Ayurvedic Healing

Matt Cundill  0:01  
You may also like a show about the things you may also like things like our Vedic healing. The world of Erevan is mysterious, but it doesn't need to be. It also works. For instance, have you ever taken a dosha quiz? You have any yoga in your life? Have you ever used anything natural to heal a wound? Angelica Neary is a healers healer. She's a kundalini yoga instructor, reiki master meditation and Vedic Astrologer. That's the one where you can see the map of your karma. Angelica Neary is the founder of the Divine Feminine healers Academy. And she answers my most curious question first, what's with all the flying monkeys?

Angelica Neri  0:47  
Well, I'm so happy that you read that blog. I'm very artistic, I guess you could say when I write things, I think also in the spiritual world, people are very like lofty and have these main ideas. But I like using metaphors, because I think that's really helpful for people to understand. But I really like in that specific blog to fly monkeys as a lot of the limiting beliefs that we have, just in general. And I think that probably came from a lot of my studies with Vedic knowledge, which is a science that originated in India, and it's related to Yoga and Ayurveda. And we talked about the monkey mind a lot of how a lot of gurus and teachers will say that, that's just naturally how the human brain works, it's gonna go in a lot of different directions. And you're going to follow the self doubt, you're going to follow the lack of trust, you're going to follow the resentment, the jealousy, all these different things that we get pulled in directions into. And it's really about coming back to your center and in spirituality and in peace. So you can really navigate through that and realize that that's just a part of how the human brain works. And there's so many resources and how you can empower yourself to not be in the monkey mind.

Matt Cundill  1:56  
What came first for you? Was it our VEDA? Was it yoga, what came first? Definitely

Angelica Neri  2:02  
yoga. And I think for a lot of healers, too, they'll say, but there was those inclinations and passions that you started to see, even as a kid. Like as a kid, I think I was very spiritual, and I loved angels and spirits. And I had these very psychic experiences that I didn't have language for. So I didn't know that they were until I was older. And because I got like, because that's what that was. But I guess I got into this whole world, professionally when I first started to become a full time yoga instructor. And I've always been really connected my body, I started dancing my whole life. So that was just like a very natural transition. I was I was hooked for the physical benefits of it. And this you hear this so often between yoga instructors, they came in for the physical benefits, and then they realize there's all these other bodies that we have, and I'm like such a good poster child for that I went to India for a month I went to Irv to college, I became a Reiki Master like I ate all of it up. So it was really my introduction to the physical body that got me into this. So what is Reiki? Reiki is an ancient technique that originated in Japan, and it's an energy healing technique. The RE ar ei means universal and key means lifeforce energy. And so when you initiate this Reiki energy, it helps to bring healing to your energetic body, which also affects every other body, physical, mental and emotional, can break up our energetic blockages. Sometimes when people get Reiki attuned because I have Reiki certification programs. And when they're going through that attunement process, you can even feel those pops that happen in your body, they break apart stagnation blocks that have been there for years. And what that can do is actually deeply affect if you have chronic conditions, which is very much one of my cases that I had after I got my Reiki two certification. I suffered from a meta Ria, which is a lack of menses, and after not receiving my menses for over three years, the day after I received my Reiki to a two minute I did. So it's things like that, where it's like, there's so much you can't really describe with a lot of these techniques, except they're so anxious and powerful, and they've been used for 1000s of years. They also once you get to a point of really clearing out these energetic blockages, you connect to your intuition. So people start to have these transcendental experiences, they may get visions, colors, sounds, feelings, sensations, and they're able to really develop their psychic awareness. And that's what I'm super interested in. And I tend to get a lot of my clients are like that in my programs, and they want to start using a lot of those intuitive gifts and bringing that to their own businesses.

Matt Cundill  4:33  
So one of the words that comes up a lot in the work that you do when you hearken back to your past as well is intuitive, and the word intuition. And for a lot of people, it's like well, intuition that I kind of thought that might be a thing. That was my intuition, but you speak of it in such a deep way. So what is it exactly and tell me a little bit about your experience with being intuitive From a young age,

