The Mountain Mystic Podcast

Movement as a Spiritual Practice: Move your body every day, throughout the day. It doesn’t matter so much what you do, so long as you do, indeed, go move.Walk. Run. Dance. Bike. Lift. Wander. Swim. Do yoga.It doesn’t matter so much what you do, as long as you do, indeed, move!Furthermore, do not just do this as a one-off. Make it a part of your day, throughout your day! Get in the habit of being in motion. Toss your sedentary lifestyle away!As you move, there is an invitation to release distractions. Let go of external metrics and tech. In their place, turn inward.Connect consciously with your body.Move. As you do, go within. Connect with your body as you are in motion:Feel into your body - your muscles, bones, and other tissues in motionGround into your body - feeling the support that your body holds (as well as the Earth as she holds you)Experience fluidity - breathe in sync with movement and get into the flow of lifeLet this experience bring you joy, bring you healing, and bring you into sacred connection with all that you are.-In this episode:Movement as a spiritual practice — and why your body is a sacred spaceSimple practices for bringing more consciousness to your movementHow to make your movement practice authentically your ownRead the accompanying blog postRead Practice: 1 - A Practice in Physical StillnessRead about all 11 Practices for Cultivating an Embodied Spirituality#embodiment #embodiedliving #spiritualawakening #movementpractice #yogaSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Welcome back to The Mountain Mystic Podcast. After a quiet winter of rest and renewal, Season 3 is here — and it carries something close to my heart.This season, we're walking together through The Embodied Path: a spiritual framework rooted not in transcendence or escape, but in the radical, tender act of being here — present, grounded, and alive in your body.The Embodied Path is a spiritual framework developed by myself, Katie Hemphill, built around the principle that true spiritual growth happens in the body, in the present moment, and in the ordinary textures of daily life. Over the course of Season 3, we will move through 11 foundational practices — beginning here, with stillness.In This Episode:The Bigger Picture: Why Grounded Spirituality Matters I share the "why" behind everything I teach. So much of spirituality focuses on ascension — rising above, transcending, escaping the human experience. The Embodied Path offers something different: a spirituality that descends into life rather than away from it. The First Practice: Physical Stillness We arrive at the first of 11 practices that form The Embodied Path. Physical Stillness is a foundational form of meditation — simple, accessible, and deeply powerful. I walk you through the practice itself, step by step, along with additional guidance to help you settle in and make it your own.When This Practice Isn't for You (And What to Do Instead) Not every practice meets every person where they are — and that's not a failure, it's wisdom. I speak honestly about who this particular practice may not serve, and offer gentle alternatives and pathways forward for those who find physical stillness challenging or inaccessible right now.Links:Join the Newsletter at https://forestbody.comSign up for my Stillness short coursePhysical Stillness Blog Post11 Spiritual Practices Blog PostThe Great Dance Podcast EpisodeMy Meditation Practice Broke Me (YouTube Video)If this episode resonated with you, I'd love for you to leave a review or share it with someone who is on their own path of awakening.Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Embody the energy of this powerful moment—the Sagittarius New Moon aligning with Winter Solstice creates a rare opportunity for alignment and intention-setting.In this episode, we explore how to harness the fiery wisdom of Sagittarius during the darkest time of the year. You'll discover a special guided practice to commune with and ignite your inner SoulFire, release what no longer serves you, and set bold intentions for the new cycle ahead.This isn't surface level shedding and manifesting. This is a journey deep into your inner truth - communing with soul as you align to all the spaces that will bring you your highest joy and deepest fulfillment.Episode HighlightsUnderstanding the spiritual significance of the Sagittarius New Moon and Winter Solstice convergenceGuided meditation to connect with your inner Soulfire energyRitual practices to honor the darkness and welcome the returning lightThe most powerful way to set intentions to manifest what you are ready forHow to align your personal goals with this expansive Sagittarius energyJoin me for this transformative practice and step into the new year with clarity, courage, and your soulfire fully ablaze.#SagittariusNewMoon #WinterSolstice #SoulFire #NewMoonRituals #SpiritualPractice #AstrologyPodcast #MoonMagic #WinterSolsticeRituals #Sagittarius #NewMoonIntentions #SpiritualJourney #MindfulnessJourney #SacredPractice #InnerWisdom #Embodiment #EmbodiedLiving #SpiritualAwakeningSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

