Episode Transcript
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Mahala (00:00):
You can have multiple
orgasms.
You can have full body orgasms.
I've even experienced throatorgasms and laughing orgasms and
nipple orgasms and throatorgasms and food orgasms.
Ella (00:12):
Yeah, literally yeah.
Mahala (00:14):
so yeah, definitely.
So what I love about Tantra isthat Tantra works with our
energetic body.
Hey there, and welcome to.
Ella (00:24):
Rise and Thrive with me,
ella Majors.
I created this high vibepodcast from a place of profound
curiosity, fierce compassionand the deep desire to connect
you with the wisdom ofinspirational wellness, health,
fitness and conscious leadersand changemakers.
(00:44):
Here's to discovering our blindspots and embracing life as the
adventure it is.
The time is now.
Let's do this, hey, hey,everyone, ella here and I was
thinking about how I wanted tointroduce today's episode, and
(01:05):
what I want to say is that Ihave the wish for you, rise and
Thrive listener, that you have afriend in your life that is as
full of life and love as my dearfriend and today's guest,
mahala Nervano.
I swear you guys, when I callher, I always get this squeal of
(01:29):
delight on the other end of theline and it makes me laugh out
loud, no matter what kind ofmood I'm in.
Mahala is a long time vegan,even longer than me, believe it
or not.
An animal and nature advocate.
She's been a wellnessentrepreneur for over two
decades and is passionate aboutall things that bring pleasure
(01:50):
into one's life.
An international tantra andsomatic facilitator, she loves
to celebrate life and shares thekeys to more pleasure love, joy
and abundance.
And in this episode, sheintroduces a new container
that's a coaching program ofsorts that she's co-hosting and
(02:10):
it's called the Pleasure Pathand it launches this month, in
just a couple weeks.
So if you feel called after youlisten to this episode, check
out the show notes to learn moreand enroll the link is there.
And also make sure to let herknow, if you do enroll, that you
heard about it through thispodcast and also if Mahala
(02:33):
touches you in this episode andyou want more Mahala, I don't
know about you, but I getaddicted to this woman.
Feel free to listen to theepisode we did together for the
Vegan Life Coach podcast just acouple years ago.
We talk about different thingsin there, more about veganism
and her journey.
So that link is also in theshow notes.
Check it out.
(02:53):
And last, before we dive in, Iwant to give a shout out to one
of our listeners who happens toalso be a former coaching client
of mine.
Her name is Mary Beth and shewrote on Apple Podcasts a review
and it says I found Ella whenlistening to her being
interviewed on a podcast.
In February.
(03:13):
After listening to her beinginterviewed, I began listening
to her Vegan Life Coach podcast.
In May I emailed Ella sharingabout the reasons why her
podcast resonated with me.
I am so thrilled I can listen toElla on Rise and Thrive.
I love listening to her and allof the people she interviews.
The in-depth interviews andhearing their stories has really
helped me on my journey inbecoming vegan.
(03:35):
Thank you, ella, for your voiceand the voices of everyone you
interview that have helped metake this journey and provide me
with resources and inspirationto have an amazing and positive
impact on my life.
Sincerely, mary Beth.
Thank you so much, mary Beth,and for those of you listening,
if you could take 30 seconds toleave us a rating and review, it
(04:00):
would mean so much.
It helps us to be able tospread these messages of
compassion, of health, of growth, to more people through the
podcast platforms that we're on.
So thank you again, and let'sdo this.
Mahala, my friend, how are you?
(04:24):
Welcome?
Mahala (04:25):
I'm so excited.
Thank you for having me.
Ella (04:30):
Thank you for being here
and thank you again.
I just want to mention here onthe air thank you for leading
the ceremony for my beloved shythe other day.
That was really beautiful andit was such a wonderful
experience.
I mean, it was tough andbeautiful at the same time.
So thank you.
Mahala (04:49):
It was such an honor
that you asked me really For you
guys listening.
Ella (04:54):
Mahala led the ceremony
for her shy as my beloved rescue
chihuahua's memorial servicethat we had and we had such a
great group of people come andwe held hands at the beginning
and chanted shy's name and Iread out my story, which is in
my blog as well, and it was along story, but I couldn't have
(05:16):
thought of anybody that I wouldhave rather been there and done
that than you.
Yeah, speaking from anotherlong term, long time vegan.
And now, how many years have webeen friends?
We're nearing the double decades, oh my gosh, I want to get into
(05:36):
your story first, because youtold me that really there are
two things that have shiftedyour life, and those two things
are veganism and Tantra.
Mahala (05:49):
Yeah, yes, those two
yeah.
Ella (05:53):
And so let's start,
because I think the bulk of this
conversation is going toactually be about the Tantra
side of things, because we don'thave a lot of people on the
show yet who have been talkingabout that and the pleasure path
and pleasure, and I'm going tojust be really vulnerable in
this conversation, okay, becauseI know I want to do some of
your workshops and retreats andthere's a lot in that area that
(06:18):
I very much have to work on, soI'm going to kind of let us
explore that, if that's coolwith you.