Angelica Neri  5:01  
I think intuition is the highest form of intelligence. And I'm such a wisdom seeker. I just truly love being around elders and love learning from them, because I think they have so much wisdom. And when I think about wisdom, I don't think about what you can read in a book, although I highly value that I'm always reading five different books at the same time. I think that this higher intelligence of wisdom is your intuition. It's that inner knowing that you have that can't be found in a book, or learning from someone else. But you have to trust your own inner compass. And I guess the best way to describe it, I was trying to teach it to a kid the other day was, do you know that feeling you get in your belly, that gut feeling, we just know something, you know, you're maybe in the wrong place, or you know that it feels really good. And this is the right thing for you. But it makes no sense at all. That's your intuition. It's that I can't describe it based on logistical terms of what we categorize in our culture. However, there's something within me that's strong, and that's moving me. And I think we've all had those experiences in our lives where we thought we were going to be the lawyer or the doctor. And then for some odd reason, something within us was telling us to do a different direction to start our own business, to pave our own path. And we listened to it for some reason. And we did that for a reason, because it was a strong pull that we have. So it shows up very specifically for different people, for me, specifically, and a lot of healers, it'll first come in physical sensations. So it'll feel like that gut feeling of like, Oh, this isn't the right spot for me, or, you know, you go to Rome, and it's just like a bad vibe. Or you go into a new hotel or an Airbnb, and you're like, something is not settling here. It's picking up on the subtleties in these energies. And so as you become more sensitive, and you awaken to your intuition, you realize that you're taking in a lot of energy all at different times. And so it gets harder to get clear on what is yours. What is your intuition? And then what is the other things that you're picking up on? And there has to be a distinguishing distinguishment. And there has to be a consistent practice of being able to clear out the noise, the monkey mind, and come back to what is truth? And what is your intuition and what yeah, what is truth for you. And that really is what it gets exciting, because it's so different for each person. And I really love how everyone can really celebrate how authentic they are, and how this person is drawn to this thing. And it's totally not for that person. But it's totally made for them.

Matt Cundill  7:26  
So, in my mind, I might have been thinking about intuition all along, but I've been calling it a heightened awareness. So one of the things yoga gave me was this heightened awareness of everything. And I think that's always been yogas greatest gift was that it would make me super aware or in your words, intuitive about the things around me, and the things that plagued me the things that I need. And then from that, of course, I'll dovetail into you know what I'm putting into my body. And I'm gonna get you to talk about our VEDA in just a second. I

Angelica Neri  8:01  
love that I think that awareness is the first step and the yogi's will always say that you have to be aware of if you have an addiction, if you have a habit, that's the first subtlety of it. But as you go deeper into these layers, you realize that there's a whole other world of different awareness, like you said, you can be aware of your physical body, which to me is the first key to accessing your intuition. And then the second key is mental and then an emotional body and it gets more subtle and subtler. And then you get into these psychic gifts where you can see things. So it kind of depends, like how far you want to go into this thing. But it's really fun to play with.

Matt Cundill  8:34  
So I had never really heard of Kundalini until I'd heard it being mentioned from Rachel McAdams. Oh,

Angelica Neri  8:43  
my gosh, really, she mentioned it, that's awesome, in a chance encounter

Matt Cundill  8:47  
that I had with her. But what is it?

Angelica Neri  8:50  
So Kundalini is an energy that lives all within us. And the metaphor that the yogi's use is, it's this serpent that lives at the bottom of our spine, and they use serpent energy, which I know can feel scary for a lot of people in our culture, at least, like people shy away from snakes, but snakes represent transformation. And snakes represent intuition and transformation, because how often they shed that skin, and they create a new one. And we too, as humans, just as we shed a lot of our identities each month with the moon, new moon and the full moon, we let go of different parts of our ego consistently all the time. And then, you know, of course, we actually lose physical people in this world where we attach so much of our identity to them, that there's constant transformation that's always happening. So it's such a pivotal metaphor, this serpent that lies dormant at the base of our spine. We all have that within us. But it's this like, potential of endless energy that we have. And some of us users, some of us don't, it just lays dormant. That's it. And some of us just live in this world in this physical world where it's food money body, and that's all we see. That's the only awareness which is a fine place to live. I think everyone's on their own journey. And then when you start to really activate the Kundalini energy, that serpent coils up your spine and in activates these different energy centers called the chakras that are connected to the mind, the body, the physical body, physiological systems, it gives us this way to really understand all these bodies and how they work together. And so this when this energy is activated by using Kundalini Yoga, it can clear out a lot of old patterns that we have. And again, it can awaken your intuition. So you know, all these things, traditions, traditions, Reiki, I Aveda and Kundalini, you can see they're very telling very similar things, but just kind of in their own way. And it's kind of fun to work in their own way. And Kundalini, it's its own former yoga, but it's the most ancient form of yoga. You know, in the West, we've really segmented yoga to be this is yoga nidra. This is vinyasa yoga. This is Hatha Yoga, this is Kundalini Yoga, this is breathwork and meditation, because we don't, quote unquote, have the time. So you know, you'll see, especially in LA, it's like, here's your breath, reclass, your meditation class, there's Kundalini. But originally how it was taught in India, and this is what I was trained in, was just yoga. You did all of them all in one practice, you can't put them in boxes, it was just was the whole thing. And specifically, Kundalini really encapsulates, I think, the most ancient form of yoga because it works with this infinite potential that we have within us. Have you practiced Kundalini before? No. I wonder how you would feel after it's probably the weirdest thing I've ever done in my life. And I've done a lot of weird things. But some of the classes that I'll take you're like, This is so beyond. And it's some of the most challenging classes that I've taken, not necessarily physically in my body. Because I've done a lot of physical things and exercises I love to do. But the mental and physical combination of it all, is truly something that could put you up against the most resistance.

