together,we're doing and I think that's
also a piece that's missing insome trainings where you're not
doing as much, You're not ableto practice cueing, You're not
(38:38):
able to practice how to stand,what to do, how the body works
and even when we're talkingabout anatomy, if I'm talking to
you about the arm lines,encompassed in the arm lines is
even the heart.
So the pecs, the heart, thechest, the biceps, triceps, all
the things in the forearms, thefingers, digits, all of that.
We look at things globally andthen go locally.
Speaker 1 (39:03):
Thank you so much for being here today and thank you
for tuning in to today's episodeof the Nearly Enlightened
podcast.
If this conversation resonatedwith you, I would love it if you
shared, left a review or if youreach out to me and let me know
your thoughts.
And if you're looking for moreways to deepen your connection
to body, mind and spirit, checkout my meditate to elevate
guided meditation portal orvisit nearly enlightenedcom for
(39:26):
more resources.
Until next time, stay curious,stay connected and remember the
or the answers already liewithin.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.