Mahala (06:25):
Yes, of course, and you
always have a home wherever I am
.
Ella (06:30):
Thank you, but let's start
with the veganism first.
You say that that was somethingthat was incredibly important
and powerful in your life.
How did you get to be vegan forhow many years now?
Mahala (06:44):
Yes, so can you believe
it?
I've been vegan for 37 years 37years I officially turned 50 in
2023.
I'll be turning 51 in May.
So when I was 13, my mom madeshake and bake.
I don't know if you guys allknow what that is.
You go to the grocery store,you buy a box.
It has a bag and spices and youput whatever meat in there and
(07:07):
you shake it and then you bakeit.
So my mom made a chickendrumstick and I took a bite of
it and I saw like the littlebones and veins and I was like
mom, is this a bird?
And she's like no, it's chicken.
And I was like I just felt thespirit of the bird, like enter
the room and, you know, sit withme at the dinner table.
(07:27):
And I couldn't comprehend howsomething that was once alive
was now like baked onto my plateand it was my dinner.
And so the very next day shebaked a whole fish with the
eyeball and the head and thefish tail and I couldn't
understand why this fish, wasonce free in the ocean, was now
(07:51):
on my plate.
So after that, I had this deepconnection with animals.
I actually feel their soul'sessence whenever I'm near an
animal and, you know, haveconversations with them.
So that's why, at Ella'sMemorial for Shy.
I had a meditation in themorning and I was actually
really be able to tune intoShy's spirit and she had me
(08:15):
share what came through for methat day with her friends and
family at the memorial.
So that was really special forme.
Ella (08:22):
Were you able to voice
that and tell people about that?
I mean, I think it's so much,maybe more accepted in the
mainstream now, or at least inmy circles, but this was a long,
you know quite a long time ago.
Mahala (08:34):
Yeah, you know, actually
when I was younger I had this
ability to really tune intothings.
I love being in nature, so Iwould place my hands onto like
objects or pets or anything innature and I was really able to
tap into their messages andbasically I would tune into the
(08:54):
sole essence of the object and Icould hear the messages that
they wanted to share with me.
So when I was growing up Ididn't really realize that it
was a gift, but it really is tobe able to connect with the God
source that was coming throughthe animal or the piece of
nature.
So yeah, so now as I've gottenolder, it's become kind of like
(09:18):
my sixth sense.
You know, yeah, yeah.
And especially if I'm in adecision indecisive moment, I'm
like, okay, what is it that Ireally need to tune into to hear
the message?
Ella (09:29):
So kind of tapping into a
higher source, a higher self or
and others.
Mahala (09:35):
Yeah, so I feel that
we'll have guides, and my
spiritual posse up there isalways looking down on me and
I've been very, very blessed tohave the guidance that I've had
and I've always had this deepknowing that I'm always well
taken care of and that it'sworking out for my highest good.
So I try to really embody thatand live from that space and
(09:58):
help people when I can, whereverI can.
Ella (10:01):
Yeah, so what you do a lot
and we're going to get into
that.
But first that path with theveganism.
At what point did you know thatthat was your calling or part
of your purpose and in terms ofcareer wise, and opening your
vegan restaurants and all ofthat?
Mahala (10:17):
Yeah.
So I became vegan when I was 13.
And then at 15, I had this idea.
I'm like, oh, why don't I justopen up a vegan restaurant?
You know, just had no idea.
I never owned a restaurant at15.
I didn't have any money.
I think I maybe had $20 inallowance every week.
So when I moved to Miami, I wasa concierge at a hotel on Ocean
(10:39):
Drive and I met a fellow veganwho happened to be a stockbroker
and he was passionate aboutveganism and he was the first
person that funded my firstrestaurant adventure and I
opened up my first place in 1994.
It was called Naked EarthNatural Foods and, yeah, I've
(11:01):
been in that industry since 1994.
Ella (11:04):
Yeah, talk about being in
the right place at the right
time.
Yeah, I have a feeling that'shappened a lot in your life.
Mahala (11:11):
You know it's really
about.
It's a cross betweenserendipity and supranicity,
because you know, when you say,well, it's all by luck, part of
me wants to believe that it'snot just luck.
Ella (11:22):
It's actually my soul's
purpose and higher destiny, you
know so yeah, and then how manyrestaurants have you opened over
the years?
I guess it's a number.
Mahala (11:33):
I'll let you see.
I had Naked Earth, and then Iwas in partnership with Art of
Food, and then Thrive, and thenmy last baby that I had was
called Plant Theory CreativeCuisine, which I've now passed
on the ownership to a lovelycouple and now it's being run by
(11:53):
a husband and wife team.