What would it feel like to move through life with the stability of a mountain? In this transformative episode, we explore the Mountain Archetype - an ancient wisdom teaching that helps you cultivate unshakeable grounding, expansive awareness, and skillful navigation through life's ever-changing landscape.This is not just a conversation about the mountain - it's an experiential journey. Throughout this episode, you'll be guided through multiple embodiment practices designed to help you directly experience what it means to be grounded like a mountain, to hold open awareness like vast sky meeting stone, and to move forward through life with purpose and grace.Key Topics CoveredArchetypal Embodiment: Calling in the wisdom that is available to us through Earthly formsAwakening through chaos: Yes, the world around us is in chaos. Instead of pulling you down, let it transform you for the betterStaying Centered: Maintaining your groundedness while showing up for life in a way that mattersEmbodied Practice: Turning inspiration into consistent, meaningful actionWho This Episode Is ForAnyone feeling overwhelmed by the world's problems and wanting to cultivate deeper groundingAnyone looking for deeper, more sacred connection to EarthThose who want to move beyond inspirational quotes to actual embodied practiceLeaders and changemakers looking to ground their impact in what truly mattersThose seeking to find union of feminine and masculine in archetypal embodimentRelated Content:Embody The Mountain YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/_6eRc8fJyAE?si=v7_5l5bI9LimsoXeDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on The We Are The Forest Substack or on The Mountain Mystic SubstackJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here. #MountainArchetype #Grounding #Embodiment #SpiritualPractice #Mindfulness #InnerPeace #Meditation #Awareness #PersonalGrowth #SacredArchetypes Support the showSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Episode Summary"Be the light" has become such a common phrase that it's lost much of its transformative power. But what if we could reclaim this concept and turn it into something practical, grounded, and genuinely impactful?In this episode, we get to practice what it means to call in and embody "the light," and we get to dive into what it means to apply this in what has become a dark world. As we find our grounding and connect into our own embodied selves, we get to learn to show up for this life authentically connecting to what matters most.Key Topics CoveredReclaiming what it means to be the light in a dark world: Moving beyond empty platitudes to embodied actionStrategic Service: Being of service where it actually matters and makes a differenceProblem-Solving with Purpose: Focusing your energy on solving important problemsStaying Centered: Maintaining your groundedness while showing up for life in a way that mattersEmbodied Practice: Turning inspiration into consistent, meaningful actionKey Takeaways✨  Spiritual practice requires staying grounded - Without a solid and embodied foundation, our spiritual intentions stay too airy fairy and don't impact what matters✨ Practical service over performance - True impact comes from addressing real needs, not from looking good✨ Centered action is sustainable action - When we stay focused on what matters most, we can maintain our service long-term✨ Kindness is a practice, not just a feeling - Learn how to actively call in kindness rather than waiting for it to happenWho This Episode Is ForAnyone feeling overwhelmed by the world's problems and wanting to make a meaningful differencePeople seeking practical ways to be of serviceThose who want to move beyond inspirational quotes to actual embodied practiceLeaders and changemakers looking to ground their impact in what truly mattersAnyone ready to reclaim the power of "being the light" through concrete actionQuestions for ReflectionWhere in your life are you performing "being the light" versus actually embodying it?What important problems are calling for your specific gifts and attention?How can you call in more kindness in your daily interactions?What does staying "grounded and centered" look like in practice for you?Tags#BeTheLight #GroundedPractice #KindnessInAction #ServiceOriented #MeaningfulImpact #EmbodiedLeadership  #PracticalSpirit #AuthenticServiceLove this episode? Please leave a review and share it with someone who needs tSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Right now, I am up in the big mountains of Colorado, training for my 3rd 100 mile ultra-running event later this summer. Join me as I explore the rugged beauty of the Colorado mountains as I train for this wild 100-mile race. More than just miles and vert, this podcast delves into the profound connection we share with the Earth, inviting you on a journey of embodiment and self-discovery. But the trails are under threat. Powerful forces are at play, attempting to disconnect us from the healing power of nature. That's why it's never been more critical to cultivate discernment, take meaningful action, and reclaim our rightful place in the wild. Join me as we run, reflect, and rise to the challenge, one step at a time.Join me in Earth Embodiment practice - coming to you directly from the mountains - on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5MVyHmuGxAE?si=W_kugszfL-pRkGfiSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

