what does pulsatio mean…?

pulsatio comes from latin, and it translates to beating. it is derived from the latin verb pulsare, which means to beat. when loosely used, and it has been duplicated in this loose sense often, it is presented as heart beat.

when i first began meditating, an instructor asked us to “get so quiet” that we could hear our “heart beat.” then, and also now, i cannot hear my heart beat when meditating–maybe if i’ve just run a 5k or if i’m very stressed out then i can hear it, but not while meditating. however, i learned that if i’m still enough, i can feel my heart beat, a sensation that has been far more calming than any striking noise.

mission statement

to educate and empower women and members of the lgbtqia+ community, especially trauma survivors and people in recovery, through meditation, breath work, and self-knowledge.

yes, we do help cis-gendered heterosexual men, but women and queer folks take priority.

realism

we recognize and adamantly reject the love and light only mentality that the wellness industry so often projects. instead, we focus on integration: all thoughts, emotions, and parts of the self are equal and allowed. without the dark places, there can be no light.

liberation

freedom looks different for everyone, but there are some things we can agree on.

1. our current society isn’t assisting anyone in liberation, but we are not helpless in the task of creating a new society;
2. we may not be able fix every single part of society, but we can pacify the storm by first calming ourselves;
3. liberation & revolution begin internally, and the external follows.

inquiry

we thrive off the big questions: who are you? what do you believe in? why do you get up in the morning? what makes you sing? what makes you cry? what has made you who you are today? will you be the same person tomorrow? meditation and self-reflection require the mindset of a life-long learner, and we embrace growth as a constant, nebulous, and shape-shifting endeavor.

hi! i’m maggie, a meditation and mindfulness coach residing in chapel hill north carolina. i’ve been practicing yoga for 20 years, mediation for 10 years, and i have over 5 years of experience teaching writing and art at the collegiate and community arts level. i have my level 2 usui reiki certification from the late marcia hebrank at one light center, internationally accredited meditation teaching certification from nikolai manek, I studied yoga of the energetic body & awakening with Sean corne, and am currently working through several art and health coaching certifications (more services will come with these certifications). my official degrees are a BFA in english literature from dickinson college (class of 2007) and an mfa in writing from school of the art institute of chicago (class of 2015).

those are my credentials, but here’s why i actually do what i do at pulsatio studios:

in 2018, a few years after moving back to my home state of north carolina from chicago, i got sober. i know plenty of people who decided to “quit drinking” or want to be “straight edge,” but that wasn’t really the case for me. i entered a 12-step program and continue to maintain my sobriety from day-to-day with the help of that program and people in it.

when i stopped drinking and using all substances, i began having anxiety attacks. soon, other symptoms of ptsd began to appear: isolation, avoidance men in particular, loss of sleep or too much sleep, chronic fatigue and pain, frequent flashbacks that included overwhelming physical effects, and more. i went to therapy for the first time since college, and went through 3 kinds of ptsd treatment. at the advice of my somatic therapist, i leaned into my meditation practice.