Lisa Lewis 00:00:00 Sensitive in nature is part of the practice of the Practice Network, a network of podcasts seeking to help you market and grow your business and yourself. To hear other podcasts like the Impact Driven Leader podcast and Behind the Bite podcast, go to practice of the practice. Com forward slash network. Welcome to Sensitive in Nature. The podcast invites you to explore the profound connection between highly sensitive people and the natural world. I’m your host, Lisa Lewis, and I’m thrilled to embark on this journey with you. In each episode will delve into the unique experiences, challenges, and gifts of being highly sensitive while discovering how nature serves as a sanctuary for those who feel deeply. We’ll hear stories from individuals who have found solace, strength and inspiration in the embrace of the natural world. So if you’re someone who feels a deep kinship with nature, or if you’re curious about the transformative power it holds for highly sensitive people, you’re in the right place. Let’s embark on this journey together, and may it lead us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Lisa Lewis 00:01:35 Welcome to the Sensitive and Nature podcast, where we explore the intersection of sensitivity, nature, and personal growth. I’m your host, Lisa Lewis, and today we have an incredible conversation lined up. Joining us is Jason Delgaudio, a college professor with a PhD in communication studies who has spent nearly 30 years studying vibes. In this episode, we’ll dive into how vibes the subtle energies we sense in our environment can deeply influence the experiences of highly sensitive people. If you’ve ever felt more in tune with the energy around you, this is the episode for you. Welcome to the show, Jason. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:02:23 Hi, Lisa. How are you? Lisa Lewis 00:02:25 Good. I’m. I’m really good today. How are you doing? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:02:29 I’m doing well. Thank you for having me on, I appreciate it. Lisa Lewis 00:02:31 Yeah. You’re welcome. I’m so curious to understand more about what you’ve been studying the last 30 years. Vibes. And that’s what I’ve like, Viktor. IBS. Just to make sure people are hearing that. Right. And to ask you the first question, do you consider yourself a highly sensitive person or not? And if so, can you share a little story about that. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:03:01 So yes, I do consider myself to be a highly sensitive. And it’s kind of a lifelong journey in some ways. So growing up, I grew up in a blue collar household. My father was pretty much a blue collar guy, very tough. I’m very masculine myself, even to this day. I never thought of myself as being sensitive, although my stepmother would say on occasion you seem very sensitive, etc. not in the classic terms or anything like that, but in terms of my overall demeanor. And then I guess, in my 30s or late 30s, early 40s, I started to see a therapist, and he would often use the term highly sensitive. He never categorized myself as being highly sensitive, but he would say that once in a while. But again, I didn’t know what it really meant. And then, not a few years ago, I was talking to a friend of mine who was a former therapist, and she self classifies as highly sensitive. And she said, well, Jason, you seem very like very sensitive, like in the classic sense of the term. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:03:51 You might want to read some books about this. So she sent me some books, I read them and I was like, wow, I guess I am highly sensitive. And when I say that, I guess it’s just an issue of that. I feel the world more deeply than the average person. I tend to care about the world more deeply than the average person. I might have a stronger emotional response to the what’s going on in the world. I tend to empathize with people more, and at the same time, though, on kind of the negative side, I tend to be overwhelmed and overstimulated often, and so I have to learn how to really manage that. That’s something I’ve been doing the past couple of years, of trying to incorporate into my daily life and daily routine. More meditation, more downtime, more self-care, etc. and trying to understand and also negotiates what it means to be highly sensitive. Lisa Lewis 00:04:31 Oh wow. Well, thank you so much for sharing that. And I resonate with everything you just said, how you, I guess classified yourself or explained yourself. Lisa Lewis 00:04:40 I’m like, yep, that’s, that’s me right there along with you. And I for me, it feels like a lifelong understanding of, gosh, part of me doesn’t want want that sensitivity. Like, I just want to be normal and average. What does that feel like? But it feels a lot better. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:05:02 No. Yes I agree, so I get it in the past couple of years that it comes to understand what this means. I realized that on the one hand, a superpower. On the other hand, though, it can be very overwhelming. So if I’m in a room with people unconscious without thinking about it, like I’ll know everything that’s happening in the room all at once. And like I said before, it can really overwhelm your system, like your nervous system. And so learning to negotiate that is really, as you said, a lifelong quest and goal. Lisa Lewis 00:05:28 Yes, yes it is. So let’s talk about vibes. And I’m curious, since you’ve been studying this for 30 years, how has it or maybe it hasn’t shifted your focus. Lisa Lewis 00:05:48 even learning about yourself and being highly sensitive. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:05:52 Well, in terms of coming to terms of being highly sensitive over the last few years, It really was kind of a humorous breakthrough for me. Like, there’s a reason why I’ve been studying vibes for so long. Like, if I if I am highly sensitive, it would make sense why I’m attuned to the subtle energies that exist around me and why I take an interest in these subtle energies. Right? and so just to back up here for a moment, I guess so for your listeners, one of the basic ways to define a vibe is the exchange of energy between you and the world. So again, the exchange of energy between you and the world. Now, of course, the first question would be like, what is this energy? What does it mean? How do we understand it? So for example, is that energy, physical or metaphysical? Is it’s material or immaterial? Is it scientific or spiritual? Perhaps all these things all at once? Right now, regardless of how we define this, I think it definitely relates to being highly sensitive. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:06:45 Right? So we talk about vibes and the exchange of energy. It’s essentially saying that there’s more going on below the threshold of consciousness. And we as highly sensitive people are attuned tune to what’s occurring below that that that conscious level. Right? We’re attuned to it. We’re affected by or influenced by it, etc.. Right. And so that’s definitely part of my journey, understanding, you know, how am I highly sensitive in relationship to what I’ve been studying for 30 years? Lisa Lewis 00:07:11 Okay. And and when we when you say like, I guess that’s the word vibe, is that mean? Like I can say like, you know, I’m sure we’ve heard ourselves say this or if we’ve heard other people say this, I don’t get a good vibe about that person, or I do get a good vibe about that person. What what does that actually mean? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:07:36 Oh, well, there’s a common saying in our society, good vibes only. And I understand why people say that. Like who wants bad vibes? But I think we need to be honest with ourselves and realize that as human beings there are all kinds of vibes, good vibes, bad vibes, chill vibes, beautiful vibes, scary vibes, etc. right? And it’s about learning to differentiate between different kinds of vibes. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:07:57 So it’s like learning a new language. So if you go to Spain or France or China, you can learn a word or two here and there to get by as a visitor on vacation, etc.. But really, to understand the language, you have to develop a larger vocabulary and how those words fit together. And I would say the same thing is true with vibes, right? how might we learn to differentiate between different vibes? How might we learn to differentiate between my vibe and your vibe, or my vibe and the vibes of other people, right? And how can we learn to communicate via the vibe? Right? So if I want to be more self-confident, more authentic, more charismatic, if I want to have a higher vibe or a lower vibe, how I’m feeling that day. Right? Oh, that really is a practice that takes time to learn. you know, days, weeks, months and years. It’s not a quick fix. Although I would argue that we all feel vibes at one level or another, whether we’re aware of or not learning to, use the vibe and practice the vibe you can get. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:08:53 The vibe takes time, right? And I would definitely say that’s important for for your listeners. But don’t don’t look for a quick fix, but rather, you know, take your time with it and learn it like a new language. Lisa Lewis 00:09:03 Okay. And I have two questions for you. What what led you to study vibes? And, let’s start there. What led you to study vibes? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:09:15 Well, I grew up in a household where the word was used all the time and no one had to explain. It kind of knew what it was. But then in my late teens, early 20s, I started to participate in various subcultures and counter cultures. So the early rave scene in New York City, I was following jam bands on concert, like the band Phish. I was going to underground house parties, etc. and all these subcultures were using the word vibe, including myself. So the vibe of the DJ, the vibe of the band, the vibe on the dance floor, my own personal vibe, etc. but at some point I realized that no one was trying to define the vibe or explain the vibe and literally about that. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:09:48 Around the age of 19, I took up an intellectual interest in this topic like, what is this? How do we define it? How do we experience it? How do we explain it, and so on. So then I wrote my first paper on the vibe as a college student in a class on nonverbal communication. I then went on to get my master’s degree and my PhD, and I used my master’s thesis and my doctoral dissertation to construct my own philosophy of the vibe, referred to as a bodily emanation. In other words, the body emanates or radiates an actual feeling or energy that is felt and experienced by other bodies. Lisa Lewis 00:10:19 Oh wow, that is so cool. And so. And are you teaching a vibe class? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:10:26 No, not at all. So I teach at Temple University in Philadelphia. at temple. My expertise is really the theory and practice of social justice with the focus on communication. But outside of temple, it’s when I study my vibes that way. I mean, so no, I don’t teach a college class on vibes at Temple University, but I have online classes, self-paced classes on my website, I give talks and workshops, etc. so I do teach in other kinds of ways, but not in a traditional classroom. Lisa Lewis 00:10:52 Oh wow. Okay, that that sounds fascinating. And I’m curious, how many times a day do you use the word vibe? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:11:03 I don’t know. That’s a really good question. I don’t think someone asked me that specific question before, which is a funny question. because I usually reverse it on other people. So what I usually say is over the next week, take note of how often you use the word or how often you hear someone use the word and then ask yourself, what do you mean? Or what do they mean by it? Now, for myself, I don’t know how often I use the word, but I think about the phenomenon a lot, like non-stop all day for me. I can’t turn it off. so if I’ve been studying this for 30 years, you can imagine I’m pretty absorbed in it. And when I say that, I don’t mean that I put this off on other people. I’m not like the annoying person at the party. I was talking about something like that at all. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:11:41 but in terms of my experience of the world and my conceptual framework for understanding my experience of the world, it is really built into my system and into my worldview. Lisa Lewis 00:11:49 Okay. Well, I asked that question because I heard you say that you heard it a lot growing up, and I’m wondering what what was it in your family that how come they were using that word so much? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:12:01 Well, my father, my biological mother were both hippies back in the 60s and 70s. So I was born in 1974, and so I kind of grew up in that kind of environment. And another person, I was super close with, my father’s sister, my Aunt Pam. She was also a hippie. And so I was in this kind of family situation where that terminology is very common. But even outside of that, going into the 80s and 90s, I mean, it’s a fairly common word like it’s not out of the ordinary. and I think that, again, tying this back to being highly sensitive, if by chance I was always highly sensitive, this word might have resonated with me more than other kinds of words, other ways to describe what’s happening in the situation. Lisa Lewis 00:12:38 Yeah. Do you feel like this is your life purpose to study? Yeah. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:12:44 I do. I’m hesitant to say that publicly because just because it’s sometimes people can misread what that means or I think it’s, you know, arrogance or something like that. But yeah, in terms of, what I’m good at, what I’m interested in, what I’m passionate about. The answer would be definitely vibes. I have a unique ability to articulate this type of experience and to help other people understand what they’re experiencing as well. Lisa Lewis 00:13:06 Okay. So, yeah, what, as vibes is your life purpose? what are you, providing teaching people to understand maybe about themselves or just maybe in the culture they’re in to understand, like the greater picture? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:13:26 Yeah. So one of the ways that I explain this is that I try to help people articulate their experience of the vibe, as well as their ideas about the vibe. And I say that because as a teacher, just in general, I invite people to think for themselves about their experience and to think about for themselves, about the vibe. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:13:45 one human being on this planet amongst 7 or 8 billion people. one day I’ll. I’ll pass out of existence. I try not to have any arrogance in terms of my intellectual pursuits, and I recognize that whatever ideas I have or paradigms that I create, they will be eclipsed by other people. And so it’s really about inviting conversation about this topic. Now, having said that, right. I am trying to also provide a philosophy or a worldview or a paradigm of understanding. Right. So in the world, I mean to be very reductive. Some people are vibes people and some people are not vibes people. So the vibes people, how can I help them explain their own experience? And with people who are not vibes people, how can I convince them that the vibe is a real thing? Lisa Lewis 00:14:26 I love that. Wow, that sounds so cool. And can you say more about the subtle energies like how do you perceive, I guess that’s the vibe or the subtle energy that surrounds us. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:14:44 so the way, so early when I said that I created my own philosophy of bodily emanation. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:14:49 I begin with the body because it’s concrete. Often when people talk about the vibe, it’s very abstract, very esoteric. Right? Very kind of up in the clouds. And I understand why. Right? Because it’s this thing that we, we really can’t see, but we can experience and feel it. But I’m trying to make this more concrete for people. Right. So every human being has a body, although we have different types of body, everyone has a body. And when you experience a vibe, it is in and through your body. That’s how we experience the world. And so it’s the idea. The way I envision it is that the body emanates or radiates a feeling or an energy or frequency, etc., right? But then it’s also a relational phenomenon. It’s not that it’s one body is emanating something out to the world, but rather each and every body is radiating and emanating and energy. Right? And because of that, we also have a collective vibe. So you have your own individual vibe, kind of like your personality, but in terms of what you’re vibing every day. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:15:39 And of course you can adjust that and fluctuate that if you want to. But at the same time, that’s true for every human being on the planet. So on the smaller scale, you have a collective vibe, right? Let’s say right now between you and I. So we have this conversation, but then also between your listeners sitting in their cars or at home. But if you go into a classroom or into a church or to a football game or to the grocery store, each little micro microcosm has its own collective vibe. Now you can take that idea, then expand that to a town, to a city, to a region, to a country, and of course, the whole world. So in that sense, you have a global vibe. And that global vibe, though, can act like an existential guide that moves you to and from certain people, places and experiences. Lisa Lewis 00:16:22 Do you feel vibes can change, let’s say weather patterns? I’m just thinking of the hurricanes that just went through Florida. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:16:31 So do I think we could use our vibe to change those kinds of things? Lisa Lewis 00:16:35 Yes. Uhhuh. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:16:37 I’m not sure about that. Like, I don’t know. So do I think we’d have some influence in the words. Is there a symbiotic relationship between the vibes we give off and the larger environment? I would say yes. Right. But I’m not sure if I. My vibe is strong enough to actually influence a hurricane or tornado. I’m not sure if that has worked. It’s like it’s it’s multiple systems happening at once. So you have a system of, I don’t know, rain and wind etc. and that’s happening for a variety of environmental reasons. And then you have my body and maybe something and all of these different systems interact with each other. I’m not sure of the relationship of influence upon each other, if that makes sense. Lisa Lewis 00:17:13 Yeah. It does. It does make a lot of sense. And I was asking that and I, I should have gave more information. Just when people are meditating and they’re like, you know, meditating, let’s say like the hurricane not to do damage. Lisa Lewis 00:17:27 Right? And when people are collectively meditating all at the same time, that synergy, you know, if you believe in that or not, how it can change, I guess. Energy, right. And weather is part of energy. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:17:42 Sure. So I guess in my mind I see it in different types of energy, right. So like I said earlier, is the vibe, physical or metaphysical, material, immaterial, etc. and so on the one hand, there are physical vibrations. So for instance, all sound is a physical vibration. So two objects come into contact with each other. They vibrate the air molecules. Those molecules travel through the air, vibrate the hairs in my ears, and my brain turns that sound into meaning. So that’s a physical vibration, right? And likewise I would assume with like weather patterns and whatnot, there’s a kind of physical vibrations there, but I’m not sure if that’s the same thing or is reducible to this other thing we’re calling the human vibe. Right? That then becomes like, well, is that a metaphysical vibe? If it is, is it possible for a metaphysical vibe into a physical, for a physical vibe to affect each other? I don’t have an answer to that question. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:18:32 Yeah, it’s a great question, but I just don’t know. Lisa Lewis 00:18:34 Yeah, that’s that’s okay. Not to know either. Right? You bring a scientist in here and they’ll have a totally different explanation. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:18:41 And the reason why I’m hesitant though is that so one way or another, people are talking about vibes and vibrations really throughout human history and across the entire planet in different cultures. Right. And then you have people that have literally dedicated themselves to, let’s say, meditating on daily basis and the Buddhists and whatnot. But yet we still have international wars, we still have mass murders, we still have shootings. And so although I do think meditating and putting out the right vibe in the world does have a positive impact, I’m not sure if that is enough to bring about world peace or to stop tragedies from happening, unfortunately. Lisa Lewis 00:19:16 Yes, yes. Well, very well said, I agree. Do you think our, Let me ask this another way. Our vibe’s real or just a loose metaphor for emotion or feeling? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:19:29 Well, I think it depends on who who you ask. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:19:31 Like, for me, I definitely think vibes are a real thing, right? Although I’ve had plenty of conversations with people over the years and they don’t think it’s a real thing, and that’s fine. I accept their worldview, right? But I think though I try to bridge the gap. So regardless, if you think of the vibe as real or as a metaphor for emotion or subjective feeling. I think it’s still a helpful paradigm to use in understanding your experience. So like I said earlier, I think it’s beyond a reasonable doubt that there are things happening in our environments that exist below the conscious threshold of consciousness. So if I think of my ego or my mind or my attention, it’s like a flashlight and where you point the flashlight, that’s where my attention goes. But that does not mean that everything else in the environment disappears. The other things in the environment are still here. Right. There’s a certain kind of affective relationship that’s always happening, and we’re always kind of in an existing ecosystem where everything’s mutually affecting everything else. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:20:27 Now, part of that, in my mind, from my experience, is an actual vibe for other people. They might think of the vibe simply as a metaphor for describing what I just said. Lisa Lewis 00:20:37 Yes, and I, I, I see it as I could explain it as like the energy you put out there or the vibe you put out there is the energy or the vibe you’re going to attract you. If you want to create more positivity in your life, more gratitude like change, shift the way that you’re thinking and put a different vibe out there so you attract what you’re really seeking and wanting in your life. And also like what we mirror or what we what is going on inside of us coming from like the the psychotherapist in me right is usually what we see in our own environment. So just looking at it both ways, like, wow, what am I seeing in my environment? Is that reflecting who I truly believe or want to be? And inside? Is that how I’m really feeling now? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:21:30 I agree with that. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:21:32 just as a personal experience here. So I just turned 50 on September 10th just a few weeks ago, I actually happy birthday. I appreciate that, right. And, for most people, it’s a head trip. You know, turning 50 is a big milestone and whatnot. And so for me, though, I had a deep sense of gratitude like wow, made to 50. But leading up to my birthday, like I would also get very sad. Like, wow, like I’m 50, I’ll be dead soon. I only have like ten, 20 or 30 more years left, like I’m past the halfway mark, etc. but one day I woke up and I kind of shifted like, well, rather than seeing it from a sad perspective that it’s almost over, it’s like, well, how about you shift it to a perspective of joy? It’s like, wow. Like my life is amazing. I get to talk about vibes all the time. I have interesting conversations. I get to travel, I do all these wonderful things. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:22:16 And so the same thing Thai with the vibe, it’s like you can shift your mindset and your mental framework and in doing so, automatically your vibe will shift to a certain degree. Lisa Lewis 00:22:28 So that leads me to my next question. And how might we connect with vibes more deeply. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:22:36 Sure. so I have a few different steps that I usually walk people through. So, number one, try to be aware of your body. How are you feeling internally? Externally, emotionally, psychologically, etc. and be aware of your body then to be aware of your surroundings. So where are you? Where are you with what’s happening in your immediate surroundings, your immediate environment, and so on. Then from there, try to soften your ego and soften your perception. Try to detach yourself a little bit from your ego. And in doing so, though, you allow kind of other kinds of experiences to come to the surface. And after that, try to envision your body emanating or radiating an energy or a vibe, and then from there try to lean into that exchange of energy. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:23:21 So it’s kind of a stepping process, like go through step one, step two, step three, etc. and at some point, the idea is that you will allow yourself and allow your body to feel vibes and to feel energies at a deeper level. Lisa Lewis 00:23:33 Okay. And what do you do when or if you get a vibe that doesn’t feel so good? Or maybe it leads to overwhelm? How do you turn down the volume. Yeah. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:23:47 I mean, so that’s something I’m still working on. That’s a lifelong process for me personally, given the fact that I am highly sensitive. But one of the things I’ve been trying to do in the past couple of years is use a visual metaphor of some sorts, that it helps me with this. So if I’m going into a situation where I know it might be intense or overwhelming, etc., I try to suit up. So I envision myself putting on a rubber suit. And so I’m in that situation. The vibes bounce off of me or go around me, etc. now a rubber suit, though, may not work for everyone, so each person has to find out their own kind of visual metaphor. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:24:19 So maybe it’s a suit of armor. Or maybe you’re a mirror where the vibes bounce off you, back to other people, etc. then additionally, though, there’s also an issue of preparation. So think about what you do before the situation, during the situation and after the situation. So for me personally beforehand, I try to ground myself, kind of find my center and then mentally prepare myself as I walk into this room or walk into this group of people. Then once I’m inside there, I can try to maintain my center, but also try to observe what’s happening around me without internalizing it or absorbing it. And that’s a big, a big part of this, something I’m still developing myself. Right. And then afterwards, the when you leave the situation or you exit, again, try to recenter yourself, then also try to release and let go of whatever you didn’t analyze. So prepare beforehand. prepare during and then also prepare afterwards. Lisa Lewis 00:25:12 I love that example. That’s a great example. And I think I love I love hearing different people’s different ways of how they do it. Lisa Lewis 00:25:20 Because, if we have enough examples out there, then I’m hoping one of those will catch for other people. So I’ll thank you for sharing that example. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:25:31 Do you have anything that you use? Lisa Lewis 00:25:32 I do, I do, I use I use the energetic boundary, a Teflon shield that I surround myself. So anything that comes towards me that I do not want, it is falls off to the ground. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:25:46 Wow. That’s amazing. Lisa Lewis 00:25:47 Yeah, yeah. That works. I like that one. I have a couple other ones up my sleeve too, that I like to recommend to clients. sometimes it’s like, just, you know what you’re wearing if you want to protect yourself, like, wear a jacket, wear something that you can wrap over yourself or, you know, like if you have a blanket, something that protects, like, even like all those the superheroes have, you usually have a cape or something, right? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:26:15 It’s awesome. Lisa Lewis 00:26:15 Yeah. So just using that, that and also protecting your heart center because our front side is, an energy work we call our emotional side. Lisa Lewis 00:26:28 Our back side is our will side. So of course, when we’re standing face to face with someone, either it’s on zoom, it’s in person, it’s texting, it’s, on a phone call. We’re just absorbing all of that energy into our heart, And that’s when I think for a highly sense of people that get overwhelmed or they’re like, oh, what is that? That doesn’t feel so good. You may not recognize it in the moment, but afterwards going, wow, that was a hard conversation. Or I, I don’t feel so good now. And it’s like, yes. So putting that protective boundary around yourself so you don’t absorb other people’s energy, but you can be present with other people even when there’s a hard conversation or something going on that you don’t like, that you don’t have to take it on and take it with you. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:27:21 You know, I agree, that’s something again, I’ve been working on for the past few years now. So yes, I definitely agree with that 100% that you can still be present without absorbing internalizing. Lisa Lewis 00:27:29 Yes. So what’s the relationship do you feel between vibes, nature and space? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:27:39 Good question. So, for myself, when I’m in nature, which is probably true for most HSP, is when I’m in nature. I feel more relaxed, more self attuned, more centered, more grounded. And I think that’s because when you’re in nature. Nature is not asking anything of us. So when we are around other people, we at least assume their expectations, their anticipations, what I should do, what I should say, etc. but when I’m in nature, though, that expectation isn’t there. And because of that, for myself, it allows me to again soften my ego, soften my conscious mind, etc. and as I do that, though, I’m more aware of my own vibe, more aware of the energy around me, and it tends to be more peaceful, more grounding, more open, etc.. so going to the beach and watching the ocean or listening to the ocean, staring at the stars, being in the forest side of a mountain, etc. and then you also hear different sounds, right? So there’s a difference, environmental orchestra happening around me that’s affecting different parts of my brain as well as my senses, my sensory perceptions and all that evokes a different kind of vibe for me personally. Lisa Lewis 00:28:47 Okay, so that was going to be my next question. What’s your relationship to vibes in nature? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:28:55 well, I’m actually unique in that I, simultaneously love, the inner city and urban life and also love the natural environment. Now, with nature, though, I do love nature a lot. I just went camping last weekend, and it’s really just a reset button and a recharge button. When I’m in nature, I literally it clears my mind. I can hear myself think again. I can breathe better. I often take, a note of the way the air smells and tastes like I could. As soon as I get out of the car and I’m in nature, I can notice the difference in the air, the quality of the air, the center of the air, etc. and it really just brings, I guess, a certain kind of levity to to my being in my body. Lisa Lewis 00:29:38 Okay. Thank you. And what do you recommend, you know, for someone that, maybe doesn’t have access to camping, doesn’t like access, or doesn’t like camping, and it’s not doesn’t have a nature available. Lisa Lewis 00:29:53 What do you recommend if they’re like living in the city or somewhere, whether they don’t have access to that? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:30:01 Well, just for your listeners, I don’t think I said this before. So I have lived in Philadelphia for 11 years and lived in New York City for four years as well. So I’m definitely accustomed to inner city life and living there. Right. so if you can find a park that’s obviously helpful in your city, if you can’t find a park, there’s nothing like that. Can you get a couple of plants for your apartment that that can be helpful, right. And, like, and literally tend to them, be by them. Think about the plants when you’re in the room with them, etc.. if you can’t do that, which is possible, maybe play some nature sounds on your phone or on your television or watch nature shows. I mean, there’s a reason why we watch the same nature show 50 times in a row that it has something, it has an effect on our brains and therefore has an effect on our energies and our vibes. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:30:46 Right? but really, in some ways, just trying to mentally project yourself into a natural environment in one way or another, I think that itself can help to some degree. Lisa Lewis 00:30:57 Okay. And that that was going to be my next question. I don’t I’m being called to ask you this question because the podcast is also heard around the world, not just the United States. And if you’re in a like a war zone or somewhere that it’s not safe and the vibes are not so good surrounding you, what do you recommend? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:31:19 That’s an amazing question. I don’t want to speak out of turn here, since I have not been in that kind of dramatic situation before. Having said that, though, do your best to turn inward and try to find the center of your being and recognize that you are not reducible to what’s happening around you, that you are more than your situation. You are more than your environment, your immediate environment, and you are part of all that is, and on the grandest scale possible, like whether or not you believe in a god or higher power. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:31:51 the universe is vast and we are part of the universe in many ways. We are the universe taking a perspective on itself. And you can find that kind of nugget, that kind of center, that kind of ground of your being. I think that can help. Lisa Lewis 00:32:05 Well thank you. You just planted that seed for everybody who’s in that situation. And I feel that, that message that you just sent is your purpose. So thank you for that. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:32:17 Well, thank you, I appreciate that. Lisa Lewis 00:32:18 Yeah. And, Jason, what other message would you like listeners to take away from our conversation today? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:32:27 I guess think about the vibe as ongoing habits, right? So yes, we all feel vibes, but you have the ability to elevate your vibe to a conscious way of life. But that takes practice, though. Like I was saying earlier, it’s like learning a new language. At first you stumble over the first few words, but then you start to get the pronunciation down and you expand your vocabulary and at some point to become second nature to you, right? And spend, you know, a couple minutes a day thinking about the vibe, feeling the vibe, practicing what to do with the vibe, etc. and over time, you’ll become more sophisticated in your use of the vibe itself. Lisa Lewis 00:33:03 Oh wow, I love that message too. And where can listeners find you? Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:33:09 They can go to my website, which is 20 minute vibe.com. Again, 20 Minute vibe.com. And it’s a website that offers up vibe related content and accessible formats. So I’ve been studying the vibe now for 30 years or approximately 30 years. Most people are not going to do that. so how do I share my knowledge and expertise with people in a way that’s accessible? So a two minute essay, a five minute video, a 60 minute self-paced lecture, etc. and then from there, though, you can learn more about yourself, learn more about vibes. You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Lisa Lewis 00:33:43 Okay. Thank you. And all that information will be in the show notes. Well, thank you so much, Jason, for coming on the show today and sharing your experience as an HSP and your last 30 years of studying vibes and sharing that with all of us. It’s very exciting. And your message out there is incredible, so keep spreading that message. Lisa Lewis 00:34:09 I feel that you may not realize how much of what you’re doing can actually change. Maybe the world and people. Dr. Jason Del Gandio 00:34:19 Thank you Lisa, I appreciate that. Thank you for having me on. I sincerely appreciate the conversation and I would love to come back on sometime. I really enjoyed it. Lisa Lewis 00:34:27 Yes. Love to have you come back on to you. And thank you, my guests, for tuning in to this thought provoking episode of Sensitive in Nature. It was an honor to explore how vibe shaped the lives of highly sensitive individuals like us. With our guest, Jason Delgaudio. His insights remind us that being sensitive to the energies around us can be both a gift and a guide. If you found this episode valuable, please subscribe, share and leave a review. Stay connected to your sensitivity, your environment, and the powerful vibes that influence your experience. Until next time, be well and bye for now. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Sensitive in Nature. I hope you found inspiration and solace in our exploration of the profound connection between highly sensitive people and the natural world. Lisa Lewis 00:35:34 If you enjoy today’s episode, please consider subscribing. Leaving a review, or are sharing it with someone who might find comfort and insight into our discussions. Your support means the world to me. Remember, you can always connect with me on social media or visit my website, Sensitive nature.com for additional resources and updates. Let’s continue this conversation and build a community where sensitivity is celebrated and nature is cherished as the ultimate healer. Until next time, take a moment to breathe. Embrace the beauty around you and know that you are not alone in this journey. May nature always be your sanctuary. This podcast is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regards to this subject matter. Covered. It is given with the understanding that neither the host, the publisher or the guest are rendering legal, accounting, clinical or any other professional information. If you want a professional, you should find one. Lisa Lewis 00:01:24 You deserve it. Let’s rise together at she rise. Sensitive in nature is part of the practice of the Practice Network, a network of podcasts seeking to help you market and grow your business and yourself. To hear other podcasts like the Impact Driven Leader podcast and Behind the Bite podcast. Go to practice of the practice. Com forward slash network. Welcome to Sensitive in Nature, the podcast invites you to explore the profound connection between highly sensitive people and the natural world. I’m your host, Lisa Lewis, and I’m thrilled to embark on this journey with you. In each episode will delve into the unique experiences, challenges, and gifts of being highly sensitive while discovering how nature serves as a sanctuary for those who feel deeply. We’ll hear stories from individuals who have found solace, strength, and inspiration in the embrace of the natural world. So if you’re someone who feels a deep kinship with nature, or if you’re curious about the transformative power it holds for highly sensitive people, you’re in the right place. Let’s embark on this journey together, and may it lead us to a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Lisa Lewis 00:03:03 Welcome back to the Sensitive and Nature podcast. Today we’re diving into an exciting and transformative topic. The future of human potential with a visionary leader in the field. Nate. Nick Nate. One of only two American master trainers of an ancient Royal Indonesian energy and martial arts system, has spent over two decades pioneering methods that bridge ancient practices with cutting edge technologies. Through his integrated Ascension method, Nate has unlocked powerful ways to achieve unparalleled physical, mental, and spiritual growth by incorporating time and nature, breathwork, meditation, and energy generation, all while utilizing modern technologies to amplify these benefits. Join us as we explore the limitless possibilities of human potential and how you can begin this journey today. Welcome to the show, Nate. Nate Zeleznick 00:04:05 Thank you so much for having me. And hello to everyone out there listening. Lisa Lewis 00:04:09 Well thank you. Hello to everybody out there listening to. So I have a question. right off the bat. do you consider yourself a highly sensitive person or not? And so can you share a little story about that? Nate Zeleznick 00:04:26 Absolutely. Nate Zeleznick 00:04:27 So my spiritual journey started as since I am a highly sensitive person. When I was five years old, growing up here in northern Utah, as the only non-Mormon child in my grade, I knew right from when I went to kindergarten for the first time that I was different than everyone else, and they let me know it because I didn’t go to their church. And so the bullying started and was relentless from the age of five till about 16 years old. So I’m sitting on the floor of my father’s den with his rifle loaded, pointed at my head, and I was just ready to end it all because the really the torment. I felt so deeply that when the children would abuse me, it hurt more than I think. Probably other people with thicker skin in that situation. And I just had had enough. And so I stopped the action was the action I was going to take, because I could not do that to my mom and dad. And that night, that’s when I had my first out-of-body experience, or my first astral traveling experience, where my consciousness left my body and I got to really understand more. Nate Zeleznick 00:05:40 At least I had a glimpse that were a lot more than just the physical body. And there’s a lot more than just the physical world where energy or vibration or information or frequency were thought. And so that’s my story as far as how I got started into the realm of spirituality and became a true seeker of what is real. Lisa Lewis 00:06:04 Wow, that sounds powerful. And I just want to say, I’m so glad you didn’t take that action either. And yes, your parents, I would assume, would miss you very much. And I’m so glad that you’re here on this planet with us. And look what you’ve done with this experience. Nate Zeleznick 00:06:20 Me too. Me too. And you know, that’s an interesting thing. In the past 25 years with this integrated ascension method, this actually started off by me being so enthralled with spirituality, with energy work, with and of course, Jedi’s, you know, Star Wars and wanting to be a ninja and wanted to be a ninja Jedi like both combined. From the time I was little that I had a secret destiny happened to me that really aligned my life path, and that was seeing a VHS tape from Indonesia with a documentary on martial arts. Nate Zeleznick 00:06:56 And these people were able to do amazing, amazing things I’ve never seen before. They weren’t breaking boards. They were breaking steel bars, stacks of them. They weren’t just fighting. They were doing things completely blindfolded, like driving cars through traffic or fighting full contact, or military people who could shoot targets even though they weren’t using their eyes. And I was very skeptical. But the next day I had a knock on my door from my fortune. I will say, God knocked and said, hello, here’s your life path. And I watched a blind woman almost die trying to cross the road in front of me. And I knew right then, when I saw that I had to find those Indonesian people on that documentary and bring them here to help her and see if they could help her. And so I went on a mission, and I found them, and I brought them to Utah, and I got to actually see blind people, Eyes white as a sheet. Be able to do anything. And I mean anything that somebody with sight can do and more. Nate Zeleznick 00:08:02 And they had never trained a Westerner before. It was forbidden at this royal family that created this martial art, energy art, this mental art. They kept it only for Indonesian people until me. So I brought this team over here. They saw what I was willing to do to help them further their cause and to help humanity. And the 11th generation royal family heirs. To this knowledge, they gave me permission to start training and there just happened to be a certified trainer, a former special Forces trainer of this art, actually