Balloon Breaths, Turtle Shells, and the Three Faces of Ego with Lisa Danahy

Yoga therapist and Create Calm founder Lisa Danahy joins Tim for a conversation about energy, ego, and the nervous system. Lisa explains why self regulation has to come before you can help anyone else steady theirs, and breaks down her framework for understanding ego as three layers: essential, essence, and dominant. She also shares the story of a four year old on the verge of being expelled from preschool who learned to calm himself with balloon breaths, then taught the technique to his own mother. It is a grounded, practical look at how playful movement and a little self honesty can help anyone reconnect with who they really are.Key takeaways:Co-regulation means consciously meeting someone's energy before you can guide it toward balance.Self-regulation has to come first — Lisa practices reading her own stress signals in low-stakes moments so the skill is there when it counts.Ego shows up in three forms: essential (survival), essence (your unique gifts), and dominant (the shame-and-guilt-driven one).Lisa's go-to gut-check for a harsh inner voice is simply asking, "Is that true?"PLAY — Practicing Life's Authentic Yes — uses playful, opposite-extreme movement to help people notice when they've drifted from themselves.A 4-year-old facing expulsion learned to self-regulate through "balloon breaths" and "turtle shells," then taught the technique to his own mother.Redefining "work" to include rest and daily life dissolved Lisa's productivity shame without making her less productive.Lisa's core belief is that everyone is a "same size soul," whole and complete from day one, simply cycling through forgetting and remembering who they are. Want to hear more? Visit our website for Powerful and Unpolished to listen to more episodes!Connect with Tim on Facebook!Cheers!