The Nourished Nervous System

Kristen Timchak
  • 5.0 (22)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Weekly

An exploration of  stress, the nervous system, and resilience through the lenses of Ayurveda, Somatic Practice, Herbs, Neural Plasticity and much more!   

  1. The Body Already Knows: Shaking, Fascia & the Interstitium

    Jun 18

    The Body Already Knows: Shaking, Fascia & the Interstitium

    Send us Fan Mail This episode comes from two threads that have been weaving together in my practice lately: training in Polarity Champissage — a beautiful Ayurvedic marma-based body therapy developed by my friend and mentor Caroline Crichton — and developing Somatic Stretch and Shake, the movement class I've been teaching at Soma in Belfast, Maine. I want to be upfront: these ideas are still in process for me. I'm researching this both academically and in my own body, and it doesn't feel fully cooked yet. But there has been so much synchronicity around this topic lately that it felt like a sign to share what I have so far — and keep exploring from here. What we cover: The neurogenic tremor — the natural, involuntary shaking response that animals use to discharge stress (and that we've learned to suppress), and why somatic shaking gives this built-in mechanism somewhere to goWhat shaking does to fascia — the connective tissue web running through the entire body, richer in nerve endings than muscle tissue, and how trauma and chronic stress can cause it to tighten, thicken, and lose its fluid qualityMechanotransduction and hyaluronan — how vibration triggers cellular responses in fascia, including the cycling of hyaluronan, the gel-like substance that keeps fascial tissue hydrated and gliding freelyThe interstitium — the recently mapped, fluid-filled connective tissue network discovered somewhat by accident in 2015, and why it was invisible to traditional biopsy methods for so longA possible bridge between systems — emerging research suggesting the interstitium may be the physical substrate for the meridians of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and how this connects to marma points and Polarity ChampissageThe rasa dhatu connection — why interstitial fluid flow decreasing with age (especially after 50) may be one physical mechanism behind the dryness and depletion of rasa dhatu in perimenopause, and how movement and shaking help keep this fluid circulatingHow to actually shake — shaking in sets of three to six minutes, followed by a minute of stillness to let the body integrate; why subtle shaking is just as effective as big movement; and why consistency matters more than intensityThe synchronicities: Thinking about a chapter on the interstitium in Abigail Rose Clark's book Returning Home to Our Bodies — and getting an email from her about an emboided anatomy class she is teaching on the interstitium hours laters. A New York Times article on the interstitium. An interview with Dr. Neil Theise, the NYU pathologist at the center of the 2015 discovery, on fascia, the interstitium, and consciousness. All arriving within days of each other. Somatic Stretch and Shake: In-person classes are held Thursdays from 9:30–10:30am at Soma in Belfast, Maine. Online on-demand classes and a live series are coming soon — join the email list to stay in the loop. Bibliography & References The Interstitium — Discovery & Research Benias, P.C., Wells, R.G., Sackey-Aboagye, B., et al. (2018). Structure and Distribution of an Unrecognized Interstitium in Human Tissues. Scientific Reports, 8, 4947. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23062-6 Theise, N.D., & Mahler, S. (2024). Fascia, the Interstitium, and the Living Matrix: Implications for Consciousness Research. [Interview/lecture referenced] Fascia & Mechanotransduction Effectiveness of Vibration on Myofascial Trigger Points. World Journal of Yoga, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation. https://irispublishers.com/wjypr/pdf/WJYPR.MS.ID.000583.pdf Dynamic Responses of Human Skin and Fascia to an Innovative Stimulation Device — Shear Wave Stimulation. PMC/NIH. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11351488/ Understanding Fascial Tissue on the Molecular Level — The Calcium-Hyaluronan (CHA) Axis. PMC/NIH. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12785924/ Interstitial Fluid Flow & Aging Interstitial fluid flow decreases with age, especially after 50 years. NMR Biomed, 2024 Jul;37(7):e5030. PMID: 37675787. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38796942/ Regulation of interstitial fluid flow along adventitia of vasculature by heartbeat and respiration. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258900422400628X Somatic Shaking & TRE Research The Science of Shaking Medicine: Unlocking Neurogenic Tremoring for Trauma Release and Nervous System Balance. https://www.shakingmedicine.com/science-of-shaking-medicine The science of somatics: how shaking resets the nervous system — Rori Cross Brown Yoga. https://www.roriyoga.co.uk/resources/the-science-of-somatics-and-shaking Books Mentioned Clark, A.R. Returning Home to Our Bodies. [Chapter on the interstitium] Resources: Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