Matt Cundill  11:58  
So you mentioned a number of different types of yoga, you left out yen, which is one that I go to, at least once a week, give me a yoga pose, or even one that you did in yen that you may have held for a while that made you cry.

Angelica Neri  12:13  
That's interesting. I'm trying to think about earlier in my practice, because I know I did have those emotional experiences when I was in yoga. And that's why I love this so much. It was able to really get me to feel my emotions. And I have to say that I don't use my Vinyasa or physical practice in that way anymore. I access my emotions with other modalities. But I think the hips are a huge way in which we store emotions. And you'll hear that a lot in yoga. And the science behind it is so great. And I'm not an expert in science. So you know, anyone who is who's listening to this, this is just what I've pieced together when I've learned from other people who are experts. But specifically the hip flexors in this. So last major which are in the front part of the hips. There's all these nerve bundles that are there. And we store emotions, there's there's think about it when we're sitting in a chair, which is majority of us and our jobs, the psoas major and that hip flexor is actually tense. And it's actually freezing up. And so when we're dealing with all the stress in our job, and we're sitting there, it's like just constantly being pulled there. So in a lot of yoga practices, like yen especially, there's these lot of hip openers, because we can really start to release a lot of this energy. And it feels really good because you're able and you're like, Why am I crying right now I understand. And I love that because you know, you don't have to necessarily know why you're accessing that emotion. It just is there in the body, and it's ready to release. I will say also heart openers are just massive. I think that that is one of the most powerful postures to do and one of my favorites. I've heard before that our backside of the body represents our past. And so I think by just doing heart openers and strengthening the back muscles particularly, really helps us to release a lot of things and to let go of things that we've been holding on to for a really long time. So I've noticed that they're very stimulating, but I noticed that has exposed my students the most new yoga classes is doing heart openers, and big ones like Campbell, and we all pose and even probably for myself, that's probably where I've experience the most emotional release.

