Summary 

Welcome dreamers, seekers, healers and anyone on their healing journey. My name is Amanda Lux of the Elevation Hive school and community for energy medicine and dreamwork. In this podcast, I share teachings, musings, poems, songs, and interviews with other amazing humans who walk the healer's path. 

In this episode 

Lean in for some serious wisdom on living a realized life, manifesting your dreams, and the importance of finding what you love and giving it away. In this episode I'm thrilled to share some serious inspiration and downright encouragement from two of my most treasured mentors; Gary Strauss and Tracy Griffiths. In this episode they share:

• How they have sustained their healing arts careers in teaching and practicing Craniosacral and Polarity therapy among other things, over many decades (I have been following them around for over 20 years and I'm a newbie...so, like, yeah- you will want to listen up!)
• The one piece of advice they would give to their younger selves
• How working with the nervous system and specifically the vagus nerve is essential for living a healthy life in todays stressful environment
• How their upcoming trip to Olympia Washington to share these tools is going to be the best time ever- and you should absolutely come! (Even if you are finding this later... you should still check out our upcoming classes and programs)xoxo.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Go to Elevationhive.com to learn more about us!

• Learn about all of our upcoming classes and programs.
• Check out Gary and Tracy's school: The Life Energy Institute
• Learn about the upcoming classes August 2024 in Polarity Autonomic Nervous System with Gary Strauss and TRE with Tracy Griffiths
• Read our current Astrology report with Emily Trinkaus
• Join the Hive Community Membership for free here.
• Click here buy me a cup of coffee or show your support for this podcast. So much energy goes into the creation of this free content and I'm a one-woman show over here. I really appreciate your appreciation! 

Thank you for listening, sharing, reviewing and sending me your dreams! 

I love to read them. 

Music:

Alone/All One theme song written and performed by Amanda Lux

All other music from Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/poetri/antelope-valley

I think that we are living in a moment of possibility

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like we have not experienced before.

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And possibility is probably my greatest

attunement to life, and it really is,

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with all the things we've gone through,

it really is a movement for people to

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come back to themselves and to come

back to what's important to them and

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to live on purpose, whatever that is.

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,

Welcome to Alone Traveler's Guide to the Divine, a podcast for

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dreamers, seekers, healers, and

anyone on their healer's journey.

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My name is Amanda Lux and I am extremely

excited to be having a conversation

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in this episode with my mentors

and teachers of over 20 years now.

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Gary Strauss and Tracy Griffiths

of the Life Energy Institute

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in Los Angeles, California.

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It's a true honor to be able to share this

little window inside of my lineage of

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therapy and craniosacral therapy and we

got together for this interview because

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They are actually coming to my school.

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So this is a, a big moment for me having

been their student for all of these years

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and now to have my own school here

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in Olympia, Washington, the Elevation

Hive School of Energy Medicine.

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, it's currently August 2024.

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They're going to be coming to teach a

class on the polarity autonomic nervous

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system and ventravagal craniosacral

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so this is a super amazing opportunity.

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If you're listening to this, Much later

or at a different time when that doesn't

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seem perhaps relevant I want to reassure

you that this episode is entirely relevant

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in that we have some really beautiful

discussions It was really cool to get

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some life reflective questions out of

, both of these incredible human beings

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who I have been learning from and with

and just looking up to for so so very

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long and They are very accomplished,

healers and teachers in this field

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of polarity and craniosacral work.

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Uh, Tracy Griffiths also teaches, T.

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R.

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E.

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So tension and trauma release

exercise, and she's going to be

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bringing some of those teachings.

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So I was really excited to get to ask

them a few questions that were near and

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dear to my heart about their healer's

journey all these decades and You know,

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maybe what they would Tell their younger

selves if they had the opportunity to

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go back in time and and share some advice

what kind of advice would they give and

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you know these being two of the most wise

learned and profound humans in my world.

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I was very excited to just get to

ask them these kinds of questions.

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And also very excited to

get to share them with you.

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If you'd like to learn more about

their work or about our class or

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perhaps other classes that might

be coming in a similar vein to this

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one, then please check out the show

notes and, or go to elevationhive.

45

com.

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I'm so excited to introduce

Tracy Griffiths and Gary Strauss.

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In this interview we

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Tracy Griffiths: so, it's a moment

here to honor Gary's work, and

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your work with somatic yoga.

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And I had Gary on the yoga deck today

and I was showing him my back defrost,

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what I do every morning, but the block

at the sacrum, there's an incremental,

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, elevation and then come down.

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So elevation hive,

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, I was saying, I can't wait to be in the

hive and have Amanda lead the morning to.

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Get that somatic yoga experience into

weaving with what Gary's bringing.

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Cause it's all, you know, we're all

connected through the same thing.

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So we're really getting excited for this.

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And we thought, Gary could share more

about , what he's tuned into this.

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What's been a year now that you've

been teaching almost a year.

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Gary Strauss: ventro vagal

it's been about two years,

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I taught it in Switzerland and I

taught it in Japan this last year.

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And so this is the first time in the U.

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S.

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that I'll be teaching autonomic infused

with the ventral vagal approach.

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And we were, in our yoga this morning, we

were thinking, because you're the somatic

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yoga queen, which is very much on the edge

of what, , it's, it's so a part of it.

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And we thought maybe they should

have a little yoga every morning.

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Infused with your brilliance, and

maybe Tracy will get in there with you.

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Amanda lux: Yes.