    27 min
  2. Breathing as a Reset: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Life & Making Practice Stick with Charlie Baldwin

    Jun 11

    Breathing as a Reset: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Life & Making Practice Stick with Charlie Baldwin

    Send us Fan Mail Today I'm sitting down with Charlie Baldwin — a breathwork and meditation teacher with the Art of Living Foundation, over 1,000 hours of teaching experience, and a real gift for bringing these practices to people who never thought they'd be interested. He's taught in prisons, firehouses, universities, and retreat centers in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and he has a way of making ancient wisdom feel completely relevant to modern life. I really loved this conversation. Charlie's path began with a book his mom left in his dorm room — Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth — and a breathwork retreat he almost didn't go to when he was considering dropping out of college. Within six weeks of beginning a daily practice, everything shifted: more energy, more confidence, and the overwhelming things in life became manageable. Nine years of teaching later, he is one of the most thoughtful and non-dogmatic voices in this space. What we cover: Charlie's personal origin story — how a book his mom left in his dorm room and a retreat he nearly skipped changed the entire direction of his lifeBreathwork in law enforcement — how Charlie and a fellow Art of Living teacher began offering programs to community leaders in North Carolina, how the police chief had a profound experience, and why this demographic has become so receptive to these practices right nowSky Breath Meditation (Sudarshan Kriya) — the rhythmic breathing practice Charlie has taught for nine years, featured in James Nestor's book Breath, and what makes it different from other breathwork approachesTechnology, overstimulation & Vata imbalance — a rich conversation about how the optimization of social media for endless scrolling has created widespread nervous system dysregulation, and why breathwork is one of the most powerful resets available to usApps vs. in-person learning — where technology genuinely helps people enter a practice, and why certain teachings carry an energetic transmission that cannot be fully replicated by an appWhy wellness habits don't stick — the two things Charlie has seen make the biggest difference: community and the willingness to have faith before proof arrivesThe breath-emotion connection — the simple but profound insight that every emotion has a corresponding rhythm of breath, and that this street runs both ways: we can use the breath to shift our emotional state, not just the other way aroundThe straw breath — Charlie leads us through a beautiful, portable breathwork practice specifically designed for anxiety and overwhelm. Five or six breaths, and you will feel it. Connect with Charlie & the Art of Living: Art of Living Retreat Center, Boone, NCArt of Living Part One Course (Happiness Retreat)Instagram Books mentioned: Breath by James NestorA New Earth by Eckhart TolleResources: Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

    39 min
  3. What If You Don't Need to Step Into Your Power — Reflections on Feminine Power in Midlife

    Jun 4

    What If You Don't Need to Step Into Your Power — Reflections on Feminine Power in Midlife

    Send us Fan Mail "Can't we just lie down in our power? Do we have to step into it?" That question, offered by Ayurvedic teacher Claudia Welch, sparked everything in this episode. Because when we talk about stepping into our power, we are implying that power is somewhere outside of us — something to reach for, to put on, to earn. But what if that image is wrong? What if our power is not something we need to step into, but something we need to remember? What if it has been there all along — beneath the people-pleasing, the masking, the overriding of our bodies, the making ourselves smaller to fit into a world that was not built for us? In this solo episode I explore: The difference between stepping into power and remembering power — and why that distinction matters deeply, especially in midlifeThe Ayurvedic framework of langhana and brahmana — why we live in a profoundly langhana (outputting, reducing, forward-moving) world, and what we lose when brahmana (nourishing, building, gathering inward) is treated as optionalThe feminine archetypes of power — Durga, Athena, the Maori women — fierce and powerful, but different in nature from the masculineThe layers we are peeling away: people-pleasing, masking, performing wellness, overriding the body's signals, making ourselves smallerThe two hormonal clocks — how testosterone operates on a 24-hour circadian rhythm that the entire modern world was built around, while estrogen and progesterone operate on a 28-day infradian rhythm with four distinct phases, each asking something different from the body and brainWhy researchers excluded women from clinical trials because their monthly hormonal variability was too complicated — and how that shaped an entire model of medicine and productivity that was never designed for a female bodyThe four phases of the feminine cycle and what each one genuinely requires — including why rest must come before output in certain phases, not as a reward for productivity but as a biological prerequisitePerimenopause as initiation — why so many women hit burnout and hormonal transition at the same moment, why the symptoms are not a sign of failure, and why this season is actually an invitation into a deeper relationship with your own powerWhy midlife, when estrogen begins to drop, can bring its own kind of liberation — as certain veils begin to fall away on their ownThe community piece — why coming together with other women and speaking these truths out loud is itself part of reclaiming feminine powerWhy you don't need to figure out how to change the system — and what your one small step is this weekThis episode is for every woman who has ever felt like she couldn't keep up, and wondered what was wrong with her. Nothing is wrong with you. You are simply running on a different clock. Free resources mentioned: Nourished for Resilience Workbook — self-assessment, resourcing ideas, reflection questions, and habit trackerDIY At-Home Weekend Nervous System Reset Template Teachers mentioned: Claudia Welch (Ayurveda, women's health and hormones) — Alisa Vitti (In the Flo, infradian rhythm and cycle syncing) Resources: Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

    33 min
  4. Real Change Starts in the Brain: Neuroscience, Burnout & Why You're Not Broken with Lisa Riegel

    May 28

    Real Change Starts in the Brain: Neuroscience, Burnout & Why You're Not Broken with Lisa Riegel

    Send us Fan Mail What if everything you've been told about change, motivation, and stress is missing the most important piece — your brain? This week I'm joined by Lisa Riegel, educator by training, strategist by practice, and someone who has dedicated her career to translating brain science into language and tools that actually help people feel more self-aware, regulated, and in control.  Lisa is the creator of the NeuroWell Framework and the Aspirations to Operations Commitment Framework, and whether she's working with Fortune 500 leaders, school systems, or individuals navigating their own lives, her message is the same: real change starts in the brain. In this conversation we cover so much ground, and I think you're going to find it as accessible and practical as I did. We talk about: Why 80% of the thinking happening in your brain right now is unconscious — and what that means for your behavior, your reactions, and your relationshipsMeet Bob and Harold — Lisa's brilliant, accessible way of explaining how your amygdala and thalamus work together to filter reality and trigger your stress responseThe four states of wakefulness (calm, alert, alarm, fear) and exactly what happens neurologically when you burn outWhy change is so hard — and why most change initiatives, in organizations and in our personal lives, fail before they even beginThe difference between outcome goals and action goals, and why that distinction is everythingWhy we don't know what our body feels like when we're happy — and a simple morning practice to start changing thatThe power of identifying not just what stresses you out, but why — and how uncovering the underlying fear gives you genuine self-controlWhy celebration is the most underused and misunderstood tool in leadership, parenting, and self-developmentHow to create your own resilient inner bubble in a world that feels increasingly out of controlLisa brings so much warmth and wisdom to this conversation, and her ability to take complex brain science and make it feel immediately usable is truly a gift. This one is for the leaders, the parents, the burnout survivors, and anyone who has ever wondered why they keep reacting in ways they don't intend to. Resources: Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

    42 min
  5. Don't Skip the Transition: Finding Stability in Late Spring's Liminal Space