We have made it! After many episodes this season we are ready to jump into the core theme - the heart, the soul, the inspiration - for The Mountain Mystic Podcast!The Mountain. In all her majesty. In all her glory. We all know the sayings and the cliches about The Mountain, including its use as a metaphor for our journeys through life. But I want to take you deeper. I am here to invoke The Mountain, to inspire her within you as you call her in, embody her, and let her guide you into connection with life that is grounded, fulfilling as it fills you with light and joy.In this practice-centered podcast, we take what we all know about the metaphor of The Mountain and we embody it. We do this through guided visualizations, turning it all into an embodied meditation that you know I love to do in this space!Deepen into practice: I have created an entire library worth of guided meditations and embodied activations to help you deepen into this work! Join in at a price that works best for you at upwardslopes.com/libraryA Walk Through The Forest: Follow along on YouTubeRead the accompanying blog post: Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

We have a long list of challenges to face in this world. We do this by putting our minds together, working as a collective with effort to resolve that which needs to be resolved. But our task in these times requires more than this! We must also be doing the heart-centered embodiment work that brings us into a felt, known connection with that which connects us all.This is biological concept, just as much as it is a spiritual one. In our newest conversation centered on The Embodied Path, I speak to the heart of the concept that ties your journey inward to your ability to show up as skillfully as you are able for this world we are all part of.Collective healing can only happen as we recognize our own, individual selves in connection to the whole web of life. This is our work here, as we heal our internal patterning in connection to the collective healing of our whole Planet Earth.Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

As we find ourselves in turbulent times, one of the most powerful things we can do (for ourselves and for the whole planet we are all a part of) is to stay grounded: To find that connection with the support we need to feel safe and vitalized, centered and ready to show up for this world.Grounding has to do with presence, just as it has to do with connection. How present can you be in any one moment has much to do with how grounded you are. And, how grounded you are has a lot to do with how connected you are to the whole of life happening around you (and, within you).In this episode, join me for two focused practices on grounding, along with conversation on how you can find and deepen into your grounding. Because grounding doesn't look the same for everyone. As I share in my own story in this episode, grounding sometimes requires creativity and doesn't always look like some standardized yoga or meditation practice!Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Join me today for focused practice as I guide you to tap into your sacred heart warrior within! Release the chaos of the outside world that is constantly trying to steal your attention. Find your grounding, get focused, and connect into the path that aligns with your highest service to this world.Plus, in this episode we get to play in Leo Full Moon energy! What a treat to tap into our inner strength, courage, and compassion under the power of this full moon. This sacred activation will guide you to release the distractions and get focused on what matters most in this world.In this episode:Grounding and connection - found within self and in connection to Planet EarthWhat it means to align with how you can best show up for this worldYour empowerment to take control in this world doing what you are best capable of showing up forFull Moon in Leo Energy guiding us deeper into our fiery and courageous heartsLetting go of all those parts of life that hold your attention that do not serveSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

In this podcast episode we dive into the importance of staying embodied in turbulent times. In a way, this means staying grounded centered, present, and focused on what truly matters. As always, embodiment is an umbrella term encompassing a broad set of experiences:felt connection to all parts of self, including the ability to know which parts of self most need your conscious awareness in any momentgrounding and connection to your physical self, as well as your connection to this Planet EarthEmbodiment is a path and process. It isn't a state, but a dynamic state of being. This is especially important to recognize during turbulent times when life is throwing all sorts of challenges our way.Embodiment is a healing path just as much as it is a process of learning discernment.More to say in the episode!Deepen in with a free guided meditation for grounding and connection: Visit https://upwardslopes.com/deeproots/Go deeper on your embodiment path with my 5-part Embodied Foundations Workshops Series: https://upwardslopes.com/get-out-of-your-head-workshop/Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

