2. How Breathwork can Transform your Eating Habits
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Madeleine Hackett has a beautiful & powerful story of transformation. A healthy, strong field hockey player in college, Mads still struggled with not liking her body and how she looked. This is when the cycle of binging, restricting, purging and over exercising started. The pain and struggle of controlling food and the mental energy was overwhelming. She went through eight months of rehab, talk therapy, CBT, DBT, ketamine therapy, trying everything to end the eating disorder & rewire her brain. Finally, in an unexpected way, she found Wim Hof breathwork that ultimately healed her and completely transformed her life.
We dive into topics of non-negotiable daily practice, yoga, eating disorders, the power of the mind and Wim Hof Method for breathwork.
Katie
So just diving right into it. What got you into teaching yoga? And how did that all start?
Mads
Totally. So I have been practicing yoga. I honestly I think before I could walk my mom as a yoga instructor. So I remember going like in fourth grade to the Bikram classes, sweating it out. And really loving it like instantly loving it. I was never super flexible. I've always been pretty strong, though. So that's always been like a really good compliment to my practice. And I practiced all through elementary school, middle school, high school. And then when I went away to college, I was actually a division one athlete. So I played field hockey. And yeah, and so practicing yoga was a really good supplement to all of that, and the importance of how it was able to help me get out of my head and into my body, which I think is like what we're all striving to do. It's just presence. I think so often, like when it comes to meditation, you think you have to be like, sitting in full lotus in like a dark cave with your eyes closed, staring at the back of your eyelids to like reach this elusive mindfulness, our place. But I think a lot of that can just be achieved by linking breath to movement and, and yoga and slowing. So that's really why I practice I try to practice every day. And it's just been a huge game changer with my mental health and my overall well being.
Katie
Yeah, totally, I can relate to that connection, that mind body connection. I know when I first started going to yoga classes, and that was in college, just like I kept going back and I didn't really know why. Because I was kind of I was in this mindset of like, I need to do intense cardio every time I go to the gym, but then I was introduced to yoga by some friends and I just like I kept going back knowing I wasn't like burning all of these calories and like, you know, doing this extreme fitness but something was there. And you know, now I realize how much I needed that mental aspect of it just distressing, you know, feeling like I didn't have to be perfect in every pose. You know, connecting to my body. I'm basically a whole different level than what I had been used to. And so I can totally relate to that connection. And I know you know, lots of people that have had a yoga practice for a long time. They say how important that Mind Body connection really can be. Yeah. And so what like you? I know you touched on it a little bit with that. But are there other ways that really yoga helped you maybe like physically? Or was it just mainly kind of that connection? And what do you think like, how do you think I kind of made you feel and then maybe a day to day basis.
Mads
totally. So I guess just focusing on the physical aspect of it, I was similar to you. And that, like I thought in order to lose weight, and we'll obviously get to that, like you had to be running on the treadmill and doing all the time intensity training and stuff. But I've always realized that my body is, is at its healthiest whenever I'm following a consistent yoga routine. And again, it's not like you're burning a ton of calories, I think it just has so much to do with bringing that the mindfulness back, and then how it translates throughout the rest of your day, if that makes sense. So like, obviously, like with eating, and that kind of thing, it helped me stay so much more present and aware of like, what I was putting into my body and how I was feeling myself. So I feel like it's like an hour practice maybe an hour and a half at most. But it extends so much, so much further beyond that. So like just the physicality side of things, I think that that like that obviously holds really, really true. And then the mental side, like I have been through some pretty tough, some pretty, pretty serious mental hardships, and yoga. When I returned to my job in South Carolina, yoga is what carried me through I was in a really intense, as you mentioned, I was a local TV reporter, which is really high pressure, really high stress. But I would go every single morning 5:30am what it was like a non negotiable for me. And I think that's really what got me through the rest of my contract in South Carolina. So like, just knowing that I did that, and like staying in integrity, go into bed the night before saying, I'm going to wake up, I'm going to go to yoga, even if I didn't really want to or didn't really feel like it. But I did it anyways, I think there's so much to be said about keeping the promises that we make to ourselves. And it's like an instant win. It was like an instant win in the morning for me. And no matter what happens throughout the rest of the day, no one could ever take that away from me. And I was able to, like hold on to that and carry that. And that's truly what got me through through that really difficult time.