living in Salt Lake City, an hour south of me. Of all the places in the world that somebody could be, they were an hour away and I started training with them, and a little while later, one of my brothers joined me and together we traveled the world. We went to Indonesia numerous times for long training and testing sabbaticals. We owned one of the largest martial arts and meditation academies in the country. We had the opportunity to work with thousands and thousands of people of all ages. Nate Zeleznick 00:09:10 We proved to medicine and science that some people can actually see with their mind. I mean, I’m talking neuroscientists, quantum physicists, physicists, medical doctors, and blind people that some people can actually develop a sixth sense through this method. And then Covid came and rearranged the puzzle to say that for the entire industry. And so the reason I mentioned that it’s not a it’s not about me, it’s that I was one millimeter, one millimeter of a trigger pull away from not having any of those experiences, from not helping any of those thousands of people. And I say that because especially for highly sensitive people, I can imagine. And everybody’s obviously on a different scale here. Sometimes you can feel very overwhelmed, even by what other people may not be affected by, can affect you very deeply. And with that said, I want to say that there’s always a beautiful, bright light at the tunnel as long as you keep going. It’s the old adage that you have to walk through hell in order to get to heaven. Nate Zeleznick 00:10:25 And so many times that is the case, and there’s always someone there, no matter what or no matter where you are, that will listen and that will help. And so I just want to extend that to anybody out there. I’m here. Reach out to me if you’re feeling down or if you’re feeling like you’re overwhelmed. But we have a lot of issues in this. Not just our country, but in society. In general with mental health, depression, anxiety, PTSD. And the thing is that life is so miraculous and beautiful. But when you’re in the dark, it’s hard to see that. And I say that from experience, that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you are actually that light. And so that’s why I’ve devoted every single part of my life for the past 25 years to helping people actually not just see their own light, but actually step into more of their light, build more light, be able to broadcast, project and shine more light to everyone else around them. Nate Zeleznick 00:11:28 And truly, it’s being the change that you wish to see in the world like was said by Gandhi. So this is an important mission for me, and I’m just honored to be on this path to help as many people as I can before it’s my time to experience the next stage. Lisa Lewis 00:11:46 Well, thank you for sharing that personal experience and how you got where you are today. And I’m curious, can you tell us step by step how this process works? Nate Zeleznick 00:12:00 Well, there are many steps to this process, but I’ll say this it all starts with our breath. Our breath is the most important function in our life, without a doubt. So we come in with an inhale. We go out with an exhale. Every single person is the same in between those times. Of course, we have different experiences, but everybody follows that exact same pattern. And here’s the thing. Throughout all of history, for millennia, sages, monks, ascetics, healers have been talking about the importance and the power of breath. Nate Zeleznick 00:12:39 We’ve all heard the term chi right or prana. Both of those. Well, chee chee Kong, like the Chinese art of building the energy and the body, one of the translations literally is breathwork. Prana means breath. Pneuma in Greece means breath. We have these different things for a reason because the ancients and these nature. I say, these native societies have understood what we’re just starting to really catch up to now that the breath is the most important thing in our body, and you can go pretty much almost anywhere in the world for three weeks without food, about three days without water. But try going for three minutes without air and see what happens. You’re going to definitely have a different experience of life, and that’s one of the things that we neglect so much that we only really, most people only ever pay attention to their breath when they’re out of it, when they’re out of breath, or if they’re sick, or if they have an asthma attack or, you know, they’re in a place that smells bad, you know, but on a daily basis, we have over 20,000 opportunities to control not just our breath, but our emotions, our thoughts and our energy. Nate Zeleznick 00:13:57 And it all starts with the breath. So that’s the most important thing that I always encourage everyone to do is ask the question, am I aware of my breath? Am I present? And when we do this, and for everybody, all the sensitive people out there, if you are able to focus on your breath in the midst of the chaos, just notice how much less it affects you, how much better and easier you’re able to weather that storm, and how much more you’re actually able to express and feel. Because if you’re overwhelmed, we tend to shut down. It doesn’t matter what it is, right? We all. If we get overwhelmed, we shut down. And that’s part of the joy of life is experiencing it all. But if we’re shut down, it’s very difficult to do that. So breath is key. Lisa Lewis 00:14:52 Okay. What would you be able to give us? A demonstration of some breathwork? Nate Zeleznick 00:14:59 Sure. So this is actually not the typical breathwork that you might hear. If you think of breathwork. Nate Zeleznick 00:15:06 Most people think of Wim Hof with hyperventilation or Stanislav Grof and breathwork also hyperventilation. This system out of Indonesia is based upon hypoxic breathwork. So breath holding, not breath not over breathing. It’s actually holding your breath out or holding your breath in for long periods of time to raise the carbon dioxide in our body. That helps to have more efficient oxygen exchange through our cells. We have to have carbon dioxide to do that. So what I’ll have everyone do, and I’m not sure I don’t have the ability to play a audio track here. So that’s okay. There is what is known as a perfect breath rhythm for the human nervous system, though, and this has been its interesting many chants and mantras and prayers throughout history in all kinds of different religions and spiritual disciplines actually follow the same thing. So somehow they knew thousands of years ago that this rhythm of inhaling through the nose and exhaling out the mouth for 5.5 seconds in and 5.5 seconds out, moves our nervous system into homeostasis or balance. We’re not interested in digest. Nate Zeleznick 00:16:23 We’re not in fight or flight. We’re actually in that middle point where everything is actually okay. We’re not expending energy. So all we have to do and make sure everybody out there who’s doing this, make sure you’re not driving while you do this, you can do it. But don’t do this next part, which is close your eyes. Okay? Unless you gotta train with me for a long time before we get into that one. So. all you have to do is put one hand on your stomach, one hand on your chest, and as you inhale, I want you to push your stomach out or not push it out, but to let it extend. And then as it fills and your stomach can’t go out anymore, continue inhaling until your chest rises. Then I want you to fill your lungs up completely. Like, absolutely, completely. And then I’m going to have you breathe out through your mouth, almost like you’re whistling. All the way until you’re empty. Okay, so we’re going to inhale for 5.5 seconds and exhale for 5.5 seconds. Nate Zeleznick 00:17:24 Okay I hope that makes sense. This is a very powerful, very easy accessible at all times breath technique. The other more complicated ones for building the inner power for developing, say, psychic abilities or higher abilities, I guess you’d call them. I like to call them future human abilities. Not not superhuman, but future human because they are within us. And the ancients knew how to tap into these. We’ve just forgotten. And so it’s time to wake them up that when we do this, I would like you. The most important is to be aware. To be aware of what is happening in your mind, in your body, as you breathe out, every time you breathe out, exhale tension. Every time you breathe in, breathe in the feeling of positivity and energy. Kind of an interesting, interesting fact that when we breathe in, every time we take in a breath, we’re breathing in more oxygen molecules than there are grains of sand in the world. Isn’t that amazing? Lisa Lewis 00:18:33 That is amazing. Nate Zeleznick 00:18:34 I mean, we’re in, like, the septillion of molecules that we’re breathing in every single breath. And so this is an important thing for us to remember that no matter how overwhelming life can be. Every breath is truly a miracle, and I wake up every morning and I take a big breath and I’m like, hell yeah, I get another one of these. Awesome. I’m very stoked and excited about every day that I get, because you don’t know if this is going to be your last one or not. So might as well make it legendary. So what we’re going to do now is close your eyes. All right. Now I’m going to have you, first of all, breathe all the way out and begin to breathe in. All the way in and out. All the way. Empty in fully bottom. Filling up to the top. Exhale from the top. Down out your mouth. In. Out. Maybe you can hear this. Speaker 3 00:19:53 In. Nate Zeleznick 00:19:58 Out. Speaker 3 00:20:00 Relaxing or. Nate Zeleznick 00:20:03 Breathing. Speaker 3 00:20:04 In. Nate Zeleznick 00:20:05 In. With positivity, joy, happiness and love. Exhale. Any tension. Stress. Speaker 3 00:20:14 And fully. Nate Zeleznick 00:20:18 Expand those. Speaker 3 00:20:19 Lungs and. Nate Zeleznick 00:20:21 Exhale from the top down. Empty them totally out. Speaker 3 00:20:24 Oh, well. In. Out. In. Nate Zeleznick 00:20:42 Out. Let all. Speaker 3 00:20:43 Tension and. Nate Zeleznick 00:20:44 Stress go. In feeling your body energized. Speaker 3 00:20:53 Out. And. Out. Relaxing for. An. Hour. Focusing only. Nate Zeleznick 00:21:17 On your breath and. Speaker 3 00:21:18 Awareness of your breath. In. Out. And. Out. Nate Zeleznick 00:21:38 Fully. Speaker 3 00:21:39 All the way. Out. Nate Zeleznick 00:21:41 Completely. empty in from the bottom. Let it rise up to the top. Speaker 3 00:21:46 Fully. Inhale. Nate Zeleznick 00:21:48 Exhale from the top. Down. Speaker 3 00:21:54 And. Out. Relax. And almost done. Now one more breath. In. And out. Nate Zeleznick 00:22:25 Very good. Now just notice how your body feels. Notice how you feel in your mind. Notice any thoughts of the day. And just let them float away. So that you are present. Truly here within your skin. The here and now is all there is. Nate Zeleznick 00:22:47 There is no such thing as an ordinary moment. And no one ever comes again. And we have this opportunity to have a great now on purpose, every moment of our lives. Lisa Lewis 00:23:02 Thank you. Nate. That was wonderful. Wow. I was doing it with you. And, Yeah, I feel like a clearing in my core, right in my stomach area. And I feel, Yes, the thoughts gone away. Just being here in the present, feeling really safe, secure. And so tell us what. What’s actually happening in the body, in the nervous system. Nate Zeleznick 00:23:31 Well, the most important thing that we’re doing is we’re attenuating the nervous system to, as I said, homeostasis or balance. So if we’re in a adrenalized situation, which is almost all the time for the western, western people that we’re producing epinephrine and norepinephrine, we’re producing cortisol, the hormones of stress that break our body down. Now, that is very effective. If you’re being chased by a mountain lion, it’s a good idea to have adrenaline so you can hopefully get away. Nate Zeleznick 00:24:03 Right. And the thing is, though, that we humans have this tendency to ruminate and we have a tendency to hold on to things. We also have the tendency to make stuff up which our body, our body doesn’t know any different. It doesn’t know that we’re not having that experience. And and neuroscience and medicine is very well aware of this fact. And so when we think about something that’s stressful, even if it’s a subconscious rumination, it can have a very strong and negative effect on our body. It can really I mean, you can look on the CDC website, it says right there over 90% of all disease is caused directly by stress. I’ve talked with numerous doctors that have said, nope, it’s 100% because, you know, we’re fighting off billions of pathogens every single day. If we have a immune system that is functional, we’re fighting off billions or tens of billions of pathogens every single day. So if there’s something that comes and gets us that has a direct relationship to a reduction in our immune function, and then there’s also, say, cancer, where the body turns on itself and doesn’t know that’s going on. Nate Zeleznick 00:25:13 But there’s obviously with the there’s all kinds of medicine. I’m not going to get in too far into that rabbit hole. But the thing is that when we have the hormones of, say, pleasure or of peace, things like vasopressin, oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine, melatonin, these help us to be very calm and very sedate and very present. Now there’s the sympathetic over excitation of the nervous system, right where we’re very highly stimulated. And I think that a lot of people, HSP people are in that state. And I would guarantee all of us are in the Western world. If you look at our adrenal function, we’re all just overclocking our CPU. As far as the adrenal glands are concerned, we’re always in a tense state. Even when we don’t, we’re not aware of it. And so then we also have the parasympathetic nervous system, which is the rest and digest. But here’s the thing. Digestion is the second most energy intensive process in the entire body. If everybody has this experience of eating and then feeling that crash or in that lull, you want to take a nap because so much blood goes to your stomach in order to help digestion? Well, when we rest and we go to sleep, that’s when our body repairs. Nate Zeleznick 00:26:35 Well, that is a very energy intensive process. And so the purpose, Lisa, of this perfect broth, this five and a half second in and out, is to get us to the point where everything is cool, everything’s chill and calm. We’re not resting and just digesting. We’re not using energy for that. We’re also not stressed out. We’re not using energy for that. We’re getting that point, the crossover point where we are in complete balance. And that’s really the point of that breathwork. Now, other breathwork that I teach that helps us in many other ways as far as immune function, vitality, virility, stamina, explosive power, thought and focus and teamwork and building and feeling the energy of other people around you in a cohesive way, but also energy shielding. And that’s a very important thing. I have a feeling that the people in the HSP community might be more on the empathic side, and susceptible to the energies of other people, or even 5G or the different frequencies that are around us. Nate Zeleznick 00:27:45 And that is what I really specialize in. One of the things that I specialize in is helping people remain completely sovereign and unfazed by the frequencies and the information that’s around them. Lisa Lewis 00:27:57 Could you give us a taste of that? Nate Zeleznick 00:27:59 As a matter of fact, absolutely. I have a free gift for everybody who’s out there. So, yeah, on my website. Everybody can go and get that. It’s, it’s definitely a lifesaver for a lot of people, and I can tell you all about that in a moment. Lisa Lewis 00:28:15 Okay. Where do you see yourself in your mission in five years, Nate? Nate Zeleznick 00:28:22 Well, I have recently begun speaking on large stages for thousands of people, broadcast to millions. And so in five years, I see myself continuing that work to help people on a large scale. And also with a, ability to help other people deliver this message as well. That’s a very important thing for me, is you can only do so much as one human. So having a army of peaceful warriors, that are teaching this to help other people. Nate Zeleznick 00:28:53 You know, this is something that’s, That’s why I started this many, many years ago originally to help people that are not just blind, but their mind to people. There are people who want to expand their mind, and we live in such a great time right now where we’ve never had access to information like this or access to as many sacred ancient traditions as we have now. Not even close. And so, with that in mind, I see myself in five years on massive stages, helping millions of people, helping thousands of people spread this word as well. And really, it really comes down, honestly, Lisa, to the fact that we know that we have poisonous water, Air food frequencies. We have poisonous news, social media. We also have poisonous thoughts. We are bombarded at all times, whether you’re aware of it or not. If you turn on a radio, you’re going to pick up a signal, right? Which means that there are waves going through you right now and the human body, it did not evolve to cope with these things. Nate Zeleznick 00:30:00 And it is so resilient. It’s just a miracle that we don’t just immediately die. Well, my my goal, my mission is to help humanity not just survive, but thrive in the coming Earth and societal changes. Because they are here. There is no doubt they are here right now. And it’s important that we’re strong enough not just in our body, but in our conviction in our heart, our solidarity, in our energetic connection, and in our ability to perceive beyond just the five senses. Because we have some very difficult times coming for the planet and for humanity. There’s no denying this. It’s right there. So that’s that’s really my goal is to help millions of people in the next five years. Lisa Lewis 00:30:49 Oh, I hope you do. I really hope you do. Help millions of people in five years and more to come. you know, I think we all need help at some time in our life and that we reach