I am sitting here watching LA on fire: the latest catastrophe hitting our planet with devastating effects; and I am holding space for how I can best lead myself and my communities into the healing and transformation that we are all ready for. And I am humbled, because I just don't know how to fix this and how to solve these great problems that our world is now facing.It is in this space that I return to the practices that I have learned as I've come to know the embodiment path. The reality is that us human beings hold tremendous power to not only transform ourselves, but also the world we are all part of. The problem is that we were taught to do this by living in our heads, doing all we can to be smart enough and muster up enough willpower to cause the change we believe to be most important. This is one way to do things, and sometimes it creates useful results.The embodied path is different. It has us largely getting out of our heads, becoming ever-more present in felt connection to all that we are (as individuals, as communities, and as the ecosystems we are all part of).  Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Presence is a powerful term, but what we don't often understand is how much we are asked when it comes to the path that is becoming ever-more present to reality. In this way, I see presence less as a state and more as a process: an art and skill that is cultivated over time as we become more and more able to sense/feel/perceive and otherwise hold our consciousness with that which is arising in each moment.Today we continue to speak to presence by looking at those challenging times that life asks us to stay here, sensing/perceiving/feeling/knowing that which is challenging in the moment.Again, recognizing that this is a path/process as we move out of the modern way of things (a way of being that has us ever-reaching towards distraction, numbing, etc.) as we learn to feel into self. Knowing that it is in feeling into self that we become fully attuned to this world we are all part of.Listen to the related episode mentioned in today's podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2047846/episodes/16079777Listen to last season's episode on being present with those dark/painful/unpleasant aspects of reality: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2047846/episodes/14082246Join this winter's meditation program:Visit stillness.forestbody.com to learn moreSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Finding myself in a wild season (The Holidays) that bring forth a whole lot of noise and chaos while simultaneously bringing through a pull to get quiet, to turn inward, and to nestle deep into stillness. Oh, how this season is a strange time: one that makes my head spin as I do my best to sort it all out. Inviting you into an episode to help guide you through these strange times:Letting go of the noise "out there"Cultivating stillness and clarity withinWalking the embodied path with grounding, clarity, and discernmentRecorded for you on the Gemini Full Moon, bringing through its added flavor to the mix! How can we come into a better relationship with our minds:learning to quiet the chaos of our thoughtslearning to call in clarity through stillness so we can be the wisest, most discerning versions of selfSagittarius Truth Fire Episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2047846/episodes/16264690Sagittarius Blog Post: https://upwardslopes.com/grounding-into-your-inner-truth-lessons-from-working-with-sagittarius-fire/Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