Katie
Yeah, and I love how you, you say it was really non negotiable. Because I feel like sometimes we think about exercise is kind of this like to do thing like on our to do list. But it also can be like, like showing integrity for yourself and that determination. And so kind of switching your mindset from, like, Oh, I need to wake up. And I should do this, to like, this is really helping my body. This is really helping my mind. Like, this is how I feel when I do it. And I'm going to show up for myself and my body and show integrity for that. And that, you know, pushes you to wake up and go to the 5:30am Yoga. And so that's so cool. I love how you said that.
Mads
No. And I think like self care in general, I feel like self care is like it's can be extremely misunderstood. Like people think, Oh, it's about like eating chocolate and taking a bubble bath. And maybe that is what it is. And that's great. But self care is doing things that you don't always want to necessarily do. So I think like, that's what my yoga practice was right? Like, it would be cold in the morning, I didn't want to get out of bed, my alarm would go off at 515 I like I understood the broader picture, and understood that I loved myself enough to take care of myself and in a way in its own way that that that is self care.
Katie
Yeah, yeah. And I feel like it's, it's a hard balance to because I know I've talked to a lot of women, and they struggle a lot with motivation. And I can relate to that, you know, not not feeling good in your body and having to go to exercise and and so it's like this kind of fine line between knowing on a deeper level, I feel like what is good for your body and your soul and you know, what actually feels can feel good compared to like, how am I going to motivate myself to do you know, x, y and z is kind of an interesting balance. And that you know, I think it's to like I think it's coming to that level of really understanding yourself and knowing what's good for you and you know, shutting kind of shutting out those outer influencing influences telling you, you know, what you should be doing and you know, how many minutes you need to be exercising and a week and, and so maybe it's kind of finding That level of inner knowing and so that when you do need to motivate, and you need to get to that level of determination to show up to the class every day, it's because you know, in your heart, this is good for my body. This is how I want to feel, you know, I'm showing up for myself
Mads
lately, and like, it's hard. Like, I'm not like saying, it's easy. I think, like, if you rely on motivation, you're gonna fail yourself, I think it's so much about habit building. Because like, ultimately, who we are, are the, the actions that we do day in and day out, right, like the actions that make up our day. Like, it's hard, like, I've been like, like, out of like, places where I've done a lot heavier than I am now. And it's like, going to a yoga studio and looking at yourself in the mirror. Like, I feel like we need to discuss that as well. I'm like, realizing that you're, it's harder to do a Chaturanga because you waste 15 more pounds. And you're surrounded by these. And this is like a stigma but like you're surrounded by these thin white women in Lulu lemon, right? Who are doing like these insane poses. And, and so like, I don't even like I don't even have any like thing inspirational to say, with regards to that. Just that like I can relate to that I've been there. I think so many people have been there. But like knowing that the consistency and keeping a consistent practice, you'll feel yourself getting stronger, you'll feel yourself getting fitter. And then I don't think there's anything more motivating than that. But it's hard. Like I said, like, and that's what I that's what I think in a way so unfortunate about the yoga community is that I think some people can feel really ostracized, I think like, minorities may not feel comfortable, I feel like people that are heavier may not feel comfortable. So like, as a teacher, I just want to be so aware of that. And I try to like, obviously offer modifications and everything like that, while pushing, it's like it's a, it's a fine line again, because you want to be able to push people that are there to get a hard workout into salt. But then you also want to make it a safe and comfortable place for people that necessarily can't reach that level of fitness. So that's something that I'm working on as a teacher of being like, even more inclusive, because I've been on both sides. You know, when I understand, I understand how most people are feeling.
Katie
Totally, and I think we all have our ups and downs, and it's showing up on those down days is it can be really hard, like you said, and it's not like sugarcoating it. Like, you're always gonna feel good in your body. And I was actually when I was teaching class the other day, it's, you know, showing up on those days that you don't feel perfect. And you know, maybe you have some pain somewhere and you're not, or you know, you feel like you ate too much last night and you feel gross in your body. And it's on those days that you're really showing up for yourself. Those are the days that you really need to be proud of, and send some sense of acceptance and compassion to yourself, be in touch with that discomfort a little bit, because that can also bring up some realness and truth and honesty in yourself. So I like that and from what your experiences in the past with yoga that has kind of led you to wanting to teach yoga,
Mads
big time. I think like having goals having gone through like, body image issues, serious eating disorder, like it gives you I wouldn't, I wouldn't trade it. Like I wouldn't change it because it allows me to be empathetic, like I can empathize with someone who's coming in and, and may not be saying it, but it's having like a bad audience. Right, you know, or, again, it's deep in their eating disorder. I don't know, like, I feel like that allows me to meet someone at the table and like level with them and understand where they're coming from. And then also, hopefully, like offer some sort of hope that there is a way out.
Katie
Yeah. Oh, yeah. You know, I've struggled with eating. Yeah, and the body image issue and just different things also led me to wanting to be a yoga teacher, and that inclusivity part of it. I love that, you know, coming in as you are with your body image issues, you know, with your eating disorder, and just showing up and over and over, it'll get better and better. Would you be willing to share a little bit about your eating disorder and kind of how that journey began for you?
Mads
Sure. Yeah. So as I mentioned, to full disclosure, I've never openly shared this with with like on a platform before, because I think like I said, I think there's so much shame and guilt wrapped up in it. And a lot of people don't know like, for me, it was so secretive. Like I was so deeply isolated. I went away to rehab and no one in South Carroll I knew where I was, I literally just dropped off, dropped off for like eight months. And I came back. And I didn't tell anyone, I didn't feel like I needed to explain it, I feel I was still, I was still embarrassed, like, I wasn't obviously proud of it. And it was still really, really close to me. So thank you for giving me like a platform to share. And I think like I said, I think it's interesting, I learned that there's so you, you tell your story three times, the first time to help yourself, the second time to help others. And then the third time, it becomes self indulgence, right. So like, I think that's really important that I don't like over tell this story. Because it's no longer my story. It's part of my path. And I'm at the point where it's like, Okay, how can I make mine? That's my message, how can I take my hardship and hopefully help it if it only impacts one person listening here, then that's all I need, you know, but I just want to be like really clear about that. Because that I'm doing this in an effort to help others, right, which I think is exactly what you're doing, which is what's so incredible about this platform and you sharing because like we discussed, like, it's it's uncomfortable to talk about. But if it can help other people, then why wouldn't. So I mean, my like body image stuff started when I was like, when I was in sixth grade, I remember. I was always like, I was always naturally really thin, naturally, really athletic as a child. But I was super flat chested. So this isn't so much weight wise, but I was super flat chested, like all the other girls had like boobs, and I didn't. And I remember buying my first padded bra in fifth grade, to like, disguise the fact that I had no boobs, okay, whatever, like fifth grade, that was a big thing. And looking back on that, I think I hated my body every day for the next 15 years. Like every day, there was something like, and I was so healthy. I was division one athlete, I was, you know, I was like, I had a great high school experience. But I was so unhappy with how I look. And I placed so much of my work in how I work. So I remember the dieting cycle, I guess you would call it started when I was about 18. I had gained weight. I was like training as I was a field hockey player. So like I was strong. I wouldn't say I was at you know, but I thought I was right. Like I was pretty much disgusted with my body. I hated how I looked.