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Gary Strauss: I thought we were

gonna, we're gonna just have like, , a

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Tracy Griffiths: little bit of

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Gary Strauss: a festival.

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Tracy Griffiths: Well, we're going to

the Hive, Amanda is clearly the queen.

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We're coming to be part of

your, at your service, queen.

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Be in your space and be in

the woods and invite people.

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There's still some spaces, right.

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To invite people.

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And, I'm excited to, to be in the work.

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Gary Strauss: You know,

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Tracy Griffiths: with

Ventro, they will work.

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So before I ask him a question,

what do you want to say, Amanda?

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Like you've got your mic there and.

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You're ready to,

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well, I,

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Amanda lux: I'm just thrilled that you

guys are coming, honestly, it's been a

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dream as such a dream of mine to have

a way and a place to host you and your

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work, my lineage, my two mentors for life.

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It's a phenomenal honor.

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For me that you guys are

coming and for my community.

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My community is so excited.

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And when I took autonomic nervous

system with you Gary the last time

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I've taken it a couple of times But

the last time I took it you came in

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Tracy and you did a whole TRE , trauma

release exercise segment in that class.

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It was so profound for me.

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I bought your little book.

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I was like, I want to learn this.

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I just love this work.

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I'm so excited that you're going to be

also offering, , a class in that during

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that weekend and yeah, it just fits.

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It all just fits together and the

polarity somatic yoga that I've been

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doing is sort of a combination of the

somatic yoga that I've been training in.

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I went to a training in Bali last, Winter

and that's based in body mind centering.

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Are you guys familiar with that work?

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It's so cool.

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Right?

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So cool.

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What really a lot about registering

different body parts and teaching

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sort of an embodied anatomy

experience through free movement.

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So there's also Asana woven in, but they

combine a lot of free movement, which

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can be somewhat like ecstatic dance

a little bit, but it's more guided.

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And so I've been , bringing in polarity

exercises, different kinds of somatic

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exercises, craniosacral exercises,

some yoga poses combined with the

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free movements and transmitting

different body centers and chakras.

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And Yeah.

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Tracy Griffiths: It's time.

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Well, I'm feeling a lot of joy.

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I know Gary has a little

rant on something.

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I feel like I'm brewing his

heart chakra joy bubbles.

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I've been coming up, you

know, that solar return thing.

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I'm just so excited to be with you

and I want to share with everyone.

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How long have we known each other?

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Like,

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Amanda lux: well, it was probably

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Tracy Griffiths: So just being

part of what you've created up,

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up in Olympia and vision and what

you're like continuing to vision.

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For what's next for you.

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We get to be part of that.

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That's a blessing.

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Amanda lux: Well, you

are always a part of it.

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So the fact that you get to come and

bless the space with your presence and

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your knowledge is just thrilling to me.

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And I'm really excited

about the Ventravagal.

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Piece and bringing it around with the

autonomic nervous system polarity work.

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And yeah, I would definitely love to hear

you talk about that, Gary, and how that's

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developed for you out of your many, many

decades of teaching craniosacral work

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and polarity and nervous system work.

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Gary Strauss: 1st, I'm I really am.

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Ridiculously juiced around my birthday.

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It just happened.

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And, uh, I'm walking around in a lot of

gratitude, , just to being in a room with

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people that want the work that I have.

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It's like, I treasure that.

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I never take it for granted.

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And.

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So being in a room this last weekend and

where I've been, or when I was, you know,

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in Japan or wherever, I feel elated.

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And part of that elation is you

or Kyoko or Lillian, or it's

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the people or Jen in Arizona.

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It's you.

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You guys are kind of like my seedlings or,

which I really, I feel that all the time.

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And I'm so.

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Grateful for what you're doing

and how you embody what you do.

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It's a big deal to bring it

in the world and that you do.

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And I feel the energy that you've been

doing it in and that touches my soul.

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And so I'm in deep gratitude and the work,

the Ventro Vagal i, I had this experience

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and I have a lot of what I teach has

come out of the work that I've done.

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And what I, you know, what's come

through me, if you want to go that far.

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And then I found myself.

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In all the work that I was doing,

becoming aware of how much the

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work itself was touching the vagus

nerve and the polyvagal system.

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And I was kind of like blown away by that.

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And the more I became aware of it

and attended to it, I think, the

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deeper my work got with people.

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And the more their trauma

patterns, integrated.

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It has so many different aspects to it.

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And I think people have found freedom

in it to help other people in a very,

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, Strong way and in a very simple way.

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So I got like so jazzed and I've

been jazzed to teach it and evolve

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it and definitely to bring it

that's like fulfillment for me in

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life is to come to your school.

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Deep fulfillment.

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And I tell people in class, I'm

kind of like a butterfly teacher.

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I just land here, you know, and then

there, and I'm loving that experience

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.

Tracy Griffiths: So freedom.

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Gary Strauss: And you

provide me with that moment.

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Absolutely Profound.

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Brings chills actually in my spine.

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Amanda lux: Is there anything that

you wanna share about, maybe if people

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, aren't sure what ventral vagal work is,

or what autonomic nervous system work

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within the context of polarity therapy is

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Gary Strauss: There's a great body

of work on the autonomic nervous

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system and, how we regulate our life

experience in our body in a healthy way.

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And that research goes back a

long time way before people like

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Abraham Maslow did that work.

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A lot of people did it.

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Social psychology and

psychotherapists explored it.

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I learned it in college, in the

psychology department at UCLA

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about autonomic nervous systems.

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And how to bring balance to it.

