134: Awakening to Patterns That Drain Your Energy | Yoga & IFS

In this episode, Katie helps you navigate the holiday season with more clarity, grounding, and energy. Building on the idea of energy hygiene, she shares how daily energy maintenance is just as essential as caring for your physical health. Simple practices like pausing, walking, or breathing mindfully can help you stay centered even when life feels overwhelming. Katie also opens up about a deeply personal moment of clarity: recognizing an old unconscious pattern of trying to fix and protect everyone around her. This habit—rooted in childhood experiences of caretaking and managing others’ emotions—has continued into adulthood, often draining her energy without her realizing it. Through this real-time awakening, she explains: ✨ What an “Energy Drain” Really Is The obvious and not-so-obvious ways our energy leaks How family dynamics can activate old patterns Why trying to control everyone’s experience depletes your internal resources ✨ A Holiday Moment That Changed Everything During a family Christmas tree outing, Katie noticed her body physically tightening—an immediate sign of stress. That moment helped her see the deeper pattern she was living out: the role of fixer, protector, and emotional buffer. ✨ Awakening: Seeing Life As It Is Katie describes awakening as the moment when something previously invisible suddenly becomes clear. These moments are sacred—they’re invitations to shift, not judge ourselves. ✨ The Yoga Philosophy of Svadhyaya (Self-Study) She breaks down five ways to recognize your patterns: Repeated emotional reactions Physical tension or constriction Feeling drained or depleted Automatically acting without choice Losing alignment with your values Becoming aware of these patterns gives you the power of choice. ✨ Tools for Managing Stress, Anxiety & Energy Katie shares practical tools including: Breath awareness to calm your system Grounding exercises to create space between stimulus and response Vagal toning through vibration, humming, singing, or chanting Journaling to reveal your patterns and support clarity These techniques help you witness your patterns without judgment and reconnect to your values—especially during the intensity of the holiday season. Related Episodes: 94: Healing Through Internal Family Systems (IFS) 37: Living Ahisma: Cultivating Peace In A Turbulent World 66: Aparigraha: Letting Go For True Freedom 🔗 Helpful Links 🌐 Katie's Website 📰 Substack: Find short inspirations and longer writings on how to create a life that feels meaningful, purposeful, peaceful and fulfilled - head over to my substack page. 📩 Sign Up for the Weekly Newsletter: My weekly newsletter is designed to help you move closer to rediscovering your passion, purpose and intuition, while also learning how to make meaning out of the challenges life brings your way. 📞 Book a Clarity Call If you're ready to understand your own patterns, protect your energy, or move through the holidays with more ease, you can book a clarity call here: