Cassandra Carlopio

2016 was a meaningful year to revisit 🤍
I don’t have many photos from that time (lost phones, no backups), but the memories are vivid.

It was my second full year living in Los Angeles — full of family, travel, and the early beginnings of sharing meditation online. We celebrated my grandma’s 80th birthday in Florida, and my mum’s wedding to her partner.

That year I uploaded my first guided meditations to Insight Timer and YouTube, taught yoga nidra classes, and began quietly contemplating working for myself.

I spent a lot of time in nature - hiking the hills of California and falling in love with the desert, and hiking the Australian rainforests.

It was also a time of a tumultuous relationship that took more energy than I realised back then. Looking back, I’m proud I kept exploring, creating, and showing up anyway. Moving countries and starting from scratch is no small thing.

I got to see one of my heros talk in person, Dr Gabor Mate.

So much growth happened in that year, even when life felt messy and uncertain.

I'm back working as a psychologist in Australia via telehealth and can take MHCPs again. If you or someone you know might benefit from my support, please reach out or visit my website https://www.somnispacepsychology.com.au/.

Psychology Services SomniSpace Psychology relax well sleep well live well About us At Somnispace Psychology, we help adults and teens overcome insomnia, anxiety, stress, and trauma-related sleep issues using evidence-based therapy and nervous system-informed care.Led by psychologist and meditation teacher Cassandra Car...

📣 I’m feeling incredibly honored and humbled to share that I’m the first guest on Aura’s brand new podcast, The Light Within , hosted by founders Daniel and Steve.

This podcast dives deep into the inner work—healing, growth, presence—and I’m so grateful to be part of it, especially knowing that some of the other guests this season are true heroes of mine in the fields of psychology and personal growth ( & ).

In our conversation, we explore how meditation, the nervous system, and sleep are deeply connected—and how understanding this can transform the way we live and rest.

🎧 Episode is now live wherever you get your podcasts—just search The Light Within or tap the link in bio.

Thank you and for the invitation to share my work, and the important conversations you are bringing to light. 💛

, sleep, and live.

I’d love for you to give it a listen 💛
🎧 Available now wherever you get your podcasts—search The Light Within or head to the link in bio.

The Art & Science of Napping 😴

The value of knowing how to do an efficient, restful reset “nap” cannot be overstated. Personally, the ability to drop in and reset my body and mind, anywhere, has been critical to my physical and psychological wellbeing.

Learning how to do an effect nap, is so useful.
Tired and distracted in the afternoon? Nap.
Loosing your emotional stability? Nap.
Creatively stuck? Nap.
Run down and exhausted? Nap.

But not all naps are created equal.

Come learn how to do an efficient “nap” (e.g., you don’t have to fall asleep; and only has to take a few minutes) and add it to your wellbeing toolkit - on Aura Live , tomorrow. Join live or register for the replay at the link in bio. It’s completely free and might just change your life, like it’s changed mine for the better.

Life lately…
Many glorious ocean adventures
My golden baby boy turned 1
sent me this gorgeous photo I hadn’t seen from my wedding (2.5 years ago 🤯🥰)
Many digger viewings
Many naps (thank goodness)

Life “hack”: Shower by Candlelight.

My favorite shower is outside, obviously, but as I don’t have that luxury, the next best thing (that’s easily accessible) is showering by candlelight each evening.

It takes me an extra 30 seconds to light the candle, but the benefits and enjoyment I experience as a result of those 30 seconds are exponential.

The whole mood of the shower changes by candlelight. It becomes a romantic, sacred, luxurious, self-care time, rather than something else to tick off my daily to-do list.

Highly highly recommend.

Photos from 🙏🕯️🚿

I washed my hair, put on makeup (and documented it with a selfie 😱), made it to the recording studio to record a video presentation for and while I was there, also did a meditation on a version of my favorite meditation theme. It’s all about allowing the body to melt into the ground. It was so delicious to record. And made all the above-mentioned effort-ing (leaving the house) all so worth it. The meditation is now up on (link in bio) and on my YouTube (also linked in bio) in case you’re anything like me and love any excuse to melt into the ground.

And just like that, we have a one year old!

Images reposted from

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As a mama, the practice of NDSR (a scientific way of saying rest or yoga nidra) has absolutely been foundational in getting me through the day. Also adding sunlight in the mornings, when possible, has been really supportive for my circadian rhythm.

I have recently uploaded new guided meditations to and (see links in bio) that are designed to help listeners drop into a NSDR state.

Let me know what you think of them in the comments!

In August, 2022, barefoot on our favorite beach in Maui, I married the love of my life.
It was such a special day…a handful of dear friends and Nico watching on.

We pulled the elopement off with just a month of planning and somehow it all worked out and was just what we wanted.

Everyday with you is a dream-come-true. And I’m so happy to be your wife.

📷✨

Who’s with me?! 🙋‍♀️ 😂

Sleep meditation is almost a contraction of terms - while the definition of meditation is debated, most people agree that meditation is a formalized practice of paying attention, and does not include the unconsciousness that is sleep. In fact, I spent the first few years of teaching meditation, trying hard to keep my students and clients awake. Until I discovered that people really needed support in accessing a deeply relaxed state, from which the body can easily transition into sleep. This led me on a deep dive into different meditation practices that are supportive of deep relaxation and sleep (a longer story for another time).

There are two main ways meditation can help prepare the body and mind for sleep;
1) to help train your body and mind to wind down from an activated state to a calm state, generally used at points throughout the day. Essentially practicing deep relaxation as a skill and reducing residual daytime stress that can inhibit sleep at night; and
2) as a way to help you ‘downshift’ into a state of deep relaxation, from which your body can drift off to sleep, used as you are in bed, falling asleep.

Both uses of meditation for sleep are helpful and I encourage many people I work with to do both - practice during the day and as a “sleep aid” to help fall asleep at night.

(Continued at link in bio).