The Body Knows

Ana Ally & Leona Waller
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Trading self-improvement for self-trust and rooting personal development in collective liberation. The Body Knows is where we — Ana and Leona — say the quiet parts out loud about healing, somatics and embodiment, and why trying to “fix yourself” never really works. We’re not selling five-step plans, and we’re definitely not pretending we have our shit together. We are coming back to the wild, wise truth that your body was never the problem. It’s been the compass all along. If that makes you exhale, hit subscribe on YouTube, Substack, or your favorite podcast app. thebodyknows.substack.com

  1. 12/17/2025

    Stop managing your stress like it’s a mental problem - TBK #15

    Your stress management strategies probably aren’t working because you're missing a piece. Most advice for coping with stress focuses on two places: your mind and your emotions. Reframe your situation. Let go of what you can’t control. Feel your feelings. Be gentle with yourself. But there's a third place, a very very important third piece: your nervous system, your body. You know, the place your stress actually LIVES. And until you go there, purely mental and emotional methods don’t stick. In this episode of The Body Knows, we explore why nervous system regulation is the missing piece in how we deal with stress and overwhelm, especially during the holidays. 🎙️ We talk about: – The difference between being activated and being grounded (and how to tell which one you're in)  – Understanding the spectrum of the fight-or-flight response, and noticing before you’ve hit fully triggered – What your window of tolerance actually is and why it matters  – Simple grounding practices and somatic practices for stress you can do in the car, the bathroom, or anywhere you can steal five minutes  – Breathwork for anxiety: the difference between breathing as a checkbox and breathing as a way to actually come home to yourself  – How to catch the fawn response in yourself (hint: if your jaw hurts from smiling, that's data)  – How to support yourself and others through holiday stress and holiday overwhelm, or any time expectations are high. Because you don't need to grit your teeth and white-knuckle your way through hard times. There's another way to calm down and find relief from stress, and it starts in your body. ♥️ Guided practices: Slow down & remember everything is okay. A breathing meditation for when you need to ground in the safety of your body. https://thebodyknows.substack.com/p/somatic-practice-slow-down-and-remember Shake it off. A shaking meditation for when you need to release pent-up energy so you can think clearly again. https://thebodyknows.substack.com/p/somatic-practice-shake-it-off 📌 Other episodes & resources mentioned: TBK 10: Step-by-step tools for discharging stress, anger, and overwhelm. https://thebodyknows.substack.com/p/just-relax-doesnt-work-when-youre  TBK 9: How to spot fawn, flight, fight, and freeze stress responses in yourself and the people you love. https://thebodyknows.substack.com/p/conflict-avoidance-workaholism-and  TBK 1: Thinking about your emotions isn’t the same as feeling them — and it won’t help you release them. https://thebodyknows.substack.com/p/the-essential-aspect-of-somatics  🌀 The Body Knows is where we — Ana Ally and Leona Waller‬ — say the quiet parts out loud about healing, somatics, and why trying to “fix yourself” never really works. We’re not selling five-step plans, and we’re definitely not pretending we have our s**t together. We're coming back to the wild, wise truth that your body was never the problem. It’s been the compass all along. ✨ Subscribe for:→ New episodes every other week→ Embodied truth, not performance→ A little irreverence, a lot of nervous system wisdom This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebodyknows.substack.com

    33 min

  2. 12/17/2025

    Somatic practice: Shake it off.

    We can’t think your way out of fight or flight. You’re in go-go-go mode, convinced if you just somehow rush through everything, nothing can touch you. Or you’re ranting at someone in your head, or pissed off and snapping, or gritting your teeth and working til the wee hours of the morning. These are all telltale signs that your nervous system is activated, and that energy needs somewhere to go. It’s not a mindset problem. It’s a body problem. This episode is a guided somatic shaking meditation to help you physically release the stress energy trapped in your system so your body can finally relax, sleep, or really feel anything besides tension. In this practice, we’ll: – Move the activation energy out of your body through intentional shaking – Help your nervous system complete the stress cycle it’s been stuck in – Release the grip, the brace, the “ready for battle” tension you’ve been holding – Land you in a calmer, more regulated state Press play when you’re wired and can’t wind down. (You can learn more about this nervous system phenomenon here, and the practices that help us re-ground here.) 🌀 The Body Knows is where we — Ana Ally and Leona Waller‬ — say the quiet parts out loud about healing, somatics, and why trying to “fix yourself” never really works. We’re not selling five-step plans, and we’re definitely not pretending we have our s**t together. We're coming back to the wild, wise truth that your body was never the problem. It’s been the compass all along. ✨ Subscribe for:→ New episodes every other week→ Embodied truth, not performance→ A little irreverence, a lot of nervous system wisdom This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebodyknows.substack.com

    7 min

  3. 12/17/2025

    Somatic practice: Slow down & remember everything is okay.