As the days grow dark and the chill sets in the air, a powerful force awakens to guide you into your inner truth. Ha! The power of Sagittarius. Which, yes, has so much to do with adventure and expansion! And, has so much more to offer you!Explore the exciting nature of reality, brought to you by a full-blooded Sagittarius on a mission to make this world a brighter, more beautiful place to live.With this, know that what this episode offers you is an opportunity to know this energy in its light-filled, exciting, outward expressive form, while also asking that we dive deeper into its shadow and its fiery power.In this episode:exploring Sagittarius through your inner truth fires (soul fire)exploring the shadow side of Sagittarius (what happens when our fires burn too hot and drive us in ways that are not skillful!)Read the accompanying Blog Post:https://upwardslopes.com/grounding-into-your-inner-truth-lessons-from-working-with-sagittarius-fire/Go deeper:Visit stillness.forestbody.com to learn more and sign up for the free winter stillness event! Or, jump right into our full winter program devoted to deepening your meditation practiceSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Calling you in. Time to show up and be present in your life in this reality. Because this reality is hurting right now. And it needs you present in real, felt connection: to self; and, to that which lives and breathes outside of self.In today's episode we get straight to the heart of what it looks like to be a powerful force of change in this world. We speak to how this power can be an increasingly positive thing, and we speak to how we can cultivate awareness around what we are unconsciously creating in the world that can be harmful. It begins with presence: deepening ever-more-fully into presence. But this is only the first piece. Listen to today's episode for the full story.Get the Deep Roots meditation at upwardslopes.com/deeprootsGet it as part of the whole embodiment collections at upwardslopes.com/forestmeditationsSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Oh the autumn season! A potent time for letting go, releasing all that does not serve your path forward. And, what a time to connect with the joy that fills you when you open to the powerful beauty of nature shining her brightest colors! This is what we're here to talk about today, bringing to your story and teaching and guided practice to connect you with the spirit and the energy of the Autumn season in the mountains.Deepen into practice with 2 free guided autumn meditationsSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Introducing The Mountain Mystic Podcast in this mini episode here to stand as our official chapter turn from Upward Slopes to The Mountain Mystic.Whether you are an old or new listener, I invite you to tune into today to join me in this new stand for walking an embodied path, here, fully present as these complex human beings that we are, here living these wild and chaotic and often dark and painful yet still, always, infinitely beautiful lives here on Planet Earth.The Mountain Mystic is a podcast for exploring the mysteries and magic of life here as human beings in wild and transformative times. Here, we learn to ground: to root into this present moment in felt connection to all that we are as the very human selves that we are. AND, we get to open up to the wild possibility that awaits - for our own selves and for life on this Planet Earth as a whole.Listen in, and, if it sings true to you, make sure you are subscribed as we step forward into this turn of a chapter, stand on new ground, and look forward to calling in a brighter, more beauttiful way of being on this Planet Earth.Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Join me in this episode for some deep reflections on The Upward Slopes journey - holding space as I look forward to the turning of a chapter for this podcast and speak to what this means for all of us here on this journey together. In this episode I speak to the origin of Upward Slopes, including the original intentions set for calling in grounded transformation that truly calls in more light, more joy, deeper fulfillment, and the real alleviation of harm that causes unnecessary suffering in our world. How did this intention lead to me leaving the world of biomedical research and metabolic health coaching and lead me here, today, standing on new ground as a meditation teacher and embodiment coach calling all of us into a new earth?Get ready for a new chapter as we close out this season of The Upward Slopes Podcast and prepare to stand on firmer ground, grow some deep roots, and prepare for a new sort of journey up a mountain. Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

People call me crazy when I tell them that I am running another 100 miler next month! Yet, what I know to be crazy is living anything other than a path that fills me up with joy as I work hard for that which matters and brings true meaning to life! But how do we know that we are on a path that actually matters? How do we know that all of our planning and strategizing as we set goals and work hard towards achieving is actually going to bring forth the fulfillment that our hearts and souls are longing for!Today on the podcast, I speak to my own wild journey away from what I had been taught was my high and mighty path to walk (that of a Biomedical Researcher) and how I have come to know when I am truly living a path that serves: that serves my own self as I receive joy and fulfillment; and, as I help transform the lives of others!It's my own wild ride over here as an ultrarunner preparing to run my next big event and continuously reflecting on the important lessons I am living and learning along the way: lessons which continue to guide me far beyond the playground that is trail running as they ripple out into all aspects of life.Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Stillness meditation is all the rage, isn't it? We sit in quiet stillness and call in the light and peace that is here to answer all of our prayers! But this is only one side of the story! For how can we sit in stillness unless we allow ourselves to move! To move our bodies freely as we move and and awaken the energies within. Today on the Upward Slopes Podcast I share my favorite practice on Planet Earth: One that has everything to do with getting outside (in the forest, on a mountain, in the desert....) and to move my body through this world. Can you guess what comes after the movement?Embodied Living is about learning to be present with self in whatever moment arises. Sometimes, we must move to move that which is too intense or too dormant, moving out and awakening what is being asked to show up for this present moment. Other times, we find stillness, move into quietude and deepen into what is alive here and now.Can we learn the great dance between movement and stillness as we walk through life attuned to that which most serves the fullness of this present moment?Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