    May 21

    Don't Skip the Transition: Finding Stability in Late Spring's Liminal Space

    Send us Fan Mail There's a moment every late spring where you can feel it — that internal pace starting to pick up with the heat, the to-do list for the garden suddenly feeling urgent, the rollercoaster of summer starting to pull you toward it before you're quite ready. This week's episode is for that moment. In this solo episode, I'm sharing what I've been working with personally as we move through this beautiful, liminal edge between Kapha and Pitta season — and the teachings from yogic philosophy and Ayurveda that have been grounding me. We explore: Sthira — the Sanskrit word for steadiness and rootedness, and how Patanjali's sutra sthira sukham asanam (the seat should be steady and at ease) is an invitation not just for the meditation cushion but for how we move through lifeThe gifts of Kapha dosha — why that stable, slow, grounded energy deserves to be carried forward into summer rather than shed in our rush to lighten upSandhya — the sacred in-between, the twilight of the seasons, and why this transitional moment holds so much more magic and potency than we usually allow ourselves to receiveBorrowing from Kapha — practical ways to fill your well now, before the full heat and activity of Pitta season arrivesDinacharya — how your daily rhythm is naturally shifting right now, and how to let that happen gradually and with intentionThe idea of not releasing things into the world until they're overripe — and how that applies to creative projects, seasons of life, and so much moreThis episode is an invitation to linger a little longer in the in-between. To savor the lushness of what's here before the harvest comes. To trust that things will fruit in their own timing — and that your steadiness is the foundation you'll stand on when summer's rollercoaster arrives. Resources: Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

    23 min
  6. You're Not the Problem: Adaptations, Nervous System Safety & the Conditions for Change with Lori Montry

    May 14

    You're Not the Problem: Adaptations, Nervous System Safety & the Conditions for Change with Lori Montry

    Send us Fan Mail Today's guest is Lori Montry — somatic healing practitioner, author of You're Not the Problem, and creator of The Freedom Formula, a nervous system-based roadmap for sustainable behavior change. Lori helps people who feel stuck in stress, overwhelm, or self-sabotage understand the survival patterns driving their choices so they can build the safety, capacity, and clarity needed to take aligned action in every area of their lives. There is so much resonance in this conversation — between Lori's work and Ayurveda, between the Freedom Formula and what we talk about every week on this podcast. I think you're going to feel it too. What we cover: Why Lori uses the word adaptation instead of problem, habit, or failure — and why that single reframe changes everything about how we relate to ourselves and our patternsThe most common adaptation she sees in women: I'm not enough — and the Mississippi River of coping mechanisms, people-pleasing, overachieving, and self-sabotage that flows from itWhat is actually happening at the nervous system level when you know what to do and still don't do it — and why it has nothing to do with willpowerThe three things the nervous system needs before behavior change is even possible: safety, capacity, and energy — and why trying to change without these in place is like expecting a seed to bloom in a dark closet with no waterWhy nervous system tools sometimes make things worse — and what to do insteadThe difference between managing stress and befriending it — and why safety lives in the body, not in the mindThe resonance between Lori's framework and Ayurveda — being situated in the self, the sattvic state, and why regulated nervous systems see reality more clearlyLori's vision of reaching 50 million people with the message that they are not the problem — and why a more somatic-literate world is one of the most urgent things we need right nowConnect with Laurie: Website: www.LoriMontry.com Youtube: Lori Montry -Somatic Healing Practitioner - YouTubeFacebook:  www.facebook.com/LoriMontryInstagram: Instagram Email List : https://www.lorimontry.com/book-intro Resources: Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