And when I was 18, I went away to Thailand. And you can edit this is like a long, roundabout way. But I went to Thailand with my friend. And I remember this friend telling me how much weight I gained and how much bigger I was. And obviously in Asia, that diet culture there is like, it's just so backwards. But she taught me to dye it up if you trigger warning, but if you only eat breakfast, that's all you can eat whatever you want, you can eat as much as you want for breakfast, and then you don't eat for the rest of the day. You don't eat until breakfast the next day, you'll lose weight. And so essentially, I was like binge eating, every time I ate breakfast for that entire summer. And I lost weight. I was like, you know, I lost like 15 pounds, I was really thin. But I was literally like that was when it all began, I felt like the binge restrict purge over exercise like that, when the cycle began. And it lasted for almost 10 years. And I got significantly worse and worse and worse and more and more severe and more and more obsessive and like the pendulum would swing. So like, with any eating disorder, it's like, I would restrict, I would lose all of this weight. And then it would be like more, and I was binge and be like completely out of control. And the binges were like, so dark. I mean, that was what was most. That was what was hardest for me because I feel like, you know, you say you have an eating disorder and you're expected to be like Rael thing, you know, it's like that's, that's like the stigma of it. Whereas I wasn't, but I was still extremely unhealthy in my eating habits. And when I was 26 years old, I guess you could say about like, the rug pulled out from underneath me. And my parents realized how severe I was living in South Carolina, as a TV reporter on television every day constantly being fatigued and on my body and how I looked. I mean, like that was the emphasis that was more important than my work. And maybe in hindsight, obviously, hindsight, 2020 but maybe, maybe that was more so the narrative that I was creating in my head because I was so sick, but that's how it felt. That was my story. And my parents realized how severe and unhealthy my eating disorder I become, I was purging every day. And they sent me away to rehab. And so I went away to rehab in Arizona, and I I was there for eight months. And again, hindsight 2020. But I don't feel like it did all that much for me, I returned about a month later. And fortunately, that was when I that was when I really got immersed into yoga, which I think saved me immensely from completely just self destructing. But I returned to those I returned to those habits that I would turn to those behaviors. And I don't think the new I don't think like the television industry was healthy for someone who has who's had an eating disorder for that long and you have mental health struggles. That wasn't helpful. Again, having to like maintain this image, maintain this weight, looking back, like I would go on television, and then I would see it that night and just be like, how I looked. Even even at my fitness. You know, it's so crazy how like, the mind is, I was never happy. I was never satisfied with how I look. I was always there was always something to pick myself apart. And, and yeah, I mean, I can get into how I'm much better now. But when I say Katie that I tried, like talk therapy, rehab, CBT, DBT, ketamine therapy, I did, I did, where I like, literally tried to like rewire my brain. And it wasn't until I found breathwork that ultimately healed.
Katie
Oh, my gosh, I have so much to say. And yes, and I want to get into those tools that helped you. But first off, I just want to acknowledge, being so generous and sharing that because I know how uncomfortable that can be to share our story and how much shame and guilt we can carry. From our stories from especially when it comes to our body. I do think it's so important that we start to share and be more open. And I know how hurtful and painful it can be to be open and vulnerable. But it's also you know, I see social media and I see young women, and I honestly do not know how they do it because I was so insecure growing up. And I know, you know, talking to some of my friends, like they struggled with all of these things. And so you know, now more than ever, I feel like we just we need to open our hearts. And we need to talk about these struggles. Because we're living in a world with ideals and expectations, and things that are telling us we need to be a certain way or act a certain way. And we get into our heads, right, the mind is so powerful, it can take over it just so much control. And if we stay stuck in that, like you're saying that can just spiral it can just build on top of itself. Looking back, like I felt like I was just stuck in this kind of fixed mindset. And it was like this dark tunnel where it was like, I don't know how to get out, you know, and I don't know, like I'm so trapped inside my head. And I have all of these ideas of what I think I should look like and what I should be doing. And and all of the things that I'm trying to get there. Like all of the you know, trying to change my body trying to lose weight was just creating more and more anxiety and stress. And so I'm so happy that you're sharing this because I want women to understand that it is really hard when you're in it. And even when you're healthy. Like you're saying you're healthy or strong. And just even those tiny little thoughts. I feel like can just wear us down on a day to day basis that
Mads
Yeah, go ahead. No, I mean, it's all consuming. I think that to like how all I thought of like literally Katie, all I thought about was like, What am I eating? What am I not eating? If I like have the bins mentality was like, Okay, what is my next thing is going to be how am I going to get there? Or if I was in the restricting mentality was like, Okay, how am I going to make sure that I only eat 700 calories today and burn 500 or, you know, I think that's like how I spent my 20s I'm 20 years old, and how like, how much of my life was dominated by my body image I think of all these incredible trips I went on and, and, and it was an all I was thinking about was like, What size I was and what I was fitting into and what my weight was and where I was on the spectrum of like restricting or bending. Like the brain capacity that an eating disorder takes off for any addiction takes up. It completely removes you from the present from from enjoying life. And I just, it just Yeah, and it breaks my heart because I just know you You mentioned social media and like, how much of a facade it is. And I think like the same a broken wide and makes a lot of noise. And it's like, oh, yeah, on social media, I looked great. Like everything was fine and dandy. No one knew that I was deeply struggling and upset. I actually was, but it was like, Oh, I had this image to portray, I had this image that I need to put out and had other people think of me, it was even darker, because it was so secretive. And I was so unhappy. And and just struggling, essentially alone. No one knew no one knew the extent of, of how dark it really was.