Mary Anne Ivison (Voiceover)  14:29  
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Angelica Neri  14:41  
Tell me about the doshas. So the doshas are energy types. That's how I like to call them and they're a way to really understand how each person was given unique mind, body and spirit and this is one of the most important tenants and I are vedo I shouldn't say most important, but this is where people really To understand our data, and that's because we understand it through ourselves. And we love learning things like, I don't know if you've heard about human design before, it's all the rage. And so it's you know, knowing your energy type. And same thing with the doshas, like everyone wants to know who they are, and they love astrology. So it's another way to under identify how each person has unique mind, body and spirit. Now, when you have that dosha dosha actually translates to imbalance. So you not only have a unique combination of these three doshas that are signified in iron VEDA, there are pitta, kapha, and vata, we all are made up of all three, just in varying proportions, you'll find that some people are very more of the fiery type. And we call these pitha, meaning goal oriented focus motivated, clear, direct, passionate, see a goal and a vision going to follow through it all the way through, physically in the body. They'll build muscle really easily, they'll have higher metabolisms. And then there's people who relate to more of the Vata dosha. And they are more thin Frane. They have a very expansive mind, so very much the artists and the creators of the world, and they tend to be very free spirited, and kind of like living life, on the seat of their pants, they very much fly from one thing to the next. Don't really like the organization and structure as much they really love and nurture their creativity, and similarily in their bodies really translates to this light energy where they'll have thinner frames, it'll be difficult for them to gain weight. And overall, they're just this very inspiring and exciting creatures. And then we have our capos who tend to be the nurturers. They're the mom of the group or the dad of the group, they like to take care of everyone, they love to guide everyone, they like schedule, they like routine, they like to go according to plan, if it doesn't, you know, not really their vibe. And physically in their body. This translates to having very grounding features. So sometimes it because they have bigger bones, it can be maybe holding on to weight more easily having bigger features like in their eyes. And I'm just really briefly going through these doshas, there's a whole world behind them, and you can get very clinical into them too. And understanding how this affects different types of organs and physiological systems. That's how deep I or VEDA goes. But just to kind of give you a taste, I think for the audience is helpful to understand how you may relate to them. Now, again, you're all three of them. So if you're like I kind of related to all three, in a way, it's true, but primarily a lot of people relate to one dosha is having a dominant one. And then we also relate to having a dual dosha. So some you can be like them pretty equal vata copper, or pitta, vata, now, where people I think, get the most confused as that's your constitution, that doesn't change that combination was given to when you got out of your mother's womb. However, we go through different imbalances throughout our life, there's times in our life where maybe we've gained weight, it's been difficult to lose, there's time in our life, where we've had a lot of inflammation, and maybe a chronic condition flared up. And there's time in our life where we may have symptoms like insomnia and anxiety and overwhelm. Well, that is called what your current imbalances. And that can be a different dosha than you may relate to as your dominant dosha. It's not always, it's actually more the tendency I see is if you're a pika, you tend to go in that direction of being out of balance and picked up because like, likes, like, like increases, like, so. Pit does. They love fire, you spicy foods, but you know, it can cause more inflammation. Yeah, I'm right there with you. However, we, you know, we're in the winter months now. And it's always about working with the current energy. So the doshas also represent the seasons. So, Pitta is summer season. Right now we're in the fall season, it's vata. So it's tend to be a little bit cooler, depending where you're at. I mean, I'm in LA, and we're still getting these, like, random 80 degree days. And I'm not complaining because I know it's pretty snowing in the Midwest. But when you want those warm drinks, and spices and things that you can have in the summertime, you still have to be careful about having that. So it's all about balancing the energies, again, working with the energies and understanding them. And it's so intuitive in the way of we're already doing this. You know, you could see this with everyone being obsessed with pumpkin spice anything during this time of year, because that's actually best for your digestive system that tends to go a little bit slower because it's colder outside.

Matt Cundill  19:19  
So I love the fact that you mentioned that we're moving into Vatta season. And you helped me out immensely this summer when we were in Pitta season. Some of the foods I needed to eat to sort of cool down a little bit more cucumbers and cooling and less spicy and avoiding the peppers and creating that wonderful balance. I believe you have a dosha quiz on your website, right? Yes,

Angelica Neri  19:40  
I do. If you sign up for my newsletter, then you'll be able to find out what your dosha is.

Matt Cundill  19:46  
That's phenomenal. What's your website again?

Angelica Neri  19:48  
Angelica AMG el I see a rose Neary and is a Nancy e r i.com. And then you'll see there's a lot of free resources just kind of depending on What you're looking for,

Matt Cundill  20:01  
and one of the podcast episodes that I listened to this summer talked a little bit about veganism and sobriety, and your relationship with it, and sometimes without it. So can you talk a little bit about, you know, changes that get made to diet?

Angelica Neri  20:13  
Yeah, I think that our culture is very obsessed with diet. And I'm definitely guilty of that, too. You know, like, I think it's so interesting and fascinating. I love food, I love cooking. And I'm so always looking for the foods that can be best for my specific body type, which I think is so interesting. And I think a lot of people are interested in this, I led an Ayurvedic dinner party in LA last week, it was so great, and I did all around vata season. And then I created the main dish so that everyone could customize it based on what their dosha was. And that's what feels really empowering. It's like, you know, even if I'm making dinner for my family, there's different ways that I can toppings and spices that I could put on it, so that it actually works for my body's chemistry. And then I could feel really good after I don't feel full, sluggish, heated, whatever. It's all good. So I love that aspect to it. But for me, and those who tend to be more of the prototype, we can get obsessed with things right, we can get so attached to it, where it then becomes like, Oh, I'm only focused on what I'm eating has to be perfect. And I definitely had that projection onto Ayurveda, when I learned it, where I think I thought I was a monk at one time, like I was meditating for three hours every morning, I and on top of that yoga, and then all my iron Vedic rituals. And then I wouldn't watch TV, I didn't watch TV for like two years, I didn't drink alcohol within those two years. And then I wanted to be pure and clean and be, quote, unquote, the best healer. And I was, you know, really good at putting that image out there. And then I really had to check in and over time, I realized, I really suck the joy out of everything. And I wasn't being a human anymore. And I was actually unrelatable. Like, I'm not some guru in the Himalayas, who's meditating every day, like, I'm a human who lives in a major city, who also really enjoys food and glass of wine and going out and dancing with friends. And I really stripped myself of a lot of choice. So this year has really been a practice of getting back to meeting myself where I'm at. And I don't even know if my goal is ever to get to that point ever again, I don't think that that's true to who I am. I think part of why I'm sharing this ancient wisdom is to show you that you can do it in a way that's very practical, and you could still be human and have fun with it. So recently, this year, one of the ways I started playing around with this, I was vegan for 10 years, and I started eating meat again, I was just honestly craving it. So that's another way that your intuition comes on where I say this on my podcast, if you listen to that episode, it was so funny, but I literally started dreaming of eating fish at first. And I was like, Okay, once my dreams tell me things, my dreams are always very clear and vivid. I know I have to follow them. So that was a fun journey going into it. And now my body is just responding so well to me. And I've been looking into a lot of the signs and the studies. And there's this whole wave of, I think, reclaiming our ownership over eating meat in a way that can be sustainable. And in a way that is actually, you know, I want to tread lightly here because I know there's a lot of morals and systems behind it and not pushing anyone to be anyway, or but but I've actually read that it's not as bad for the environment as the other things that we are doing that we can focus our energy elsewhere and actually be more productive. So that for me was like a huge thing too, because there was a whole moral system that was following. So it's been really awesome just to like, expand my diet again, too. And also just to feel really good in my body and stable. I didn't realize when you're on a vegan diet, you know, fruit is like 50% of your diet, and especially for women that could really spike your glucose levels and bring you on a roller coaster of just craving sweets all the time. And in Ayurveda, one of the ways that we balanced the body and ground the body is by incorporating the sweet taste, which we actually get from meats. So what I really found in my body in my journey with healing my hormones is that incorporating meats has been very, very helpful for that. So I've been really grateful for that lesson. It's also just been nice to enjoy meals with my family again, I come from an Italian family. So you can only imagine what these past 10 years like had been being a vegan. So that's been really great, too. And then, yeah, alcohol too, I realized I didn't have a problem with it either. I think there's this whole sober movement that's happening, maybe just in my small bubble in LA I'm seeing it or, and I love it. You know, it's not like I have to go out every time and drink. But I realized again, it was another extremist thing that I was doing. And I love enjoying or going out for a night and drinking alcohol and having fun. And then I'm like, You know what, I'm done with that for a little while, but I'm so happy I had those moments and I felt like a human again and I didn't have to restrict myself and even though in the back of my mind, I was like I really want this and to have fun. So I don't think that that's again these are like slippery slopes right but I don't think it has to be black. or wait for anyone and who knows if I'm going to be drinking alcohol for the rest of my life. But I think it's always important to feel what's true for you in that moment. Even if you feel like that's not the best, or the perfect version of it, just to be really honest of what you want. You

Matt Cundill  25:16  
feel like a healers healer, like you're a healer to the healers. But at the same time, I don't consider myself a healer, but I can identify with a number of the things you talk about, and I connect with your podcast, you know, in that manner. So who ideally do you work with?

Angelica Neri  25:30  
I am a healer, healer. And it's so funny, because when I say that, and then when I first start working with clients are like, Well, I'm not a healer. And I really just think anyone who's on a quest of, you know, seeking more information about their body and wanting to feel good in their body is a healer. I always had like a whole journey with that term as well. But I typically work with a lot of women and just a small percentage of men working on, of course, connecting to their body, but those who are really deeply interested in spirituality, and connecting to their intuition, because I really love talking about the really esoteric stuff and everything that we talked about today. And I want people who are really seeking to go deep into those. So I work with a lot of healers, and especially healers who are just wanting to start their businesses, and are really just laying down their foundations. And wanting some guidance wanted some spark and accountability and inspiration. That's like, my favorite place to be because it's such an exciting time you have all these different passions that are coming in your recruiting or certifications. And what better than to bring your gifts what you were meant to do on earth and bring them to everyone else. I

Matt Cundill  26:34  
think I'm off to go find a Kunal lini class to participate in. Yes, please do. I

Angelica Neri  26:39  
can't wait to hear what your experience is like. I'm so grateful that you listen and are so open to this. That's so awesome.

Matt Cundill  26:48  
My thanks to Angelica and URI for joining me on the show. Her show is called the Divine Feminine healers podcast, give it a follow and it's everywhere you would expect to find podcasts. I also put links to her website where you can connect further there in the show notes and you may also like dotnet this episode was produced by Evan Sieminski and edited by Aidan glassy and built for your ears by everyone at the sound off media company.