An Earth Day Special! Brought through to you by the sacred fires raging through me as I yearn for a world in deeper listening, and in deeper connection to this one great planet we call home. Join me today for conversation and a guided meditation practice! It's time for a new paradigm on this Planet Earth: one where we are deeply connected into life (within our own selves and within the world around us. Calling in Earth Day as a jumping off point for all that gets to unfold. Sister episode focused on Embodied Activism available at https://youtu.be/EykFu5SpWRUSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Join me today for a special practice-focused podcast as we step into meditation and weave it together with this wild time of year. Yes, springtime is wild! Finding myself in this beautiful time of year where the days are finally longer than the nights, and with this, stepping into warmer and brighter days that leave me overflowing with excitement for what is to come! But we aren't quite to the bright days of summer yet! And, in the meantime, spring is here to throw some wild weather at us that keeps us frustrated in our impatience for mother earth to show up as we want her to! What a beautiful space to bring in a meditation practice that allows us to play with our attention and awareness while we invite in all the aspects of life that may attempt to push us away from center.Video version (with imagery from the spring snowstorm and additional conversation) can be found here: https://youtu.be/GxQ7IfQd_DwSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

I truly believe that embodiment practices are important for every single human being on this planet. The important question is, what sort of practice serves you given your unique wiring? In this episode I talk about my own journey into a felt, present connection with my own self. It's a journey unique to me, as my own unique human self, and I tell it because I know that others , too, have struggled with traditional paths through yoga, meditation, or other structures embodiment practices.If you've ever been called to yoga or meditation or some other sort of Eastern or embodiment practice... but found yourself unable or not wanting to follow through, then this episode is for you!Get the Embodied Foundations Workshop Bundle (two workshop-focused programs for the price of one!): https://upwardslopes.com/bundle/Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Today we come together in conversation and guided practice as we set our sights on the next 6-12 months, asking our own selves from deep within: What is it that you are ready, willing, and excited to call in??As I speak to in this episode, I am so done looking to call in anything that isn't coming from a space of deep, embodied excitement.In this episode we also talk about what I am looking forward to calling in and working towards this year: My second 100 mile ultramarathon! I talk about how I've been waiting 1.5 years since my last 100 mile event to ensure that all parts of my own self are on board.I also guide you through your own practice a you look inward, into your own self, for that which is lighting you up. No matter how big or small the goal or achievement or challenge to work through, today we get to ask ourselves what we are ready to pursue in these upcoming months.Join the Less Stress, Healthier You event! Sign up at https://upwardslopes.com/less-stress-healthier-you/Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

When life is so much, how is it that we make sense of all of it? Better yet, how do we move through it all with as much grace and skill as is possible?This week we hang out in the space in-between the big energy of the major holidays. Christmas has fallen away and the New Year is up ahead; and, as we rest here in the space in-between, I invite us to deepen into conversation and practice focused on this favorite theme of mine.Join our new Facebook Group to join in with our end of year (and beginning of New Year) free events!Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Join me in this special episode where I guide you into embodied practice, taking you into the forest as the season turns to winter. Being here, fully present, resting in a winter forest as we step into all that winter may bring:- the deepening into our own, internal worlds- the joy and light that comes with the magic of snowy day  Join the new Facebook Community! [Launches the same day as this episode is released, 12/18/2023]Join in with the greater community:NewsletterInstagramFacebookYouTubeSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Let us continue this conversation that is being present in our own truth, in our own realities - whether that means being present with the darker aspects of a moment (as discussed in Episode 3), and/or allowing ourselves to be filled with the joy of a moment!It turns out that both aspects of the human experience sometimes require some conversation and practice so that we can fully allow ourselves to be present with what is.Practice mentioned at end of episode is part of the paid Substack community. You can access it when you join in here: https://katiehemphill.substack.com/p/feeling-into-the-complexities-ofJoin in with the greater community:NewsletterInstagramFacebookYouTubeSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