Katie
Oh, my gosh, yeah. And that just hits my heart. Because same thing I think about every morning in the past, I would wake up and I would think about what I ate. The last day, that was my first thought, how much guilt Am I going to bring on myself today for what I ate yesterday. And this just, I just thought about this story, when I was first creating this business and trying to come up with ideas for the podcast, and I was at a restaurant with my fiance's Sterling. And I was I was telling him, you know, I was like, I don't know, like how I'm going to help women. I just like, like, I'm struggling right now, I don't know how to move forward. Like, I don't want to give them exercise, you know, routine, I don't want to give them you know what they need to eat, I just like, I know, I need to be in the health space. Because that's where my heart is. And that's where my pain point has been. And I was just kind of being super emotional. I mean, obviously, a few beers deep and the emotion comes out. But, but um, I was like, I would wake up every morning and think about what I ate. And I was like, I don't want any woman to feel like that. And he was just like, what, like, what, like, that's what was on your mind when you woke up in the mornings. And, of course, like, I'm bawling, like tears running down my face. And, you know, like, super awkward because we're at this Indian restaurant, and, like, a super awkward like Christmas turtleneck. And like, the whole thing was a total mess. But you think about how much time was wasted and how many beautiful trips that you went on. And all you were thinking about was your body and how you looked and where you're going to eat. You know, because I felt that same way to like, I felt like I wasted a lot of time, beautiful time, beautiful time and starting to give myself forgiveness and send myself compassion, and really understand that it wasn't my fault. And it's really nobody's fault that we're living in a society that has these images and ideals that we're subject to every day and giving us you know, a direction where get on this program and and get on this diet. And this is how you're going to solve your issues. And this is how you're going to be happy. So sending out some forgiveness to our audience and some compassion, because it does suck, especially when you're in it. And you're like, I'm there. Like, I feel like I'm wasting my moments, you know, I'm focusing on all this negative negative energy, but it's really not your fault. Yeah. And so and there are tools, and there's so many ways that we can get out of it. And just from my introduction with you, Mads just kind of a testament to your journey, that you struggle with all of these things, and went through all of that. But now, you know, you have this beautiful energy about you, and it does show this amazing confidence. And when I am in your yoga class, I feel it in my body, so your confidence radiates to me, and I can feel more confident in myself. So I do feel like where you're at now. It's just amazing, and a testament to where we all can get and what tools that we can use to get there. So heading into, I do want to talk about the tools that really have helped you and give us some insight into maybe some things that we could do to also help. And I know you mentioned that breathwork and being in
Mads
totally so I guess to preface this again, like I genuinely thought Katie that I would never get out of my eating disorder. Like I kind of had just accepted it. And I was like, Well, I was a high functioning addict. You know, I was working for a really good television station, and I put on a really, really good app. And I thought to myself and an eating disorders run rampant in my family. So like, I have a lot of family members, again, high functioning that are that have severe eating disorders. And I just thought like that would be me, you know, and so as long as I could find the right restriction, you know, the right weight I would be fine if I if I just continued through this, the rest of my life being consumed by the food and weight loss and body image. But like I could still function, I could still make it. I just thought, I thought I mean, at the end, you know, when I tried that ketamine therapy, I was like really hopeful, didn't work, you know. And so I was like, well, this is just how it's going to be.