So yeah, and so now the reasonwhy I've been was that now I
could dedicate myself into thesecond part of my life and it's
like my way of serving communityhas transitioned into that, and
that has where Tantra has comein for me.
And how were you introduced toTantra?
Oh, my goodness, this is agreat story.
(12:14):
So my restaurant was called forcatering for this event this
weekend intensive immersion inMiami and so we got prepared and
everything and went to deliverit.
And at the last moment, theorganizer said to me, would you
like to participate?
And me, being curious andalways wanting to try things out
(12:38):
, I said yes, of course, sure,I'll try it.
So, me and my partner at thetime, we took the retreat
immersion and I've never lookedback since.
It actually brought me back tomyself, like the connection with
my higher self, the embodiment,to be actually fully present in
my body.
And let me tell you it's a workin progress.
(13:00):
I mean, the practices is adaily practice to have that
embodiment and to be in myemotional feeling.
Body is, you know, we have asociety that creates this
culture of like disconnectionand instant this and fast that,
and so it actually helped me tocome back to my body and to slow
things down, although it stillfeels like sometimes I'm on fast
(13:22):
forward.
But I just get so excited aboutall the amazing things that life
has to offer.
Ella (13:29):
I have never met someone
so excited about life as you.
When you call me sometimes, orif I call you, and the answer on
the other end of that phone islike this scream of delight and
it makes me I mean.
It's just so beautiful and so Ican't not talk to you and just
feel so full of joy just to seeit.
(13:50):
It's so wonderful.
That first experience, mahalayeah, tell me what surprised you
.
Was there anything shockinglike this?
Was a new experience for you,for those who don't know what an
event like that would be like.
Mahala (14:06):
My biggest takeaway was
that I was a human doing.
I was stuck in this like I wasa corporate chaser.
You know, I was like this robotjust going through the motions
and, you know, kind of likebarking out orders and not even
connecting with my staff, oryeah, it was just kind of like I
had a body but my soul wasn'tin my body.
(14:29):
You know, this beautiful vesselthat we get gifted of is this
body, and our spirit and oursoul live in it, and the way our
environment has been made isnot been really to connect with
our feelings, and I want toshare that.
The path of Tantra is reallythe path towards yourself and
also the path of self-love, youknow, and self-acceptance.
(14:52):
And that for me, was like myaha moment.
It was the light bulb that islike flickering that you see now
, because it's possible toremember once to essence.
And it's not all about working,it's not about what you achieve.
You know it came from a veryhyper overachiever family where
(15:15):
it was like, okay, what is itthat you do and what are the
letters behind your name?
You know, like, what did youachieve and what diplomas and
all that stuff, and you knowwhat?
At the end of the day, if youare not happy, if you don't have
pleasure, if you don't haveplay and if you're not
passionate about something, thenumber of my bank account
doesn't really mean so much, youknow.
(15:36):
And also friends and family.
You know, like I wasn't reallybuilding connections, especially
with women.
I was like I wanted more womenfriendships and I didn't have so
many back then and so I wantedto come back to that.
Ella (15:51):
Got it Okay, you're good,
all right.
So I guess my next question theperception of Tantra, I think
from the outsider's view.
You know, you hear Tantra, orat least.
I did and I thought sex right.
All positions all you know Okay.
Mahala (16:09):
You know it's so funny.
I just was at a taunt retreatand my friends would see me.
Well, how many men are yougonna sleep with?
And I just said what I saidzero.
You know the funny thing thatit got associated with it being
like a sex cult.
But you know what?
You could consider it a sexcult, meaning the fact that it's
(16:31):
about self-love, you know.
So if you want the cult to beyou, yes, then I am definitely
for that.
But it's really about self-loveand acceptance.
It's the path of the heart, youknow.
It's really about theconnection that you have with
yourself, connections that youhave with others, your
authenticity, whether or notyou're willing to be vulnerable.
(16:51):
And, yeah, and it's just been abeautiful adventure and a
journey for myself, yeah, Didyou know you were as
disconnected as you discovered?
Ella (17:02):
Yes, in terms of your body
.
Mahala (17:04):
Yeah, because, well, we
do some very deep practices in
Tantra and I remember justfalling my eyes out, not just
like the heaving, like guttural,like oh my God, I can't believe
I'm having this experienceright now, because I was so
connected to my pain of beingdisconnected to my body.
You know, I didn't always havethe greatest relationship with
(17:27):
my body.
I sought a lot of externalvalidation for myself and that
was like the road down to neveraccepting myself for who I am
and looking at others and I hadthis comparison thing.
I was always comparing myselfto others and that's like the
path to self-loathing andself-hate.
(17:48):
And the beautiful practices ofTantra include vocal activation,
somatic movement, mirror workso many beautiful, delicious
practices that really drop youinto your body and allow you to
be free and appreciate who youare.
Your unique imprint that youhave for the world and for
(18:10):
yourself is your own signature.