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And the thought was that your health

and wellbeing is based on balance

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in your autonomic nervous system,

which starts in your brain and goes

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down through the nervous system,

into your body and into life.

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So that's the first part of that.

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And then there are ways to

release the nervous system.

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We teach that in polarity and

that autonomic work that I

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learned in polarity under Dr.

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Stone is so profound in all the

work that I do all the time.

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And it has.

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And then, in recent years, though, Dr.

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Stone talked about release of the

vagus nerve, he has releases in his

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work, but people didn't teach it so

much and it wasn't focused, and all

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that stuff got focused with the work

of Porges, who did the polyvagal, he

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really empowered the polyvagal concept.

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And how the vagus nerve itself, which

comes out of the base of the cranium,

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underneath the back of the ear, the

temporal bone and the occipital bone,

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and innervates all of your viscera.

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How that one nerve is so significant

in how you feel, your well being,

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the goodness of life, and how, in

this time, a lot of that's been taken

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away by the stress that we live in.

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And in the stress world, that polyvagal

system, Gets out of balance and people

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don't even know they're out of them.

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They're living with tensions at

levels in their experience And

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I think all of us are until that

gets released and then people go.

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Oh my god I feel like myself again,

so it's a little like that and they're

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very simple and easy ways There are

a lot of people teaching, you know,

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how to release the vagus nerve.

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You can find it all over the place

And they're very simple things that

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I learned to do as a body worker,

but I never saw anybody else do that

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work with tracking and tracing the

vagus nerve and how it processes and

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when it releases, you can feel it.

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It's, it's really clear.

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So that's really what I'm teaching how to

within the autonomic because it has to be,

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it's part of the autonomic nervous system.

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Within those protocols and ways of

working to release the brain, the spine,

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the stress levels in the body, there's

a way to focus a little bit more within

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the vagal complex and to get release.

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And to get what really we're looking for

in vagal nervous system work is tone.

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So how to get good tone.

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That's a, that's a short version, very

simple, but very, uh, contemplative

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and very specific kind of things to

do to release the sympathetic, the

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parasympathetic and the polyvagal

system to create a good tone and to

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release patterns and traumas and stress.

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Which I think, probably

stress is number one.

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Amanda lux: For sure,

stress is number one.

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This work couldn't be more

relevant for now, right?

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So I'm so grateful.

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And I know, I'm aware that this

has been a part of Polarity work

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for a long, long time, always.

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Always.

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And that this moment in the collective

awareness is really meeting that.

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And yeah.

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The profound nature of the work that,

that you've been doing all these years

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and cultivating and, and how it's meeting

the, the consciousness of what's here and

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now and the need for it and, and I love

how a lot of polarity is quite simple.

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but it's very specific and accessible if

you just learn, you know, the techniques.

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It's so accessible.

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And the autonomic nervous system work

that I learned with you all those

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years ago, I've applied probably more

than anything, any other techniques.

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I incorporate that into

almost every session.

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Some aspects of it.

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I'm always balancing the coccyx and

the occiput and with the heels and the

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sacrum and and just getting these these

points and the soft rocking of the

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body and there's just some very specific

simple things that are so incredibly

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deep and people just request them.

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Like, can you do that thing?

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That, that nervous

system thing that you do?

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It's so powerful.

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People love it.

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It's so like, it's just so

sweet, you know, so special.

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Gary Strauss: And I

think, you know, from Dr.

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Stone's viewpoint or even Dr.

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Upledger or the people that I admire

who generated this, they believe

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that people needed to have this.

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To live a good life, and I think my

life has been such a good life from

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having these kind of teachings And

this kind of work and then having

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that the natural thing is to just

want to share that and bring it You

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know, that's the organic pathway.

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Amanda lux: Yes, so true.

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Gary Strauss: So we're excited

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Amanda lux: To come play

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Gary Strauss: with you or with that

and you're lovely and beautiful

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Environment that you are that we see

in your picture that you are working

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on that I've heard about for so long

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Amanda lux: Yeah, many visions

coming into manifestation.

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The the dome is an exceptional space

to teach especially anything to

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do with craniosacral work the just

the resonance of the space It's so

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like our, a big skull, you know,

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Tracy Griffiths: exactly what I

was thinking will be in this, like,

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um, in the vault of the, , cranium

of will be in the lungs of.

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The forest and the trees and the air and

the breath of life and like there's so

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many metaphors we could go down the road

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Amanda lux: so many and we

have right outside the window.

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You look out and there's just water

very still water because we're

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in a an inlet here on the bay.

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It's ocean water, but

it's there's no waves.

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It's very cranial.

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It's just here so I don't

have to work so hard.

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It's like people arrive and

they're already like, ah, so

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cool, very conducive, yeah.

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I was, I was actually

had this, this vision

291

There's a little bit of that life

reflection comes with birthdays.

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I think under percent . I always think

is curious asking especially people

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who I really respect and Have seen your

walk and I and I wonder what you might

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say or share about your own healers

journey And just how you've come to be

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here as this, you know, and when I say

healers journey what I really mean is in

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order to be showing up and sharing the

healing wisdom that you've been gathering

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and sharing all these years, you, you

go through your own journey, right?

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To get to that healing path.

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Gary Strauss: And I've

been thinking about it.

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Amanda lux: Yeah.

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Gary Strauss: Um, I

have been in reflection.

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I'm not always so much, but this time

I've been in a lot of reflection,

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partly because I'm just so happy and so

grateful with the way that I'm in the

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world and that we are in the world and

how we participate and we talk about it.

