Calm is not something we earn after we get our life together. It is something we practice, especially when life feels messy, fast, or heavy. I sit down with Imad Kadaj, founder of Grounded Movement, to talk about what it really means to anchor yourself before you try to change everything else. His path runs from growing up with asthma and ADHD in Lebanon to walking away from a high-paying job in Canada, training Muay Thai in Thailand, and eventually teaching yoga with a deep focus on healing and nervous system regulation, including performing what he calls 'energetic surgery'.

We get practical about why stillness can feel threatening and why “just meditate” is not always the right first step. Imad breaks down a trauma-informed view of the nervous system, including the difference between top-down mindfulness and bottom-up somatic work. From there, we explore why yin yoga is so powerful: long holds, clear sensation, and supported discomfort that build capacity for inner peace over time, not just a temporary mood shift.

We also dig into traditional Chinese medicine, qi, meridian lines, and the way organs and emotions are linked in that model. Imad shares how Tui Na massage, acupressure, acupuncture, and Reiki-style energy work can support release and regulation, especially when the body is holding survival stress. Then we tie it all together with breath, including breath cultivation versus more intense breathwork, plus a simple “safety breath” you can use at your desk during a stressful day. We even go to the edge of the mystery with the question he once journaled: is breath a form of God, or at least a doorway to higher consciousness?

If you care about yin yoga, mindfulness, somatic healing, trauma release, traditional Chinese medicine, and grounded living that actually feels like yours, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs steadier breath, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.