You know we all have thisbeautiful medicine that we get
to share with other people.
Yeah, and Tantra really helpsyou to connect to that.
Ella (18:21):
So a lot of the women that
I have worked with over the
years, I mean, and what I wentthrough with having a very
unhealthy relationship with mybody and a lot of the women I've
worked with this, you know alot of beating themselves up,
looking in the mirror, negativeself-talk, all of this.
Now, at this point, I've gotthis great relationship with my
body.
However, I don't feel like I'msuper connected to it.
(18:46):
I've got a healthy relationship, but talk about what it means
to really be embodied and tothen take that down a path of
actual pleasure, if that makessense.
Mahala (19:00):
Yeah.
So for me, pleasure doesn't justrelate to sexual pleasure.
Pleasure to me is finding thejoy and happiness in the moment,
because you can find pleasurein everything that you're doing,
like, for example, eating.
You know, I don't know how manytimes I've sat down to eat
while I'm on my computer, youknow, shoveling food down,
(19:23):
multitasking, and then I'm like,oh my God, I just ate that.
Did I even taste the food?
What flavors were they?
You know?
Yeah, so for me, pleasure inthat would be turning off my
computer, taking out my favoritedish set and silverware and
(19:43):
serving myself up as if I wasserving my lover or my partner.
You know, like that, myimportance to myself was number
one, so it helped me to slowdown and to tune into where I am
at the moment.
And then also another thing wasfinding pleasure in food,
meaning giving myself thehighest nutritious bio available
(20:07):
to me, meaning that I wouldtake the time to read what's on
the ingredient list, to buyorganic as possible, to not have
so much processed food and makethe choice for myself to live
and eat.
And pleasure, yeah, and food isso much pleasure.
Like, have you ever eaten in amango and tasted something that
(20:27):
just fell off a tree.
When I'm in Europe or in Asiatraveling, they have so many
fruits that just are picked offthe tree and it's so pleasurable
eating those pieces of fresh,ripe fruit.
Ella (20:41):
Yeah, so I think also one
of the other barriers,
especially for women, is agingand things that come along with
aging, that you know some ofthose we can, and I was going to
talk about aging gracefully oraging powerfully, and then you
said, oh, I am pro aging.
What the hell?
What do you mean by aging?
(21:03):
Because that sounds off.
Mahala (21:05):
Everything that I see is
like anti aging right, anti
aging serum, anti aging cream,anti aging so anti aging
toothpaste you know what I meanyes.
So I'm actually pro aging,meaning like everything that I'm
doing in my life right now isto celebrate my wisdom and my
age.
(21:25):
It's coming because you can'tavoid it.
You know it's inevitable.
And I'm like look at my gray,salt and pepper hair.
You know I fought it for a longtime, to the point where dying
my hair actually made me sick.
So every time I would get myhair died.
Every three to four weeks Iwould actually have to lie down
afterwards because the chemicalswould actually seep into my
(21:46):
brain and it was not healthy andI thought to myself.
My partner at the time was likeyou know, you try to do
everything so organic andhealthy, but you're killing
yourself with chemicals.
And I was like I was going tobe so, slowly by slowly, I
actually let my hair grow outand I even had the most
incredible people come up to meand give me these double handed
(22:10):
compliments.
For example, I had this womanapproach me and say you know,
you would be so much morebeautiful if you dyed your hair
Like that.
Yes, yeah.
And I realized like where it'snot acceptable in our Western
society to actually grow moreyouthful with age, and that
(22:34):
means accepting the transitionof your hair color.
You know these beautiful laughlines and I laugh a lot.
Ella (22:42):
Yes, you do.
Mahala (22:44):
Actually, you know, it
was even more funny.
I went to my annual dentistcheckup and while we were
getting my x-rays done, shelooks at me and she says you
know you need Botox.
And I just said you're kidding.
She's like we do Botox now.
And I'm like I'm with thedentist office and she's talking
to me about Botox, wow, and shewas convinced that I needed it
(23:06):
and I was like you know what Iactually like?
To see my last lines.
You know, I actually like tosee my face laugh along with me,
you know, and that my eyes areexpressing my joy and my
pleasure, and you know.
So why would I want to preventthat?
So, who you like going to thedentist?
I never heard of that.
I can go get you know anythinghappens in South Beach.
Ella (23:30):
It's South Beach, so I'm
not surprised.
And I'm still a littlesurprised because, yeah, I
wouldn't expect that.
And did you have to coachyourself, like growing the hair
out and embracing that?
Was that an effortful kind ofreprogramming that you went
through?
Or was it the tantra exercisesand community that really was
helpful in having you reallyembody that?
(23:53):
You know what I mean?
Yeah, not just say it, butactually feel it.
Mahala (23:57):
Yeah, actually I think
it was a combination of both.