    You notice your thoughts are starting to spin. Your breath is shallow and you don’t what to sit still. You think you can maybe outrun this feeling if you are productive enough… but the truth is, you’ll only find relief when you slow down, not speed up. This episode is a guided somatic breathing meditation to help you come back to your body and present moment so you can remember that you’re okay. 🎙️ In this practice, we’ll: – Slow your breath from shallow urgency to deep, full inhales – Guide your awareness out of your spinning mind and into your body – Help your nervous system remember that right now, in this moment, nothing is chasing you Press play when you ready to breathe and return to a feeling of grounded clarity. 🌀 The Body Knows is where we — Ana Ally and Leona Waller‬ — say the quiet parts out loud about healing, somatics, and why trying to “fix yourself” never really works. We’re not selling five-step plans, and we’re definitely not pretending we have our s**t together. We're coming back to the wild, wise truth that your body was never the problem. It’s been the compass all along. ✨ Subscribe for:→ New episodes every other week→ Embodied truth, not performance→ A little irreverence, a lot of nervous system wisdom This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebodyknows.substack.com

    7 min

  4. 12/04/2025

    Self-suppression runs so deep, we’ve come to call it virtue - TBK #14

    We've been taught that love is synonymous with kindness. That evolution means transcending anger, grief, and rage into high-vibe serenity. But what if that's incomplete? What if the parts of ourselves we've been taught to fear — our wildness, our power, our sexuality, our rage — are not only sacred but EXACTLY what the world needs right now. In this episode, we're throwing a grenade into the spiritual, self-help space and exploring what happens when you stop demonizing your darkness and start wielding it responsibly. 🎙️ We talk about:– What archetypal embodiment work actually is (and how Jungian shadow work plays into it)  – Why "dark" doesn't mean evil — it means the parts of consciousness society has villainized  – The cost of only accessing light archetypes (spiritual bypassing, self-abandonment, playing small)  – How to work with the dark goddess archetype somatically — through movement, sound, and embodied expression  – Why reclaiming your darkness is the missing piece to loving better, leading better, and creating real change  Because “the only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion” – Albert Camus. 📌 Other episodes & resources mentioned: Last podcast was TBK 13: You need to get out of your head (but not to where you think). https://thebodyknows.substack.com/p/you-need-to-get-out-of-your-head  🌀 The Body Knows is where we — Ana Ally and Leona Waller‬ — say the quiet parts out loud about healing, somatics, and why trying to “fix yourself” never really works. We’re not selling five-step plans, and we’re definitely not pretending we have our s**t together. We're coming back to the wild, wise truth that your body was never the problem. It’s been the compass all along. ✨ Subscribe for:→ New episodes every other week→ Embodied truth, not performance→ A little irreverence, a lot of nervous system wisdom This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebodyknows.substack.com

    1 hr

  5. 11/19/2025

    You need to get out of your head (but not to where you think) - TBK #13

    We're overstimulated, dissociated, and searching for peace in all the wrong places. The answer isn't rising higher, it's rooting deeper. In this episode of The Body Knows, we explore why grounding into your pelvis might be the most important somatic practice and spiritual practice you've never heard of. We unpack how spiritual bypass, cultural conditioning, and our addiction to intensity have disconnected us from our bodies, and how grounding practice, rooting, and our lower chakras can bring us back home. 🎙️ We talk about:  – Why we're all walking around like dissociated balloons (and how to come back down)  – How bypassing keeps you stuck (and why lower chakras change that)  – The dopamine addiction that's destroying your ability to feel peace  – Concrete somatic grounding practices you can try right now  – Why reconnecting to pelvic awareness transforms your presence, power, and pleasure (including your sex life) Because not all mental health solutions require us to leave our bodies and emotions behind. Sometimes we need to reconnect to the deeper parts of self (which can’t get lost in overthinking, spiraling, or stress) to find peace.  📌 Other episodes & resources mentioned: Learning to tune into subtle sensations with somatics https://thebodyknows.substack.com/p/what-somatics-helps-with-and-how  Vipassana Retreats https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/index  Sabrina Lynn of ReWilding https://www.youtube.com/@ReWildingwithSabrinaLynn  🌀 The Body Knows is where we — Ana Ally and Leona Waller‬ — say the quiet parts out loud about healing, somatics, embodiment, and why trying to “fix yourself” never really works. We’re not selling five-step plans, and we’re definitely not pretending we have our s**t together. We're coming back to the wild, wise truth that your body was never the problem. It’s been the compass all along. ✨ Subscribe for:→ New episodes every other week→ Embodied truth, not performance→ A little irreverence, a lot of nervous system wisdom This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebodyknows.substack.com

