Dear listeners,
If you’ve been living in your head lately—thinking your way through everything, pushing through numbness, or trying to “figure it out” instead of feel it—this episode is a gentle invitation to come back home to your body.
Maybe you're navigating burnout, chronic fatigue, or anxiety that no amount of insight seems to shift. Or perhaps you’ve been practicing yoga or mindfulness but still feel a little... out of touch with yourself.
Wherever you are in your journey, this episode will nourish you.
It offers deep permission to slow down, to feel what you feel, and to rebuild your relationship with your body through tenderness and trust. If you've ever wondered what embodiment really means—or how to begin—this conversation is your first soft step in.
Together, Bettina and I explore how somatic yoga can guide us out of our heads and into deeper connection with our nervous systems, our strength, and our truth.
You’ll walk away with grounded insight, tender encouragement, and practical ideas for reconnecting with yourself—even if you’re just beginning.ney is about learning to listen again.
Meet Bettina Schelkle
Bettina is a thoughtful friend, longtime yoga teacher, and fellow sensitive soul with over 15 years of personal yoga practice and nearly a decade of teaching experience.
When she’s not gently guiding students through somatic movement, she’s reflecting on the deep inner journey of embodiment on her Substack, or exploring the quiet rhythms of village life just outside of Brussels.
Bettina supports curious and tender-hearted humans—especially those moving through anxiety, fatigue, or disconnection—to come back into their bodies with care. Her evolving teaching approach blends Hatha yoga with somatic awareness, nervous system support, intuitive movement, and a whole lot of gentleness.
Her work is grounded in her own journey of healing from disconnection, learning to feel again, and slowly rebuilding trust in her body’s wisdom.
In this conversation…
Bettina and I explore her journey from living primarily in her mind—intellectualizing and analyzing her inner world—to reconnecting with her body through somatic yoga, gentle movement, and deep nervous system care.
We talk honestly about the experience of disconnection, the subtleties of rebuilding body awareness, and what it really means to feel again after years of numbness, fatigue, or overthinking.
We also explore:
Why subtle movement can be more powerful than a dopamine-fueled workout
How Feldenkrais and somatic yoga helped Bettina rebuild trust in her body
What it means to move from within, rather than perform from without
The reason so many sensitive folks feel intimidated by open-ended movement practices
The importance of patience, imagination, and permission in embodied healing
Bettina’s vision for teaching yoga that honors personal agency, presence, and inner knowing
How embodiment can support emotional resilience, boundary setting, and true self-care
Why showing up for your home practice (without external validation) is a radical act of self-trust
Bettina’s story is a powerful reminder that being with yourself—fully and compassionately—is not only possible, but profoundly healing.
Every conversation here on The Nourished Sensitive is an invitation to slow down, be with what’s real, and see your sensitivity as a gift.
This episode is a gentle reminder, and a simple conversation just between us girlfriends that your softness is sacred, that whoever you are and whatever you have to offer is okay, and that your story—every single part of it—is the medicine you carry.
So wherever you are today,
Take a deep breath.
Settle in for a sacred pause.
Receive the nourishment this conversation holds.
And when you’re ready, no rush at all, go ahead and press play.
With all our love,
Leah and Bettina
Preview The Conversation
Episode Chapters
01:29 – Bettina's Journey into Somatic Yoga
05:29 – The Mind-Body Disconnect
10:54 – Reconnecting with the Body
14:52 – The Process of Embodiment
18:12 – Exploring Different Yoga Practices
22:25 – Defining Hatha Yoga
27:05 – Integrating Somatic Approaches into Hatha
30:09 – Intentions and Feedback in Teaching
37:43 – The Future of Somatic Yoga Teaching
41:48 – Navigating the Journey of Self-Discovery
46:24 – Experiencing Breakthroughs in Somatic Yoga
51:45 – Connecting to Collective Consciousness
54:11 – Practical Steps for Reconnecting with the Body
01:01:01 – Embracing the Process of Being
01:05:34 – Personal Benefits of Somatic Practices
Join Us in Sensitive Sanctuary Circle
Sensitive Sanctuary Circles are storytelling-rooted, connection-centered, safe and sisterly virtual gatherings for deep feelers, creatives, and sensitive souls.