So as I started to let go ofsocietal norms and dive deeper
into tantra and allow the selfacceptance and self love to grow
Like I remember I think for thefirst six months I didn't look
in the mirror as my roots weregrowing out, you know.
And then, of course, and then Iwould have to have those weird
(24:20):
comments from women of allpeople, you know.
Instead of another woman comingup to me and actually
celebrating that, I would getthose backhanded comments.
But now I'm on the other sideand now I'm like a walking
beacon for freedom, and womenand men come up to me and
actually say that they'rethanking me for allowing myself
(24:43):
to grow and being an inspirationfor them.
I see that, yeah.
Ella (24:47):
All right, so I want to
get into sexuality and
sensuality and the differencebetween those two things and I
know you talk about it as arecipe for you thing and
longevity, which I never heardthe word.
You think I like this word, I'mgoing to use this word, but can
you talk about sensuality,sexuality, what those two words
(25:08):
mean to you and the difference?
Mahala (25:11):
Yeah, so sensuality for
me is actually being my personal
reality with all my senses, sobeing in the present, feeling in
my body what experience I amusing all my five senses.
You know sensuality is acombination of your sensual
being and of your reality thatyou experience at the moment and
(25:32):
the sexuality part is one.
First for me is self love andself acceptance and because
celebrating my divine feminine.
You know we're so disconnectedfrom our sexuality in that
aspect that looking at my mom,she doesn't talk about her
sexuality or her sensuality.
I realize that it's been aconstant topic and issue for
(25:56):
women, that the disconnectionwith their bodies and sexuality
meaning all the ways that ourbodies can experience our
sexuality.
You know that's what sexualityand sensuality mean to me.
Ella (26:08):
Okay, and what are all the
ways?
Mahala (26:09):
Oh, wow.
Ella (26:10):
So what are some of the
ways that you focus on, maybe in
your upcoming workshop andretreats?
Pleasure path.
Mahala (26:19):
Sure.
So some of the keys of Tantraare based on breath, sound
movement, presence, touch andthose.
With that recipe you can reallytransform your state of being
and state of mind.
So we use those practices andincorporate those pillars into
actually shifting yourexperience.
Ella (26:42):
And when you say your
experience, is this everyday
experience?
Is this a sexual experience?
And where does the sex come in?
Because we keep kind of movingaround it.
But is sex involved in thispleasure path?
Mahala (26:54):
Well, in the pleasure
path, we guide you on
self-pleasure practices.
So we teach you about using theyoni wand and also the yoni egg
practices, so those areincluded.
But it's also actuallyreconnecting with your body and
our sensuality as a body andhaving that connection.
For example, when I was sharingwith you earlier that I had
(27:18):
really no connection with mybody, I was really mean to
myself.
You know, I couldn't acceptparts of myself.
So what happens is that ifthere are parts of yourself that
you just own, that's not a wayof pleasure.
So it was about learning tolike love every part of me.
And we do self-love practices,we do a lot of mirror work that
(27:39):
help you reconnect to yourdivine essence.
And we also connect with beautyand helping look at things in a
beautiful way, not just likeaesthetic beauty but the inner
beauty that we all hold.
Ella (27:52):
I think one thing that's
challenging for a lot of people
probably a lot of peoplelistening so many people feel a
lot of anxiety, right, anxietyabout their own situations,
sometimes finances, familyrelationships, the state of the
world.
I feel like that's such abarrier to even kind of saying,
(28:13):
okay, I'm going to commit timeand energy to learning how to
experience pleasure, when reallyall I can think about is
wanting to escape pain or escapeanxiety.
Do you know what I mean?
I'm kind of wanting to addressthose people out there that are
like you know, like I can't eventhink about going that end and
pleasure.
(28:33):
Can I just get out of thisanxiety?
I feel like I'm in that fightor flight place.
Mahala (28:39):
Yeah so Tantra also
address any traumas and triggers
that live in your body, and so,through somatic practices,
meditation, breath work, theseaddress this because when you're
in anxiety, anxiety means thatyour central nervous system is
dysregulated, so your body isalways trying to come back into
balance, and so we take youthrough a journey with practices
(29:02):
that help you regulate yourself.
Through breath work, throughsomatic practices, through vocal
activations, through selfpleasure practices, they help
you to come back into yourparasympathetic, where you're
not in flight or flight andyou're in like rest and digest.
Those are the two parts of yourcentral nervous system.
Ella (29:23):
Okay, so there are some
things that you could maybe
recommend.
Before we really dive a littledeeper into the pleasure path
which is your mentorshipcontainer, your women's
mentorship container, Can wemaybe also give people who are
just not knowing where to getstarted maybe a few things that
they can do on a daily basis tojust start the journey?
Mahala (29:45):
Yeah, so one of the most
impactful practices I had was
actually one in front of amirror.
So, folks, everyone out therein Ella's world, I want you to
go find preferably a full lengthmirror, okay, and then get down
a piece of paper and a pen andmake two columns.