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We don't just talk about

it on our birthdays.

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I think we, uh, we, we have

dreamed our life into existence.

307

It's come out of a dream, and we've

just worked on that dream, both

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of us, together and individually.

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And there's been a whole community of

people that have worked with that as well.

310

It's been a collective experience.

311

And I kind of pinched myself a little.

312

How did I get here?

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Like, this is like the

coolest, I love this life.

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It's so cool.

315

Oh my god.

316

I wouldn't have chosen any other possible,

I mean, I'm sure I could have, but it's

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been such a blessing to choose this way.

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And I think it's just been consistently,

you know, trying to ask that question

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that you asked, like, what's true and

live in the truth of what comes up

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out of that question in the moment.

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So our expressions keep changing

and evolving, like this work

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that we're talking about.

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We're not, we didn't rest

somewhere in something.

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We kept being, you know, you,

I think you share this, we're

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creator beings, aren't we?

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We're, we're, it's our identity to be

creative and with what we care about.

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And so we've always just been

creative and imaginative.

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And then out of that, we've

worked on whatever came up.

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And we keep doing that book without

really a sense of where it's going.

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I mean, maybe some idea, but

it never goes wherever you

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think it's going to go anyway.

332

And we don't do it because, oh,

we want to go to that place.

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We do it because it's a process of

life that honors, you know, your

334

spirit and your soul in the moment.

335

And, and I think that's the greatest,

if you can do that, we can all do

336

that, but it's not the, it's not

exactly the normal orientation.

337

So we've, uh, we've both

lived like that quite a bit.

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Like we just pursue what's in

the heart or what's connected

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to the soul and the spirit.

340

And the more that we've worked on

that, the more manifestation we've had.

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In very unlikely ways.

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And that has been nourishing.

343

That's still nourishing.

344

And this feels like that with you, for me.

345

To be in your, even when we

came and visited you, that

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felt like so lovely, so juicy.

347

Just to be in your teachings.

348

You and Kim, and what you guys

are doing, and the Hive, and the

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environment, and your family.

350

It's like, all of this is

bigger than just a thing, to me.

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So we just keep engaging

and walk around and grab it.

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I'm like in the greatest

level of gratitude these days.

353

It's profound.

354

, and I love that.

355

, but the answer, I think that I, I

tell this to the body workers, right?

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Because, you know, once you

have something, then you

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absolutely want to share it.

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You find something that

touches you, you want to give.

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That's the way it stays alive.

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You find what touches

you, you give it away.

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It's alive.

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And I feel like this in what

we have done, and certainly

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materially that you have the school.

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That's alive that and so I tell

the like the newbies that are

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coming in that I'm with who I

Adore, I love every one of them.

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I would go walk with them in their lives

somewhere because they're just like these

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You know, they're part of the tribe is

my, you know, whatever we want to say.

368

I tell them that what they need to do

is become just committed to what they

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care about and pursue it because that's

a good thing at whatever level they can.

370

They don't have to be a monster.

371

Just like watering a little plant is okay.

372

If that's where your

spirit is, wherever it is.

373

And I think that's the most important

thing, nurturing, you know, your

374

own interpretation of what comes

out of your relationship with

375

your soul and your relationship

to source and life, your owner.

376

Does that answer that?

377

I don't even know if I did.

378

Amanda lux: I loved that answer.

379

It feels very nourishing to listen

to you talk about how you've

380

created your life through conscious.

381

Dreaming, but also without

necessarily an attachment to outcome.

382

, you've also just been willing to

co create and to be in the, in the

383

evolution of it from moment to moment.

384

And it's beautiful.

385

I love the, just giving it away, finding

what you love and giving it away.

386

Gary Strauss: I think

that's the greatest thing.

387

I don't know.

388

I love that a lot.

389

I mean, that's an old

indigenous idea as well.

390

I didn't come up with that.

391

I heard that, but then as I practiced

that, I just, yeah, that feels complete in

392

life, like the circle, the cycle of life.

393

It's not like we don't, obviously

you want to have a geodesic dome.

394

So you have a goal of that.

395

And how cool is that, that you have that?

396

Isn't it like, don't you feel

complete a little bit in that?

397

Amanda lux: In certain ways,

but it's also like beginnings.

398

You know, like completion is also

a beginning and, and so there's

399

a, a lot of building around this,

and they're also becoming like

400

things I wouldn't have expected.

401

Yeah.

402

Gary Strauss: And that's

also why we're coming.

403

I feel like I would go

anywhere just to do that.

404

Amanda lux: Yeah.

405

Along the way sometimes, or maybe even

initiating that adventure, , towards

406

our dreams, there are often obstacles or

challenges that, we have to move through,

407

forge us into who we are meant to become.

408

I'm curious if you have anything

that you would say to that.

409

But also you have such staying power, you

know, like you guys have just been going

410

you're in such a place of like, ha, a

full manifestation , from my perspective.

411

And so what it takes to keep it going,

but then along the way we also we there's

412

little moments when things contract

as we're expanding I don't know.

413

I've had moments in the last

few years where I'm like, I

414

just can't do this anymore.

415

I don't want to do this thing.

416

Oh, yeah.

417

Gary Strauss: Come on.

418

And then,

419

Amanda lux: and then I have to

move, and you're like, no, you do.

420

Come on.

421

And then it's just, that that

contraction is just making room for

422

some new iteration to come forward.

423

And I don't have a

specific question in there.

424

Just love to hear you talk.

425

Gary Strauss: my favorite subject.

426

You just asked me my favorite question.