And then I discovered breathwork. And I say this, and I, like I researched it, I tried to better understand it, because I don't know like, I am not a breathwork experts. I don't know how, like the science and exact science behind it. But I do know that, again, talk about a non negotiable I practice it every day. And I have been completely free from my eating disorder for six months, seven months, which doesn't sound like a long time. But like, I know, in my cells in every cell, that that left, you know, and that's the only thing I can possibly attribute it to the only real change that I made. Well, two changes is wrapped work. And leaving the industry that didn't suit me anymore. I was like this hamster on this like corporate wheel that just kept spinning. And I'm like, continuously running, extending all of this energy trying to reach this elusive goal of whatever it was my career, you know, reaching the top of top market and reporting and getting there. When I was really just like, obviously, the hamster it took like a courage essentially, to step off that wheel and realize that I was in the same place like I was continuously doing the same exact thing day in and day out. And it's like, nothing changes, if nothing changes. And my contract came to an end. And I said, That's it, and I walked away. And I think that was a big that was that's a ton of courage. And that was extremely scary because my identity was so, so deeply intertwined with being a TV reporter. It was like from the time I was seven years old, I started the media club in high school that I went to college for broad, the specific school for broadcast journalism, started my career. So it was like that trajectory was always laid out. For me. I always thought this is what I wanted. But I didn't realize how destructive it was to my mental health. And I have happiness in my well being. So I think, stepping away from what was what didn't work for me again, is like, again, I just nothing changes if nothing changes. So stepping away from that island, discovering breathwork I like it was so happenstance I met It was my last day of ketamine therapy, actually. And I met this guy in this park. And he's like doing this weird breathing. And I thought he was just meditating. And I was like, Can I sit down? And can I sit down to meditate with you? I don't know what called me to do that. And it was like, so bizarre because I would never just like ask someone. And he was like, super cool. And he's like, Yeah, sure. He's like, I'm actually doing Wim Hof. You know who that is? And I'm like, No, what's Wim Hof? Like, he's like, well, it's holotropic breathing, basically, you overall donate for 30 breaths. And then you hold your breath for as long as you can breathe in for 15 seconds, and then repeat. And I'm like, kind of weird, but kind of on like, on down. So I practiced it with him. And I instantly like with this complete stranger, I felt this like flood of emotions. Like, for me, and I think I was before I started breathwork, I was a pro at avoiding my feelings. Like, that's what my eating disorder really was. It's never about the food. Right? It was about like, using food, either restricting for control and to feel like at four to numb out and not have to feel anything. So I was like, I was a pro at just completely not feeling anything. And breathwork made me feel again. And yeah, and I felt this, like flood of emotions run through me, like I've never experienced before was by far the most transformative experience of my life. And I was hooked. And I didn't know why. And I didn't know what it was doing. And I didn't even know at the time that it was going to do anything for my eating disorder. But I kept practicing. And I did it. I returned every single morning doing it every single day, four rounds. And my eating disorder is like completely lifted. And I think like you got to feel it to heal it. And I never even knew it's not like I had like some dark childhood. I don't have any deep traumas. I think I just had like, a sadness. Yes, that I never wanted to feel like an emptiness that I never wanted to feel. And then I always tried to avoid I always had I had to be like, up, up, up, up up. And I always had to be like reaching for the next tie. I'm like, trying to get to a necktie. And when I just finally sat down and let myself feel it healed me. Wow.
Katie
Oh my gosh, so cool. And you guys disclaimer, our local yoga studio to dotnet shout out to dotnet awesome. So they put on our web Half breathing, and I went to it, it was this was just a few days ago. And Mads and I talked about after, and it blew my mind, like nothing I had ever experienced before. So I meditate, you know, I try to daily, I have the headspace app. And usually I do like 10 minutes, I did an mbsr course, that's a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction that's a little bit more intensive eight week meditation practice. And obviously, I do yoga, but none of those things compared it was the Wim Hof breathing was different than all of those things. It was, like mad said it was connecting to that emotional state, like it's, you know, in your brain, that emotional place that we don't access frequently, because we're in our frontal brain, our thinking brain most of the time, but I definitely felt a deeper relationship to my body on a different level than I had with any of the other things I had done before. And that would be the one thing I would describe it as, for me, it was almost like getting in touch with my body on a pure physical level of just breath, and how precious breath is because when you release without breath, it's like your body is has all of these sensations. And you really kind of, well, at least for me, my experiences, feeling my body on that physical level without breathing was just crazy. Like I can't, you know, I can't really put it into words. But it's really based on those tools that we can connect to our body on a deeper level. And we can really connect to the present moment so that we are feeling more fully alive in every moment. And we are disconnecting from our negative thoughts, and from those thoughts are connected to our expectations and diets and ideals. So it's so cool that I was introduced to this and then that's just kind of worked out perfect. And she told me all about it. So yeah, do you want to say anything more on the kind of technique and yeah, maybe died out late.