(30:05):
Write down what I love about mybody and then, like, write a
body part and then on the othercolumn, you write down what I
don't love about my body.
Okay, so you make those twocolumns and then take a moment
and actually look in the mirror,connect with your eyes and
(30:26):
drink yourself in the mirror,naked yes, naked.
That means no clothes, zeroclothing, zero clothing.
You're actually taking thistime for yourself and actually
looking at this beautiful vesselthat God has gifted you.
So when you're ready and you'relooking in the mirror, take the
(30:47):
column that is what I don'tlove about myself and you're
going to alchemize this andtransform this.
So, for example, when I wasgrowing up, I didn't like my
feet.
Imagine, my family came from afamily with wide feet, so all my
whole life everyone said we hadugly feet and I learned to not
(31:10):
like my feet.
So I went in this practice Ilooked in the mirror and I just
held my feet as if it wassomebody that I cared about my
child's feet, my lover's feet,and I actually transformed it
and said what I love about myfeet is that my feet have taken
(31:30):
me to so many beautifulcountries and I get to
experience different cultures.
What I love about my feet isthat I get to ground into the
earth and feel Mother Nature inthe soil.
I'm actually doing that rightnow you are demonstrating.
(31:51):
I'm demonstrating, becausethat's what embodiment is,
because we could read all thebooks about Tantra and these
wellness practices, but ifyou're not actually doing it and
you're not actually connectingto yourself, there's just
beautiful practices thatsomebody told you about that I'm
sharing with you, but youreally take the time for
yourself and do it and reallycelebrate and alchemize the
(32:13):
things that you didn't likeabout yourself and actually the
beautiful things that they'vegifted to you.
So, for example, I also didn'tlike my nose.
I didn't like my nose, imagine.
So now I actually love my nose.
It's actually like this perfectshape, and I really had this
like hate affair with my nose.
(32:34):
I thought it was too round, Ididn't have a bridge.
In fact, my mother, when I wasgrowing up, used to tell me to
rub my nose so I would have abridge, you know, like all these
crazy things.
Yeah, so I am looking in themirror and I'm just gazing at
myself and I'm just so gratefulfor my nose.
And so what I love about mynose is that it allows me to
(32:56):
have this profound relationshipwith sense and perfumance,
mother nature and my lover, andbeing able to smell things and
have this glorious Sense throughmy nose, you know, and it also
allows me to Use my nose as asense, for me to be able to like
(33:16):
, really, really connect with mybreath.
You know, using my breath as apractice and using the inhale
through the nose as a way toregulate my nervous system, you
know.
So it's a beautiful thing.
So you need to find the gift,that whatever that you did not
Honor or like about you in themirror, you need to find the
(33:38):
gift, and that is the medicine.
That is the medicine that youCan connect with right away and
also another practice that Ilove to do is called the lotion
dance.
So put on your favorite songthat you love to dance to, then
get your favorite lotion and putsome in your hands, put on the
music and just Just explore andcover yourself with all this
(34:01):
lotion and just feel like lookat the landscape of your body
and all the Valleys and theshapes that your body makes, and
really just take a moment tofeel the Texture and the scent
of yourself, you know, andreally be fully present with
yourself.
It's such a glorious because,you know, I'm used to get out of
(34:23):
the shower.
Okay, I gotta put the clotheson, I just put lotion on.
Yes, you know that's me reallyslow down, connect with your
breath, connect to the music andput that lotion on and just
Spread it all over you and it'sjust the most profound
experience.
That's one of two most favoriteways of connecting with your
(34:46):
body.
Ella (34:47):
Thank you for sharing
those, and I think you hit the
nail on the head too when youtalked about and I talk about
this quite a bit it's like, okay, there's a lot of people out
there who know about things,right, because there's so much
information, right, there's somany podcasts, there's so many
books, there's so many, so muchinformation out there and it's
great information, but if wedon't actually do the practices,
(35:08):
they actually apply them.
So it's silly.
You know some people might bethinking, huh, you know, sure,
that's great in theory, but I'mnot gonna actually do that.
Like, that's where the medicineis, is in the actually doing
the practices and being thereand being present.
That's the important part.
And so, yeah, you just gave mean idea to every time I get out
(35:31):
of the shower to do Because wecould do that every time.
We get out of the shower, right,we have to get out of the
shower, anyway.
We get to get out of the shower, anyway.
I stopped using it.
We get to get out of the shower, we get to put on lotion.
We might as well be connectingwith our bodies when we're doing
that.
Mahala (35:46):
Yeah, you know, and like
this is a wonderful practice to
really connect with yourselfand Find ways that you could
slow down and take a moment.
So, for example, when I'mfeeling like I'm in a rush and
I'm about to eat, I actually putthe silverware down between
every bite yes, and chew atleast 20 times.
Yes, you know, because If not,I'll be chewing so fast.