427

Amanda lux: Mine too.

428

Gary Strauss: Well, you know, I

could write a book on this one.

429

I don't know.

430

I just Hear it really clearly.

431

, I think, you know, the generic thing is

anytime you set an intention in motion,

432

it brings about all the resistance in

the field of your body and your life.

433

That's in related to that intention.

434

It's organic, like wherever you

live, you're set up to live there.

435

And if you say, I want to live

over here, well, that's a space.

436

And between you and that space is a lot

of shit going on and you're going to

437

encounter it and you're going to have to

digest it to get where you want to go.

438

It's organic.

439

So the resistant places and the things

that are difficult are actually the

440

things that you need to do to get there.

441

You just don't know.

442

Cause if you feel like, oh, this

sucks, but all it requires is that

443

you deal with it and digest it.

444

It's not like.

445

You know, sometimes I say no, or sometimes

it's, I'm not doing this anymore.

446

That's part of it.

447

Knowing who you are and knowing

who you are and, and then who

448

you are as you engage life.

449

Are you in that, or are you in this?

450

Or are you in that?

451

Like making those choices have been

the most powerful choices in my life

452

to find myself in what's real and true,

not the idea of what's real and true.

453

To do that, you have

to try a lot of stuff.

454

And you have to be willing to get it

wrong, or you have to be willing to

455

go, Wow, I don't want to be in here.

456

This isn't my, I don't like these shoes.

457

They don't feel right.

458

And if you do that enough, you end up

finding what you do love and who you are.

459

And then when you nurture that, That

stuff just opens up and, because your

460

spirit's in those places in a big way.

461

And that stuff opens up and

brings back a beautiful garden.

462

I often say, you know, it's about what

kind of garden you want to live in.

463

And those are the things

you end up nurturing.

464

But it's hard, and you, I get

to those same places, you know,

465

you know what the illusion is?

466

That's, it's just easy for somebody.

467

Somebody's just so, oh

how do they do that?

468

We work.

469

We are worker bees.

470

We're working for the queen right now.

471

We love working for you, though.

472

We love working for things that

are in alignment with the spirit

473

of the things that we care about.

474

And we, I was telling Tracy this

morning, she looked at me weird.

475

I said, I would do that for free.

476

I it's not about getting paid.

477

I don't even care about

getting paid a little bit.

478

I mean, I do a little, but

not as not that much anymore.

479

And we do it because of the,

that it's, we need to go do it.

480

If you just talk to her about all the

things she does and where she goes.

481

She does the same thing, and to be

a couple like that, oh my god, we

482

inspire and we have the same kind

of frequency with each other, and

483

that really helps a lot, that helps.

484

We help each other profoundly, don't we?

485

What do you think about that, and all

the difficulties or whatever it is?

486

Tracy Griffiths: Yeah, what do

you think about that, Tracy?

487

Yeah, what do you think?

488

What do you think?

489

I'll go back to the

thought I was thinking.

490

Gary Strauss: Yeah.

491

Okay.

492

Tracy Griffiths: And that goes

back to what you just said.

493

It's like, we, we love what

we do and opportunities come

494

and we wonder, they want this.

495

And it's like, well, we'd love it.

496

Yes.

497

And then we don't really care because

we're just doing what we love and it.

498

It blossoms from that place and there's

a sense of consistency that we've had.

499

We've both been really consistent in the

threading of like, what we're here to do

500

is just like, what did I, what did I get

thrown into a lot of Virgo stuff, a lot

501

of service, a lot of like health stuff.

502

That's my thumbprint.

503

And I get to do it in a way that's super

creative and fun and joyful in my way

504

we've been blessed to be entrepreneurs

and like, what does that mean?

505

It's like creatively making a way

in the world that your soul loves.

506

And I see you do that over and

over and over again and all the

507

tendrils of experiences that

you go towards for your arts.

508

And for your dreams and for your dreams,

and that's just like, why not, you

509

know, people who are going through,

I have a job, it's not my dream,

510

this sucks, like, we don't have that.

511

We're living in a creative threading of

life, like we got to, we get to do this.

512

Gary Strauss: We love what we do.

513

And you know what, when it's hard or we

have to do things that we don't love, I

514

did this a long time ago, I decided to

love the things that I don't love to do

515

on behalf of the things that I do love.

516

Amanda lux: So I tried

517

Gary Strauss: to get better at

those gnarly things, and I got

518

really good at the hard things.

519

They feel way easier piece of cake.

520

I can do things that other, I don't

know any people who can do a lot

521

of the things that I can do because

I've really met the challenge.

522

Tracy Griffiths: Can you thrive in that?

523

Gary Strauss: I do thrive.

524

Tracy Griffiths: Like, I don't think I'll

ever really retire, but I don't think

525

I'll ever really retire, retire totally.

526

Like the way Gary's hooked up

is like, he's always doing this.

527

Like he's got to express his.

528

Heart through this framework,

and he's a chatty Cathy

529

Gary Strauss: You know,

530

Tracy Griffiths: and we love the

Leo or shine in the Sun on the

531

Leo, you know, it's like so perfect

You got some Leo cancer though.

532

Yeah.

533

Yeah.

534

Yeah,

535

Amanda lux: Leo.

536

Tracy Griffiths: Okay.

537

Yeah

538

Amanda lux: And Leo rising.

539

Yeah,

540

Tracy Griffiths: there we go.

541

So

542

Amanda lux: maybe that could be a

543

Tracy Griffiths: message for everyone,

like shine your sun or shine your sun on

544

the places where, of what you really love

545

and it will come back.