Mads
So like they call the Wim Hof Method, the respiratory gauntlet to get to the other side. And what the way I see it and I can like go into because obviously, I've done so much research, because I'm so passionate about it, because it's helped me so much. But what it's all about for me is like moving and releasing stuck energy, I think like so basically, they they've discovered that breathwork holotropic breathwork, in particular, taps into the autonomic nervous system. So there's like two sides of the autonomic nervous system, there's a parasympathetic and the sympathetic. And the parasympathetic is like the relaxation side, it's what you feel after you have like a really nice massage, or even if you have like a really good meal, and you're kind of sleepy, like that's the parasympathetic, the sympathetic, is like when someone cuts you off in traffic, or when someone like says something that pisses you off, like you're triggered. And so basically what this does is this is self induced sympathetic stress. So you're actually put by holding your breath, flooding your body with carbon dioxide, you basically are putting your body into sympathetic stress intentionally. And what that does is by by doing that in like a setting where you're actually controlling it, when you're out in the real world, and say, someone cuts you off in traffic, it elongate the time between stimulus and response. But like, it actually allows you that pause, it allows me like a longer time to like return to the present and say like, okay, it's training for sympathetic stress, when I would be like, triggered to binge or even triggered to restrict, because it was it was so emotional, and so wrapped up in like emotions and feelings, I would just be able to take a breath, you know, and just like literally return to your breath, return, return to the present, using like your meta mind to bring you back to the now and realize that I'm safe, like, I'm okay. There's no need, like, I don't need to return to these habits. I don't need to go back there. And I think that's ultimately like what was able to do that that's the science behind how I've been able to work it out. Again, I've researched on like, Are there studies, eating disorders, respiratory, and there's nothing Yeah. Wow. So that's why I say like, I I just feel like I hope that more people can use this as a tactic and a method to kind of help them through whatever they're going through any sort of addiction. I just think breathwork is so so healing.
Katie
Sure. Cool, so cool. And I'm so glad that you could be here and share that because like you said, it's not about the food, right? It's about emotions, it's about our emotional connection to it. And so we need to learn that it's not going on another diet or you know, another program, it's really about the tools that can bring you back into your center, kind of back into that soft heart space where it's like, yourself, it's like your true self and center. And so I'm so glad that you shared that that is just an amazing tool, and I'm going to continue to work on it. So I'll keep updates on the on the podcast, how it's going, and how it's affecting me, and I'm so excited to continue it. And I still struggle with food on a daily basis, you know, it's like, I do have an emotional connection to food. And not that it's bad, right? Like, I can eat it and to cure some of my emotions sometimes. And that's perfectly fine. But I think it's when it's, it's really not serving you. And it's something that you are trying to change your habit, this can be a great tool, come back to center and really align with what I truly want for myself and my body and what's going to serve me the best. So thank you for sharing. And so tell us just where you're teaching yoga now. And any last words, anything that you would like to say to our audience before we peace out?
Mads
Yeah, um, you know, so I'm continuing to teach x it off. And I love it. I also teach it yoga sex that's done in sugarhouse. It's been really fun. I don't know what's next. I feel like this moment is kind of the epitome of uncertainty for me, I've really been able to just get quiet, though. And I feel like when everything is uncertain, what's important, gets really clear. And so it's like a day by day thing of kind of discovering what I meant to be doing and where I'm supposed to be going next week will, the one certainty is that no matter what it is, or no matter what that looks like, I will never again compromise my peace of mind. Like, nothing is more important to me, than the peace in my mind that I have now. And I think only people who have known strife, only people who have known like the struggle of being literally at war with yourself, can truly appreciate and value, being at peace with yourself, and empathize and understand how important that is. So again, like, I don't know what's next for me, I know that healing isn't linear, I know that not every day is going to be perfect. I'm going to have that body image days. But I'm more aware now. And I'm able to understand that that is just a bad body image day or Yeah, I ate a little too much last night. It's not the end of the world life goes on. It's just freaking food. Like, it's not that big of a deal. And I think just having that self awareness, but also just like the self appreciation for doing the work. And again, bringing it back to integrity. Like, I don't want to hold my breath every day till I'm blue in the face. Like, it's not like I look forward to doing Wim Hof. Like, a lot of times I'm really resistant to it. But I know that in order to stay on the path that I'm on, I need to continue practicing. And nothing. Nothing comes before my peace of mind now. So that's really where I'm at. I'm just so grateful to you, Katie for having these conversations and opening this up. I think it's incredible what you're doing. Really just trying to again, like de stigmatize eating disorders. I think there's such, there's so many more people, men and women that struggle with us. And I think the more we can just shed light on it, and offer some semblance of hope, and that there is a way out whatever that looks like. It's really important work you're doing. So thank you for giving me a platform to share my story. I'm so grateful for you and for meeting you and for everything you're doing.