We meet every other Tuesday evening to share what's alive in our hearts, reflect together, and witness each other's journey in a gentle, non-performative space.
Sometimes we do a bit of journaling, sometimes we just catch up and talk, often we eat because we’re hungry, and all the time we exist just exactly as we are.
When and Where to Find Sanctuary
Circle Date: Every other Tuesday
Time: 6:15–7:30 PM ET
Location: Online via Google Meet
Sliding Scale: $11–22 (FREE for The Nourished Sensitive Collective members and Substack paying subscribers)
These spaces are for you if:
You identify as a highly sensitive person, empath, creative, or intuitive
You’re craving real conversation and meaningful reflection in circle
You want to be in community without pressure to perform or fix
You’re longing to be seen, heard, and honored—just as you are
Come as you are. You don’t need to prepare or perfect anything–just your presence.
TNS Member – of Self Love, Lately
“I’ve read the books, listened to the podcasts, joined the sensitive FB groups… but hearing how other sensitives actually talk, seeing their expressions, and feeling safe being my whole Self around them? That does something for me no other space has.
I don’t even like groups, but Leah creates a container that’s deeply nourishing. Nobody cares what you do for work—we care about how you deal with sensory exhaustion, boundaries, how you feeling so fucking much. These Circles are the first place I’ve felt truly mirrored as an HSP.
Leah speaks to the sensitive experience like no one else I’ve ever met. She embodies it and doesn’t shy away from the ugly bits. That’s why I keep coming back.”
🧘 Practice with Bettina on Her Yoga Journey
Bettina Schelkle is a long-time yoga practitioner, part-time teacher, and writer whose work centers on the healing power of somatic awareness and intuitive movement. She’s the voice behind A Vibrant Life—a reflective Substack where she explores the unfolding path of embodiment and living gently in a fast-paced world.
Rooted in over 15 years of personal practice and nearly a decade of teaching, Bettina’s relationship with yoga has shifted from a performance-based, structured approach into something softer—an evolving practice that prioritizes nervous system regulation, inner listening, and presence. Her work is shaped by modalities like Hatha yoga, the Feldenkrais Method, and non-dual Tantric Shaivism.
Through her own healing journey with anxiety, disconnection, and burnout, Bettina has come to see yoga not as something to master, but as something that sustains. She now holds space for others to meet themselves with compassion, rebuild trust in their body’s wisdom, and move in ways that feel nourishing and real.
Connect with Bettina
Subscribe to her Substack: Bettina's Yoga Journey
Email her directly: bettina@avibrantlife.eu
If you're curious about Bettina’s evolving work in somatic yoga, or would love to see her offer an online class—drop a note in the comments of this episode’s Substack post to let her know. She’s dreaming it into being.
💌 Get ‘Leah Loved’ at The Nourished Sensitive
Leah Tarleton is the founder of The Nourished Sensitive—a holistic health guide, registered dietitian nutritionist, certified Mind-Body Eating Coach and heart-led healer who blends science with soul to support sensitive souls on their path to deeper nourishment and authentic living. Through her Nine Elements of Nourishment framework, Leah offers coaching, workshops, and storytelling that guide you back to your body, your values, and your inner wisdom.
Connect with Leah at TNS
Subscribe to the TNS Substack: nourishedsensitive.substack.com
Grab your free guide: Holistic Guide to Thriving as an HSP
Follow TNS on Instagram: @the.nourished.sensitive
Get In Touch with Leah: nourishedsensitive.com/contact
Listen, Share, and Leave a Review
If this episode reached your heart and nourished your soul, please consider sharing the love with a friend and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. Your words help sensitive voices be heard—and let others know they’re not alone.
About The Podcast:
The Nourished Sensitive Podcast is a sanctuary for quiet listeners, sensitive storytellers, and everyday healers who speak to the sensitive soul of life and grow together through authentic conversations and genuine connection.
Hosted by holistic health coach, registered dietitian, and heart-led healer Leah Tarleton, MS, RDN, each episode invites you into intimate conversations on sensitivity, nourishment, healing, personal growth, and self-discovery.
With warmth and empathy, Leah weaves personal stories, soulful reflections, and practical wisdom drawn from her signature Nine Elements of Nourishment framework—a body-mind-spirit approach to thriving as a sensitive, neurodivergent human.
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