546

Amanda lux: I love to the, the idea

that if you can just love, even love

547

the hard parts in service of the things

that you are easy to love, right?

548

I mean, we're following our passion,

we're following our heart, we're

549

showing up and, and being creative.

550

And starting new things but there's also

all these hard things to show up for

551

along the way to make those things happen.

552

And if we can learn to love those things,

that, I just, that really spoke to me.

553

Gary Strauss: And, well, the idea that

that wouldn't be our life is corrupt.

554

So, you know, you don't have

to like something to love it.

555

Tracy Griffiths: We don't always

love the challenges, and that's

556

why we have each other, and

Community to say, Hey, you got this.

557

I've been there.

558

Oh yeah.

559

I hate this.

560

I hated it when I went through this,

it was the hardest thing I went

561

through and it taught me a lot.

562

And, and I get to bring those

like challenges to teaching,

563

.

Whoever I'm in front of and I hear something and I'll be like, this is

564

going to be really good down the road.

565

But right now you don't see it.

566

It's hard.

567

It's not going to be the

1st time it ever happens.

568

You're getting a good 1 here.

569

And 1 of my teachers would say,

like, their growth periods.

570

And when we have people in our lives

that we can like lean into when we're

571

having those moments, or like, can

you just hold me up for a minute here?

572

I'm having a hard time.

573

Yeah, that's when people

come for sessions.

574

So we have a community of practitioners

that help us along the way.

575

And that's one thing I want to just

celebrate with Gary it's like there's

576

so many seeds and Gary's really good at

tending to the field of the people he's,

577

, taught and supported and now they're

their own, trees in their own right.

578

And it's been a long time, you know,

we've been doing this a long time

579

Amanda lux: is there anything that

you, how old are you gary, how

580

old are you turning right now?

581

Gary Strauss: 68.

582

At 68.

583

Amanda lux: That's cool.

584

I just, I just turned 48.

585

Gary Strauss: There you go.

586

Amanda lux: I wonder, what would

your 68 year old self say to your

587

younger self at any point of your

younger self, maybe a younger self

588

that was meeting the resistance of the

field and was going, what the heck?

589

Gary Strauss: There was something

that I didn't know that I wish I knew.

590

There's one thing, there really

is, there's one thing that I wish

591

I had known earlier in my life.

592

It's part of my, you know, fabric , and

you, you hear people say this, but if

593

you can find this as an embodiment,

the world becomes a different place.

594

So for me, I wish that somebody

told me early on not to stop in the

595

pursuit of whatever I was after.

596

To go to the limit, to, and I do

that, I've been doing that in the

597

last 20 years or so, literally.

598

To pursue things to their

completion, to the end.

599

And I pursue things to the end

just to know what they are.

600

It's not even like I'm trying to get

some, you know, like I, it's the process

601

of life that I love the most and taking

my process to completion with the

602

things that I care about the most and

absolutely not letting anybody or any

603

institution or anything get in the way.

604

of that, not letting any of the other

things that are outside of me, stop me.

605

And I would have told my younger

self, totally go for it as you see it.

606

And whatever gets in your

way, don't worry about it.

607

Just keep doing it.

608

Because I found the more I stayed

in pursuit and, you know, endured

609

and had longevity, all of my

visionary intent became manifest.

610

It became manifest in ways, I

think, that are the ways that

611

they were supposed to be manifest.

612

And I did, I had things going like, you

know, when I, we started teaching, this

613

is an example, we started teaching online.

614

I had friends and colleagues

say, why are you doing that?

615

That was like 20 years ago, we

were teaching online and people

616

are saying, why would you do that?

617

I have this really good friend who's a,

um, she's an ecological entrepreneur.

618

Who doesn't have like

a phone or a computer.

619

And she would say, why

do you want to be online?

620

And my, my story really was,

cause I felt like it was.

621

Relevant and vital.

622

And that thing became such a big thing

that has touched so many people in our

623

lives and helped us be connected and

related to people all over the world.

624

And that's priceless.

625

And if I listened to all those

people who said, or I had people

626

when I was moving to where I live,

they said, you shouldn't move there.

627

That's so far away.

628

Your business won't work up there.

629

And I went, okay, you know, so that

idea that you, you certainly have to

630

figure out what you know, that's true

for yourself and that's in your heart.

631

That's not obvious.

632

It seems like it is, but it

isn't until you live it, until

633

you're in the embodiment of it.

634

But you have to be committed enough

to live inside something to know if

635

your soul or your spirit lives there.

636

And on behalf of that, I would do

anything to have that experience, to be

637

in the realization of what I'm dreaming.

638

To find, find how much

of myself is in there.

639

And to not get stopped by anything.

640

Amanda lux: Wow, I love that.

641

Yeah.

642

Gary Strauss: A lot of the time,

I think you know this already.

643

, cause I've watched you do this.

644

But we don't know how much

resource there is available to us.

645

And if you back up, that

resource won't, you won't get it.

646

And if you go forward with the purpose of

it, you're gonna get resource showing up.

647

So much of what I've done, I didn't

have anything to be able to do it.

648

Amanda lux: Yeah, I can 100

percent relate with that.

649

Gary Strauss: I know you do.

650

I watched you do it.

651

Amanda lux: I'm like, where would the

resource have ever, it just, it comes.

652

It's completely miraculous.

653

You have the vision, you stay the course,

you keep holding the vision, and suddenly

654

the resource comes for the vision.