out and get the support, the right type of support that works best for all of us. Lisa Lewis 00:31:09 So, Nate, what would you like listeners to take away from our conversation today? Nate Zeleznick 00:31:15 Oh that’s wonderful. So the most important thing is it’s very difficult to be stressed out, either in the future or in the past. If you are truly present. And the fastest way to bring yourself to presence is through your breath. When you said, this is for highly sensitive people. When you feel yourself being, say, triggered or highly sensitive, or you find yourself going kind of maybe onto autopilot. Take a moment and just ask yourself two very important questions as you breathe deeply. The first one is where am I? Now, this is an important question because it doesn’t matter if you’re in Cincinnati, Ohio or Beijing, China. The answer is actually here. Just like that old saying, doesn’t matter where you go, there you are. So ask that question where am I? Ask another question, which is what time is it? So it might be 347 and it might be 540. It doesn’t matter. Nate Zeleznick 00:32:21 It’s always now. And by asking yourself those two questions, what time is it? Where am I? That helps us remind ourselves that it’s always here. It’s always now. And when we couple that question those questions with our breath, we bring ourselves into this very beautiful, divine present state where we’re actually enjoying second by second, not ruminating about the past and things we can’t fix, or things that happen to us that we cannot do anything about, or sending our energy into the future for things that have not come to pass and may never come to pass. If we’re right here, right now. Just notice what happens with the rest of your life. Family conflict. Breathe. Stress about work. Breathe. That person who cut you off in traffic five years ago. Breathe these things when we do this, and we become very centered. This is the state where monks and yogis, ascetics, they work for decades to get to this point of silence, of stillness. But we have this opportunity, maybe not to do it all the time, without years and decades of practice in a monastery or an ashram. Nate Zeleznick 00:33:44 But we have this opportunity, Lisa, every second of every day, to take control of our breath. And by taking control of our breath, we take control of our power. Once we take control of our power, we feel empowered to take control of our destiny. There’s not much worse than feeling worthless, helpless, or disempowered or disenfranchised. And so when we just take this minute, where am I? What time is it? Gratitude, I’ve heard it said numerous times, is the highest state of receivership. Gratitude is good. Appreciation is better. The best one you can do and feel is reverence. That every moment is a miracle. And no matter what, even if it’s hard and you’re struggling. How amazing is it that you get an opportunity to have that experience, and you get the opportunity to then change and choose a different experience? Just by what do I want to experience now? So breathe. What time is it? Where am I? Enjoy. Speaker 4 00:34:51 Oh. Lisa Lewis 00:34:52 Well, thank you so much. Lisa Lewis 00:34:54 That was a beautiful message. I really took that to heart. And I hope that reaches all of the listeners and that, you know, the reverberation of that message just goes out into the whole universe to receive it. Nate Zeleznick 00:35:11 That’s why I’m here. And hopefully my message goes far and wide on this and every other platform. Lisa Lewis 00:35:17 Yes. Yes, indeed. And so can you tell us more about the free gift for my listeners? Nate Zeleznick 00:35:25 Without a doubt. So I have on my website, I think everybody out there can remember this because it is very telling about the truth. My website is I am pure dot energy so not.com at the dot energy. I am pure energy. So yes, when people go to impure energy they can get a free gift. For me, this is an energy and mental shielding class, as well as more of the five and a half second perfect breath. So this is something that a lot of people rely on daily in order to go out into the world feeling powerful and sovereign and like they are not at the affect of everybody and everything around them. Nate Zeleznick 00:36:14 This, more important than anything else, is that we get to experience our life as we’re supposed to experience, which is sovereign, powerful, intelligent, hopefully loving. And it’s so hard to do that when we feel like we’re being bombarded by things around us. And this gift this class helps people in. Like an immediate fashion. And I’m talking. You step out of an elevator and boom! Put up the shield. You know, a lot of people notice that difference right away. And so that’s my gift at I am pure energy. Enjoy, everybody. I’d love to hear from you how you use it in your life and how it serves you, how you feel. And it’s my honor and my pleasure to gift that to you. Lisa Lewis 00:36:58 Okay. Thank you. Thank you for that gift. And so we know where your website is. Are you on any social media? Nate Zeleznick 00:37:06 Absolutely. If you anybody looks for integrated ascension method or the I am. But really if you’re going to look social media is integrated ascension method. Nate Zeleznick 00:37:17 And you know Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, all of them, all of them, all of them. And so you can reach out to me on any of those platforms. And I have all kinds of different online courses, in-person events. I even have free two day webinars. The next one’s coming up in late October. I don’t know when this airs, but I do want them every single month. And this is six hours of direct learning and training with me in. I mean, I’ve had experienced breath workers with decades of experience. They come and they are blown away by what I teach in these two days. So anybody who’s interested in that, you can always look at that on my website as well under the events, you can definitely find that they’re not under events. Excuse me. It’s under the, learning portal. And they’re it’s it’s my gift. It’s another gift for people. Lisa Lewis 00:38:13 well. Thank you. You’re full of gifts today. I appreciate that. And all of that information will be in the show notes. Lisa Lewis 00:38:20 Thank you so much, Nate, for coming on the show today. I love your enthusiasm. I love how you are just giving and teaching people really how to be the best, to be their best self, and to show up to be their best selves. Nate Zeleznick 00:38:35 It’s my pleasure and my honor. I, I didn’t go into my near-death experience and my choice to come back to life. And that being another thing, that’s time for another show. People can find that. Find out more about that. But every time I get a chance to do this, Lisa, it is truly an honor. And it’s the reason why I’m still on the planet is to help people in this way. Lisa Lewis 00:38:55 Yes. Thank you. And I felt more, I think, more important to hear, how to really serve people and the breathwork and the experience you gave us. So we’ll have to have you back on the show to talk about your near-death experience. Nate Zeleznick 00:39:08 I would love to. I would love to, and thank you so much. Nate Zeleznick 00:39:11 And for everybody out there, I hope you have and create a great now and a great day on purpose. Lisa Lewis 00:39:16 Okay. Thank you for tuning in to this thought provoking conversation with Nate. As we’ve learned, the future of human potential lies in harnessing the timeless power of nature, breathwork, meditation and energy management while embracing modern technologies to multiply these effects, Nate’s insights have shown us the incredible possibilities awaiting those who embark on this journey of self-discovery and growth. If you’re ready to unlock new levels of your own potential, be sure to explore more of Nate’s work. Until next time, continue to nurture your mind, body, and spirit and remember your future potential is limitless. Bye for now. Thank you for joining me on this episode of Sensitive in Nature. I hope you found inspiration and solace in our exploration of the profound connection between highly sensitive people and the natural world. If you enjoy today’s episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a review or sharing it with someone who might find comfort and insight into our discussions. Lisa Lewis 00:40:32 Your support means the world to me. Remember, you can always connect with me on social media or visit my website, sensitive in nature.com for additional resources and updates. Let’s continue this conversation and build a community where sensitivity is celebrated and nature is cherished as the ultimate healer. Until next time, take a moment to breathe and embrace the beauty around you and know that you are not alone in this journey. May nature always be your sanctuary. This podcast is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regards to this subject matter covered. It is given with the understanding that neither the host, the publisher or the guest are rendering legal, accounting, clinical or any other professional information. If you want a professional, you should find one.