(36:11):
While chewing, food particlesare not even fully, you know,
yep, masticated in our mouth andthe enzymes, you know, are not
fully digesting it.
So you really really need toslow down and really really need
to connect to your breath,connect to the experience, and I
also love to remember thevitality that the food that I'm
(36:33):
about to eat is what becomesourselves and our bones in my
hair, you know, and how thatgets Alchemized and transformed
in your body and how the systemsin your body work in
conjunction To give you thehighest wealth possible, you
know.
Ella (36:49):
Yeah, any of my clients
listening right now know about
the chewing your food, becausethat's one of the first things
that we do when we're talkingabout building healthy
relationships right, building ahealthy relationship.
So let's talk now about I haveyou give a little more
information about the pleasurepath.
I'm trying to.
I think I mean orgasms.
(37:10):
Can we just talk for a minuteabout orgasms before we get
there?
Is that something that, like, Ithink people want to know about
orgasms?
Mahala (37:17):
Yes, you can have
multiple orgasms.
You can have full body orgasms.
I've even experienced throatorgasms and laughing gazzams and
nipple orgasms and trollgazzams and food gazzams.
Ella (37:30):
Yeah, literally yes, so
really.
Mahala (37:32):
Yeah, definitely.
So what I love about tantra isthat tantra works with our
energetic body, so the energeticbody.
We work directly with ourchakra system.
So the chakra system is our mapof our energy body and energy
anatomy.
So that is our energy field.
So we work by opening andactivating and unblocking
(37:54):
anything or anything that abarrier to the chakras.
So the chakras are wheels oflight, energy vortexes that the
nadis are the highways of ourbody.
They stop and connect in ourenergy centers called the
chakras.
So by opening this up, we'reable to To have our energetic
body flow so you can have fullbody orgasms.
Ella (38:16):
I love it.
Thank you for explaining thatthat's very helpful.
Mahala (38:19):
And I do want to say the
beautiful path about turn
orgasms and lovemaking is thatthere is no goal, like there's
no rush to the finish line.
There's no rush, it's reallytaking the time and pleasure to
connect in the heart and spiritspace with your partner, like
(38:41):
it's the most profoundexperience, actually my first
experience with Tantra.
My friends said to me you know,tantra is going to ruin your
sex life and I said, oh, come on, what are you talking about?
I thought it's supposed to helpmy sex life.
It's both a catch 22, becauseit did transform my sex life,
but it also made me realize,like, what the potential of
(39:05):
Tantra, lovemaking is and beingin a conscious relationship and
the person.
So it does elevate that.
It also makes you not settlefor red crumbs, mm.
Ella (39:16):
Okay, got it.
That makes sense.
So does that mean for youfinding partner, like, do they
need to be into Tantra already?
Or is this something like, ifsomebody's in a relationship and
they start down the Tantra path, that they need to get their
partner on board?
You know what I'm saying?
Like, how should people look atthat?
Mahala (39:34):
No, I mean, I think it's
a beautiful invitation.
So Tantra is about invitationand invitation of trying
something different, the waythat we've been trained.
We've been trained on fast sex,on porn, on like multiple
relationships, on instant accessto many things.
So Tantra teaches you about adifferent way of loving loving
(39:56):
yourself and another partner andalso there's so many beautiful
practices that actually connectyou to the spirit and soul of
your partner.
That is completely not taughtin any sex education class you
know.
So conscious relating is reallywhat Tantra is about.
Can you imagine?
Ella (40:14):
if they start teaching,
this world would be such a
different place.
Mahala (40:18):
I just wanted to say one
of my first Tantra experiences
with my partner.
I was asked to soul gaze and Isaid soul gaze.
Oh my God, I got to look atyour soul Really.
And my partner asked me to gazein his left eye.
So we're gazing at each other'sleft eye, the receptive eye,
and for 11 minutes I could notget past maybe 20 seconds.
(40:43):
Wow, I would be souncomfortable, I would start
giggling, I would completelydisconnected from my body.
So now you asked me that andI'm like, yeah, go ahead, I see
11 minutes I got to, you know.
So because I was able to connectwith my higher self, connect
with my body, connect with mysoul, my spirit, and actually
(41:03):
see the person in front of me,you know, and connect to their
soul essence, and I could seethat clearly and for the longest
time.
It would bring me to tears, youknow, and I actually even
remember after graduating in myTantra trainings I thought to
myself oh my God, am I evergoing to be able to share in
public and to teach withoutactually crying?
(41:24):
You know, because it brought meto tears how much it's
transformed my life and I wantedto share that with others.
Yeah, Amazing.
Ella (41:31):
All right, so tell us
about Pleasure Path and where
people can learn more about itand get signed up.
Mahala (41:38):
Oh my gosh.
So we have so many amazingthings coming up from 2024.
So one thing I'm reallypassionate about is called the
Pleasure Path.
So the Pleasure Path is aneight session container for
women's mentorship.