655

Tracy Griffiths: You tell everybody

what you're up to, and then they

656

show up, and they're like, how can

I, it's like, love you so much,

657

how can I support you to do that?

658

Your dream team shows up.

659

Amanda lux: Well, I just,

660

Gary Strauss: like, I just believe that,

like, whatever you care about, if you're

661

engaged in that, it's a good life.

662

I don't care what it is.

663

So, what can you do today?

664

A little bit, you know?

665

Amanda lux: I love that.

666

That, this reminds me of the, uh,

quote that I learned from Tracy.

667

Probably in 2003,

668

you'll you know this quote because

you taught me this quote and I put

669

it on my refrigerator and I read it

10 million gajillion trillion times.

670

Today is a day of completion.

671

I give thanks for this perfect day.

672

Miracle shall follow miracle

and wonder shall never cease.

673

Thank you,

674

Tracy Griffiths: Florence.

675

Florence Scovel Shin, the

game of life and how to play.

676

Amanda lux: Florence.

677

Tracy Griffiths: Thank you.

678

Gary Strauss: I love that.

679

Who doesn't

680

Tracy Griffiths: need that?

681

Amanda lux: Yes, I need that.

682

I need that a lot.

683

I need like, that's why I had it on

my refrigerator for so many years.

684

. I need to reread those things and re I

need to hear you say those things, Gary.

685

Like, stay with it.

686

Let it be realized.

687

Let it be shared and let it be supported

and it's hard and it can get really

688

laborious at times and in the moments that

you're doing the parts that you really

689

don't like you have to learn to love

those parts and just keep doing the thing

690

and then you'll just live in wonderment

of your amazing life and just be in like

691

blissed out gratitude when you get to be

maybe not every day or maybe every day.

692

Is there anything you would add to that?

693

What's your?

694

What you would tell your younger self

695

Tracy Griffiths: to value your gifts.

696

Everyone needs everyone's gifts.

697

Find a way to keep

honoring your own gifts.

698

We're all precious.

699

We all have precious gifts to share.

700

Amanda lux: That's beautiful.

701

I love that honoring your own

gifts and valuing your own gifts.

702

Yeah.

703

Tracy Griffiths: And that's

what makes the world go around.

704

Everybody's gifts, collaborating and

sharing, learning from each other.

705

Gary Strauss: How about

706

Tracy Griffiths: you?

707

What would you say, Queen Bee?

708

Gary Strauss: Because you're

pretty damn good, I think.

709

Amanda lux: Let's see.

710

What would I say?

711

What's the one thing?

712

I could surrender a little more.

713

I might give myself that advice.

714

Thank you.

715

Like, it's gonna be alright, man.

716

That.

717

Okay.

718

Chill out a little bit.

719

I almost said

720

Gary Strauss: that to you.

721

But I didn't want to because I

want you to find that yourself.

722

Amanda lux: Yeah, that's kind of

one of those things that nobody else

723

can tell you, you know, if you're

in a moment and and everyone's

724

like, chill out, it'll be fine.

725

You're not gonna feel like that's true.

726

You can't hear it.

727

You know, that's why I

would give it to him.

728

I would gift that knowing to my any point

in my younger years, or even yesterday,

729

I would say, Hey, it's gonna be all

right, just surrender it, trust it.

730

It's cool.

731

It's gonna work out

whatever it's gonna be.

732

It's going to be, you

can't push the river.

733

It

734

Tracy Griffiths: sounds like an

autonomic nervous system solution.

735

There we go.

736

Amanda lux: Yeah.

737

And go get more sessions.

738

Gary Strauss: Just go

739

Tracy Griffiths: get a

740

Amanda lux: session, chill out.

741

That'd be great.

742

Wow.

743

Yeah, yeah.

744

So I feel we're, we're

wrapping in to the moment.

745

Is there any last thing that you

guys want to say or feel like in

746

your heart you want to just put out

into the ethers of the field here?

747

,

Gary Strauss: I've said how much gratitude there is a lot of gratitude in the moment.

748

Amanda lux: Yeah.

749

Gary Strauss: That's like my, I

just feel it in the field so much.

750

I do think that this moment in time

that we are in is an incredible moment.

751

It may not be obvious because of,

you know, whatever you're tuning to,

752

but from my channel, from being on

the earth with all that we're engaged

753

in and what we do, and, you know,

754

Done this a long time.

755

I feel like I feel the energy of

the moment between heaven and Earth,

756

and I think that we are living

in a moment of possibility like

757

we have not experienced before.

758

And possibility is probably my greatest

attunement to life, and it really is,

759

with all the things we've gone through,

it really is a movement for people to

760

come back to themselves and to come

back to what's important to them and

761

to live on purpose, whatever that is.

762

And so I would just, you know, I

want to tell everybody all the time,

763

like whatever's important to you,

just like to find a way to honor,

764

this is that time, such a great

moment, like things become realized.

765

And for a lot of our people that's been

happening for our teachers and just like

766

realization of what they're working for

that might've taken a much longer time

767

in the past are happening immediately.

768

And I think this is that kind

of time of great opening.

769

Please don't.

770

Get lost in the world a little bit.

771

It's good to be related to the world.

772

But live in your own dream space

out of that Really question be in

773

the engagement of what's important.

774

I think this is that time.

775

That's what I hope the elders said about

this time I'm living in that prophecy

776

that they spoke about that This is

the time for us to be true and and I

777

think that's the most important thing.