    45 min
  7. Oxytocin, Neural Plasticity & the Practices That Change Your Brain

    May 7

    Oxytocin, Neural Plasticity & the Practices That Change Your Brain

    Send us Fan Mail Today we're going somewhere I've been wanting to go for a while — into the neuroscience of oxytocin. Not oxytocin as the cuddle hormone, though it is that too.  Oxytocin as a brain-changing, nervous system-healing, plasticity-promoting substance that you can actually learn to stimulate intentionally through your daily practices. What we cover: What oxytocin actually is — beyond the "love hormone" label, it is a neuroplasticity agent that promotes new neuron growth, reshapes synaptic connections, and helps the brain become more open to change and healingThe oxytocin-safety loop — how oxytocin and the parasympathetic nervous system reinforce each other, and why this is the biological basis for healing happening in relationship and community rather than in isolationThe research on meditation — particularly loving-kindness, gratitude, and compassion-based practices — and why the heart-opening, relational quality of the practice matters more than meditation style aloneNadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing) — the honest framing of what the research does and doesn't yet show, and why the vagus nerve pathway makes it one of the most direct routes to oxytocin release we haveSeven everyday oxytocin releasers — gentle touch and self-massage, warmth, face-to-face community, humming and chanting, gratitude — and how each maps onto Ayurvedic practices you may already be doingFree downloads: Grab the one-page guide — 7 Ways to Release Oxytocin Today — with the science and Ayurvedic wisdom behind each practice. Click Here And my Self Abhyanga Guide Here Research References Oxytocin & Neural Plasticity Pekarek, B.T., Hunt, P.J., & Arenkiel, B.R. (2020). Oxytocin and Sensory Network Plasticity. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 14, 30. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.00030 Froemke, R.C., & Young, L.J. (2021). Oxytocin, Neural Plasticity, and Social Behavior. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 44, 359–381. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-neuro-102320-102847 Meditation & Oxytocin Bellosta-Batalla, M., et al. (2020). Increased salivary oxytocin and reduced anxiety in a mindfulness and compassion-based intervention. Mindfulness. (Referenced in Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2024) Machida, S., Sunagawa, M., & Takahashi, T. (2018). Oxytocin release during the meditation of altruism and appreciation (Arigato-Zen). International Journal of Neurology Research, 4, 364–370. Resources: Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

    33 min
  8. Reclaiming Radiance: Burnout, Nervous System Healing & Remembering Your Worth with Ms Elizabeth Munoz

    Apr 30

    Reclaiming Radiance: Burnout, Nervous System Healing & Remembering Your Worth with Ms Elizabeth Munoz

    Send us Fan Mail Today's guest is Ms Elizabeth Munoz, founder of Soul Haven and creator of the Reclaiming Radiance framework. Elizabeth spent 17 years in corporate — the last 11 in high-stakes technology sales — before her body completely shut down. Two emergency C-sections, a fibromyalgia diagnosis, and the moment her legs gave out walking to an airport when her daughter was three months old were the turning points that changed everything. What followed was a deep healing journey — through the nervous system, through identity, through grief — that led Elizabeth to build a life and business rooted in joy, regulation, and what she calls reclaiming radiance. She is also certified through the HeartMath Institute, holds a degree in psychology, and brings a deeply personal and deeply practical perspective to everything she teaches. What we cover: Why burnout is not a personal failure but intelligent nervous system signaling — and why pushing through only drives it deeperThe too much / not enough paradox that so many women carry, and how it shapes the way we show up in our bodies and our workThe difference between resilience and regulation — and why regulation has to come firstA simple, accessible mirror practice for women who have been overriding their bodies and want to begin rebuilding trust with themselvesWhat emotional congruence actually feels like in the body — and how micro aligned actions taken consistently are what build it over timeWhy our healing is never just for ourselves — and the personal loss that deepened Elizabeth's commitment to this workWhy midlife is not a decline but a reclamation — and why it is never, ever too lateElizabeth's invitation: You do not have to prove your worth. You were born worthy. The fact that you are here, breathing, in this timeline is proof enough. Connect with Elizabeth: Soul HavenReclaiming Radiance coursePodcastInstagramLinkedin Resources: Free Masterclass:  The Alchemy of the Perimenopause Portal Ayurvedic Dosha Quick Reference Guide Abhyanga Self Massage Guide Weekend Nervous System Reset Nourished For Resilience Workbook Find me at www.nourishednervoussystem.com and @nourishednervoussytem on Instagram

    39 min
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About

An exploration of  stress, the nervous system, and resilience through the lenses of Ayurveda, Somatic Practice, Herbs, Neural Plasticity and much more!   

Information

  • Creator
    Kristen Timchak
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    157
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Nourished Nervous System
  • Show Website
    The Nourished Nervous System

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