Katie
I'm so grateful that you could come on today and share your story and just being so generous to being open. You know, we just need more of that. And it's just like your light and showing that to all of us can just inspire us to share and be open more because that is where truth lies. And that is where your heart is. And even the you know, even the bad things, even the shameful things, the things that we have built on our part of who we are and it shouldn't be shamed. That shouldn't be a bad thing. You know, it's just part of life. And it's part of being a woman in the society today and like I'm so full of gratitude right now for you and for all of our listeners. And thank you for being here, why am I so much fun by?
Wow, what an awesome conversation with Mads. She was open, honest, just listening to what she went through and her struggles and knowing that there really is a way out. And there's true transformation on the other side, even in the most unexpected ways, which was really also a cool insight I got from our conversation. So let's go into kind of the nitty gritty, main aspects of what we talked about to take away some of the main points. So number one, impact of yoga, yoga can be so powerful, because it is this mind body connection. So this impact of getting out of our head and into our body. And what Mads talked about is that one hour of yoga can translate and really extends to the whole rest of your day by getting that benefit of extending out to those other 23 hours, which is so valuable. Number two, talking about the non negotiable. And I love how Mads related this to a self care practice. So that non negotiable of waking up early, and going and doing your yoga practice on a consistent basis. And also, now she does that with her breath work. And this is really a disciplined type of practice, right going and doing this on a consistent basis and building that habit. But it's also showing yourself self care, and self love. So really changing our mindset is such a great way to show integrity for our body and our mind and showing up for ourselves on a daily basis. Number three, Mads opening up about her eating disorder, and that dieting cycle, and that feeling like you need to meet the expectations and the ideals and that continual suffering of self judgment, she was so generous to share her story. And I think it's so powerful. Even if you don't feel like you are going through that struggle to that extreme. I think we all can relate to having those expectations, and ideals and images that create a layer of negativity and judgment on a daily basis, because we're all subject to those outer influences. And the media and social media, it's really amazing to hear MADD story and really her transformation hearing her say in the podcast, you know, never believing she would get out of it, saying that she could just put on a face and being able to put out this image and pretend like everything's okay. And going from that place and really coming out of it on the other end, finding that breathwork finding those tools, it can give us all some hope and inspiration that if we open up our perspective, a little bit more, and we continue to show up day to day things will get better. Number four, how powerful the mind can be. And this was kind of a theme throughout the whole interview, and how all consuming our thoughts can take us down this rabbit hole of self judgment and negative energy and all of these things and it's really locked inside our mind. So thinking about how much of our life are we attaching on to our thoughts? And when does this become a point of addiction? And really, when does it become a point of self awareness where we realize it's time to let go It's time we change? Even if we don't have all the answers yet becoming aware of our mind and being able to separate from those thoughts can be very powerful. And the first step is just noticing and having that self awareness. So the last takeaway number five is the Wim Hof breathing. We are breathing every second of every day so why are we not exploring At more, and that's what I thought was so cool and mad story. She tried to all of these other techniques, and it was the Wim Hof that completely changed her life and connected her to her body and emotions in a whole different way. So if you're interested in trying the Wim Hof breathing, I decided to add a PDF sheet you can find on my website, it's free. It has all the information I listed an app you can download. Or you can try the technique for free. It's pretty wild when I dove in and researched the benefits and information on it. It's just pretty amazing. So definitely check that out. On this sheet, I also added the main points and more takeaways from the episode. I just feel like it's helpful to have a chichi and an easy reference to get the most out of what we talked about today. So you can look at it, put it on your fridge, put it in your journal, and use it to inspire action steps or just a reminder for the insights and tools we learned today. So thank you so much for being here and taking the time out of your day to listen. I will have my contact info in the show notes, Instagram and email for contact. I would love to meet you and any comments or suggestions you have for the podcast. I am always here to chat. Make sure that you subscribe so you don't miss any new episodes. And I will see you all next week. My mom laughs and the love to you and your body
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