778

Amanda lux: it's easy to get distracted

or overwhelmed or to feel, uh, like

779

what's the point or how or, you know,

especially when we're trying to dream

780

into big things or things that feel

tender and really true and vulnerable.

781

Um, in, at any stage of our lives,

whether we're just starting our

782

practitionership or considering it,

or, or whether we've been down the

783

road and we're in new iterations and,

or no matter what we're doing, we

784

want to change careers or, or just get

by in the world, in the crazy world.

785

But when we tune to the things that

are really true and deep and meaningful.

786

We tune to our dream, and also

when we can't get there, when we

787

surround ourselves with the resource

of others who can resonate with

788

that, and get into that frequency,

that's that beauty of community.

789

And that's what I get over and over

again from being related to you guys.

790

Thank you.

791

Deeply from the bottom of my heart because

it's the dreaming can get thick, you know,

792

sometimes and when I just return to the

frequency that you guys hold and broadcast

793

and share so generously with your

students, with the world, with whomever

794

reaches out to you in whatever way

that it's so helpful and so supportive.

795

So I really appreciate you.

796

Thank you for, for doing that, holding

that not only for yourselves and

797

your dreams, but for all all of us.

798

I have one more request

before we close this down.

799

One more quick, um, request is, how do

you describe who you are and what you do?

800

Just context.

801

Who are you guys?

802

What do you do?

803

Gary Strauss: You wanna say what you do?

804

Tracy Griffiths: I'm an instructor

and a, a leader of, energy medicine

805

and experiences that help people

have resource to feel better.

806

I help people feel better with different

tools and, a lot of it's hands on and

807

a lot of it is instruction through

different movements that get people to

808

unwind their nervous systems and drop in.

809

To a deep, deep place

of relaxation and peace.

810

I teach people how to use essential

oils in this, in this practice of

811

trauma release or tension release

exercise, cranial sacral polarity

812

therapy, , hands on body work, coaching.

813

Um, I work with all kinds of people.

814

I work with teens and young adults

at a behavioral health center.

815

, I work with the elderly and

palliative care, , clients.

816

I work with healthcare practitioners who

are looking to not be so burnt out and

817

have more resource so they can give more.

818

So I wear a lot of different hats, but

basically, um, I'm a muse for people

819

to, , find their happiness and their

joy and their peace and their wellness.

820

Amanda lux: And Anything

else you want to say

821

Gary Strauss: Well, I used to, um, I

don't, I'm very fortunate that I don't

822

really tell people very much what I do.

823

Because, kind of, people just come.

824

And so, and maybe I have

enough, I've done enough,

825

so I don't really talk about it that much.

826

Um, when I do, sometimes,

people say, what do you do?

827

My first thing, I usually say voodoo.

828

Amanda lux: Voodoo, is that what you said?

829

Voodoo.

830

Gary Strauss: And I like to say that

because it kind of like, it's, you

831

know, like when you meet somebody

and you say, what do you do?

832

It has like this, there's

something to wrote about.

833

And if I say voodoo, which

depending upon where you go,

834

voodoo has a certain meaning.

835

So I'm not really, I'm not, I say

voodoo sometimes and then people

836

laugh and they say voodoo, you know.

837

And I like to get that to open up, um, in

my life at some point, I thought I'm here.

838

I'm here to wake people up.

839

I thought that and I think if you look

at it, people are waking up like through

840

this craniosacral polarity energy medicine

based body work and all that that entails,

841

like, because it's not just just just

Obviously bodywork, but at the core of

842

it is this bodywork practice to me That's

my sadhana like touching and working with

843

the systems of the body and the dimensions

of the soul That's what I do that would

844

be the best clinical definition of and

that does help people I'm a helper.

845

I tell people that i'm a helper and I came

here to help and add value and whatever

846

someone's going through Doesn't matter.

847

I don't care who my client is or

what they have You I'm going to

848

hold a space to try and help them.

849

And sometimes I say, I'm

just here to hold space.

850

That's a deep thing of it as well, because

it's, it's nature that does the work.

851

So from my perspective, even though I

could be really mechanical about it,

852

it's, it's about people's nature in

essence, and the nature of the earth,

853

all the planets and our relations.

854

I say things like that.

855

Tracy Griffiths: We were at a

car dealership like 20 years ago,

856

and they say, what do you do?

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And Gary's response was I help

people remember what's important

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He got it that was really cool

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Amanda lux: That's perfect.

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Thank you.

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Thank you guys so much.

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It was so good to be with you.

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Oh my God.

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I'm so excited to be with you

in person here in this space.

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Happy birthday.

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I hope you go and celebrate

and have party and

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have a good time.

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Gary Strauss: Thank you.

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And we will, we're going to

celebrate my birthday when we

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come because I do it for a month.

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Amanda lux: Yeah.

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So it's still your birthday.

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There we go.

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We'll celebrate together.

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Tracy Griffiths: Thank you for having

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Gary Strauss: me.

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Tracy Griffiths: Yay.

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Amanda lux: Wonderful.

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It was so fun.

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Thanks you guys so much.

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You're welcome.

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Thank you so much for listening

to this episode of A Lone

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Traveler's Guide to the Divine.

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Please make sure to check out

Gary Strauss and Tracy Griffiths

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at the lifeenergyinstitute.

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or lei.

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org or go to elevationhive.

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com to learn more about my classes and

programs in polarity therapy, craniosacral

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therapy, and our ongoing dream circles and

other work related to that, to DreamWorks,

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so please check us out, and thank you,

thank you, thank you, it is such an

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honor to be in sacred community with you.