    59 min

  6. 11/05/2025

    How ironic is it that medical science has forgotten the body? - TBK #12

    Somatic therapy is often called pseudoscience. Deniers question the validity of nervous system regulation, healing trauma stored in the body, emotional release, and the mind-body connection. Good thing there's an easy way to test if somatics works: by believing your own LIVED EXPERIENCE. 🎙 In this episode, we talk about:  – How we ended up with science being as dogmatic as religion (aka The Church of Reason) – The scientific research behind somatics (it's a budding field so there's still much we don't know) – Why we should also count the subjective experience as data – The evolution of the nervous system and nervous system regulation – Why there's so much fury around the idea that your body knows something your mind doesn't  Because here's a crazy idea: you are actually an AUTHORITY on your own body, healing, and nervous system. Even if science doesn't understand how or why.  📌 Books & authors mentioned: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk When the Body Says No by Gabor Mate Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter Levine 🌀 The Body Knows is where we — Ana Ally and Leona Waller‬ — say the quiet parts out loud about healing, somatics, and why trying to “fix yourself” never really works. We’re not selling five-step plans, and we’re definitely not pretending we have our s**t together. We're coming back to the wild, wise truth that your body was never the problem. It’s been the compass all along. ✨ Subscribe for:→ New episodes every other week→ Embodied truth, not performance→ A little irreverence, a lot of nervous system wisdom This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebodyknows.substack.com

    32 min

  7. 10/22/2025

    Medicine is whatever brings you back to wholeness - TBK #11

    Medicine isn't just pills. It's anything that brings you back to wholeness. In this episode of The Body Knows, we explore what actually counts as holistic health and why we've been taught to overlook the most accessible and reliable wellness tools we have. 🎙️ We talk about: – Why the question "what medicine do I need?" can be so much more powerful than "how do I fix myself?" – How treating certain things as medicine (instead of self-care) makes them non-negotiable – A simple framework for getting to the bottom of what will truly resource you We all have the body wisdom. Now we just have to stop ignoring it. 📌 Other episodes & resources mentioned: Temple of Yes — https://www.eroticreclamation.com/temple-of-yes  🌀 The Body Knows is where we — Ana Ally and Leona Waller‬ — say the quiet parts out loud about healing, somatics, and why trying to “fix yourself” never really works. We’re not selling five-step plans, and we’re definitely not pretending we have our s**t together. We're coming back to the wild, wise truth that your body was never the problem. It’s been the compass all along. ✨ Subscribe for: → New episodes every other week about somatics, embodiment, and mind-body wisdom→ Embodied truth, not performance→ A little irreverence, a lot of nervous system wisdom This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebodyknows.substack.com

    15 min

  8. 10/08/2025

    Step-by-step tools for discharging stress, anger, and overwhelm.

    When you're triggered and spiraling, deep breathing often doesn’t cut it. Your nervous system needs to expel the energy trapped in it, not just try to bypass it. In this episode of The Body Knows, we break down exactly what to do when you're triggered. We cover somatic practices and grounding techniques you can use right now to work WITH your stress response instead of fighting it. 🎙 We talk about:  – How to recognize when you're in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn (and why most people miss the signs) – Step-by-step somatic exercises: shaking, orienting, heel drops, self-contact, and more – How to release stress and discharge activation energy from your nervous system – Why nervous system regulation requires being in your body, not just going through the motions – What to do when classic somatic practices feel inaccessible or cringe – Special considerations for working with freeze responses This is nervous system regulation 101. If you've ever felt triggered and wondered "what do I actually DO?", this episode is for you. 📌 Other episodes & resources mentioned: TBK 9: Conflict avoidance, people pleasing, workaholism: all nervous system responses. https://thebodyknows.substack.com/p/conflict-avoidance-workaholism-and  TBK 5: What somatics helps with, and how to get started.https://thebodyknows.substack.com/p/what-somatics-helps-with-and-how  Emotions Inventory PDF. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TzVbSD4hF3VZFUM4cSIF_5vhETa_efvK/view?usp=drive_link  Melinda Delisle, Emotional Health with NERDS. https://melindadelisle.substack.com/ 🌀 The Body Knows is where we — Ana Ally and Leona Waller‬ — say the quiet parts out loud about healing, somatics, and why trying to “fix yourself” never really works. We’re not selling five-step plans, and we’re definitely not pretending we have our s**t together. We're coming back to the wild, wise truth that your body was never the problem. It’s been the compass all along. ✨ Subscribe for:→ New episodes every other week→ Embodied truth, not performance→ A little irreverence, a lot of nervous system wisdom This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thebodyknows.substack.com

    49 min
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Trading self-improvement for self-trust and rooting personal development in collective liberation. The Body Knows is where we — Ana and Leona — say the quiet parts out loud about healing, somatics and embodiment, and why trying to “fix yourself” never really works. We’re not selling five-step plans, and we’re definitely not pretending we have our shit together. We are coming back to the wild, wise truth that your body was never the problem. It’s been the compass all along. If that makes you exhale, hit subscribe on YouTube, Substack, or your favorite podcast app. thebodyknows.substack.com

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  • Creator
    Ana Ally & Leona Waller
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ana Ally & Leona Waller
  • Show Website
    The Body Knows