We live in a dark world. Not always, but much of the time. Whether that realm exists in your own self or out in the greater expanse of humanity, the invitation today stands to open the door to darker spaces; to learn to more skillfully bring your attention into challenging spaces that are asking to be seen, to be felt, to be heard, to be known.I invite in today's episode as the first of a series on making our way through the light and dark aspects of life. A fully embodied life means the ability to hold space for both.  Join in with the greater community:NewsletterInstagramFacebookYouTubeSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Get out of your head, heal your body, and create real transformation that means something - to you and to the collective. That's what we're talking about today.You know that feeling when you're desperately trying to move forward towards something you want so much, but no matter what you do, you just can't seem to move forward?Maybe you've been so caught up in your head and you're stuck in a sea of overwhelming amounts of information, and you just can't find a clear answer that leads you to where you want to go.Or, maybe you're stuck in waves of emotion where you are pouring fuel on a fire without the skill to take action in a way that leads to the outcome that you believe is needed.Our world needs skillful action more than ever: for our own selves as we work through our own, individual challenges; and, for the collective.Join the Upward Slopes Newsletter: https://upwardslopes.comJoin my community of readers and those engaging in embodied practice at https://katiehemphill.substack.com/Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Episode 1 is here and I couldn't be happier to introduce you to several themes at play in this space - beginning, here and now, with a practice that takes us... well, into the here and now.That is, What is alive for you in this moment in space and time? It's a question that I pose to myself consistently, and it's one that I open with as we move into conversation on how our over-emphasis on science & technology (what I speak to as two paths of the human mind) may be the very thing that is, well, contributing to our downfall.Of course, that's an over-simplistic way of saying things, which is why you need to listen to the whole episode to get a picture of what I mean when I say it is time to take the human mind (including our scientific and technological advancements) off the pedestal and to place it all within a greater context.We don't turn things around by demonizing any important fields, but by recognizing the role each plays in a much greater space that will require us to spend less time looking "out there" for optimal solutions, and to spend more time looking at all that is alive right here, right now.Join the Newsletter: https://upwardslopes.com/ourpathforward/Find me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw4sXLB9sXlqXnBhtv36TbwFind me on Substack: https://katiehemphill.substack.com/Support the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Listen along to this Bonus Guided Meditation - a gift to you as I gear up to release our first official Episode on October 23rd!Here, I guide you in a walk through a changing Autumn forest, inviting you to move through your own story of grounding and release. Give yourself these 17 minutes in a quiet space so that you can fully participate in the experience.Watch video version of this Guided Meditation (including images from my hikes and trail runs in the mountains of Southern Colorado): https://upwardslopes.ck.page/563ae5c9b5Read my Substack (blog) post on The Splendor of Letting Go:https://open.substack.com/pub/katiehemphill/p/the-splendor-of-letting-go-part-1?r=1me355&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=webSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay

Welcome to The Upward Slopes Podcast! Here, let us walk together along this new path of Embodied Living & Collective Healing, getting to know ourselves more fully for all that we are - in connection to the greater world we are part of.My own path has consisted of many twists and turns: starting out as a Biomedical Engineer (B.S.E., M.S.) and working to develop a systems approach to understanding metabolic disease, I once thought an exploration of human health would be my grand arena!But life is a funny thing, and these days you're much more likely to find me talking about mental health, or else the health of our planet and ecosystems. It's not that I've shunned the traditional path of technical sciences nor turned away from a desire to heal physical health problems, but instead now see a greater root system at play driving the progression of illness, pain, and suffering across all living systems.The path to this space is a funny thing... full of stories from the forests, climbing up mountains, dancing through life in all her forms! Here, let us join in conversation surrounding it all: the play, the joy, fulfilment; the hurt, the healing; and all the lessons learned along the way.All-the-while, learning what it means to walk the most skillful path as a modern human being in a world that is ready for great transformation.Subscribe to join in as we get started with our first official podcast September 23rd.Join the greater community at UpwardSlopes.com/OurPathForwardSupport the showJoin me in Earth Embodiment Circle! The newest addition to the many ways you can join me in practice and in community. Learn more here.Deepen into practice in Membership - The Forest: A Library of Guided Meditations and Embodiment Practice. Learn more here.Read my Earth Embodiment Ebook! We Are The Forest: Walking an Embodied Path of Collective Healing: Read it hereDeepen your grounding: Practice Earth Embodiment with my free Deep Roots MeditationFind writings and deepen into guided practice on Substack or on The Mountain Mystic BlogFollow my trailrunning and mountain adventures: @katiethemountainmysticMusic: "The Beat of Nature" from Pixabay