And why I wanted to focus onwomen?
Because, number one, I'm awoman.
And number two.
I never had this informationgrowing up and how much it could
(42:01):
have allowed me to heal myselfmuch more in a fully forgiving
way.
And I didn't have that growingup.
I didn't have that role modeland also my mother was a young
mother, so she also didn't havethese tools and practices that
can help her.
So myself and Yulia Rose were ona mission to share this, and
(42:23):
the invitation is for all women,all sisters, all mothers, all
grandmothers, all daughters, andit's the greatest path and
greatest gift that you can giveyourself to come on this
adventurous journey with us.
It launches in February and itmeets every Wednesday at 730
Eastern time, and we take you onthis adventure with yourself
(42:47):
and it heals the generationaltrauma between women, between
your own matriarchal lineage,with your ancestors and your
mother, your daughter, yourgranddaughters.
And it's a really beautifulpath that I'm inviting.
It's a call to women, call toaction for us to come together.
So I'm really excited thatElla's going to join us, hoping
(43:09):
to get Ella's sister and hermother to join us.
It's really a profoundexperience.
Ella (43:13):
It's like you give
yourself amazing.
I'm so excited about it andjust encourage everybody.
And how do people sign up?
Mahala (43:22):
Yeah, so you could sign
up on my Instagram link.
It's in my bio.
Ella (43:27):
It's in the Instagram.
Mahala (43:28):
Okay, we're putting that
in the show notes, of course,
yeah, okay, and also anotherprofound training that we have
coming up is called Awakened asLove Not awaken to love, but
awaken us love.
So I want to make thatdistinction, because we already
profoundly love beings and weforget the connection that we
(43:48):
are love beings.
And so Awakened as Love is abeautiful container.
It's also a seven day retreatand we have festivals and
retreats all over the world.
So we have a beautiful retreatcoming up in Vegas and we also
have one coming up in Miami, andwe have a beautiful festival in
Tulum, mexico, and it's abeautiful blend of the pillars
(44:08):
of shamanism, contra integraltheory and consciousness, and
also somatic movement and dance.
So, with those four pillars,it's a beautiful journey of
transformation.
So that's also on my Instagramlink as well.
So, yeah, I would love for youto join me in one of those
experiences or just connect withme.
(44:29):
I'm always doing events inMiami wherever I'm traveling.
Yeah, it's really my heart'spassion and desire now that I'm
no longer in the food retailbusiness.
Ella (44:40):
Yeah, but you're still
making connections between food
and, you know, it seems likethis is kind of this umbrella of
your calling in your evolution,this umbrella that the veganism
fits right into it.
Mahala (44:54):
Yeah, so one of my
containers that I have with my
private clients is called eat,breathe, love, magic.
And so, of those four things,so eat is about wellness and
nutrition and veganism, andcleaning out your cupboards and
what it means like to reallycare for yourself.
Breathe connecting to yourbreath and to your body through
(45:15):
breath, work, love, the path ofTantra and magic how you can
alchemy yourself so you can havethe life that you're really
meant to live, which is a freelife.
You're able to create the mostecstatic life that you can
possibly dream of.
It's all possible.
Ella (45:29):
I know, because I'm like
walking embodiment of that.
Mahala (45:33):
I was like a robot and I
was like what this is?
My whole life it's just passingby me, and then I was able to
redefine and recreate a new lifefor myself.
Ella (45:44):
So yeah, Thank you so much
for being here, for sharing
your light in my own life and inthe world and on this podcast.
I love you, I appreciate you.
Mahala (45:57):
I love you.
I love you so much and Ioverflow with so much love and I
just want you all to know thatthis is possible.
Reach out to Alar to me.
I would love to connect in anywhich way possible.
Yay, yay, this is called aheart cathem.
Ella (46:19):
We will in there.
I love you, I love you.
Thanks for listening to thisweek's episode of Rise and
Thrive with me, ella Majors.
I truly hope you found itinspiring and, if you did,
please help me spread the wordby leaving a rating and review
on your favorite podcast playerand by sharing the show with
(46:40):
your friends.
As you probably know by now, mylife's purpose is to use my
voice to make this world a moreconscious and compassionate
place, and your reviews andshares make a huge impact.
And last, I'm getting a ton ofinsanely positive feedback about
my short and sweet monthlynewsletter called the Way Short
for the Way Out Is Through.
(47:01):
I give my top five latest badassdiscoveries, insights and
explorations, like veganproducts and recipes.
I'm obsessed with books andshows I'm loving and workouts
that have me fired up.
Head on over to my website,ellamajorscom, to sign up and
check out all the other awesomeresources I have for you and
(47:23):
projects I'm involved with,including Hogs and Kisses Farm
Sanctuary, where our mission isto create the best life for farm
animals while inspiringcompassion for all living beings
.
Thanks a lot, and I'll see youon the next one.