In this episode of Open Heart, Priya Rao, MD sits down with Pavla Haluskova, a yoga teacher and intimacy guide whose work focuses on nervous system safety, embodiment, and honest self-expression. Together, they explore why intimacy feels harder than it should, even for people who are competent, accomplished, and deeply self-aware. In this conversation, they explore:

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■ Why so many people feel disconnected from their own desires, even in close relationships

■ How professional training and high-pressure environments can quietly shape how we relate to our bodies

■ The ways people learn to make themselves smaller to stay safe, wanted, or accepted

■ How intimacy breaks down when the nervous system is overwhelmed or on guard

■ What it can feel like to lose access to aliveness without realizing it

■ Why talking about intimacy often brings up shame, fear, or avoidance rather than clarity

■ How slowing down and paying attention to the body can surface needs we did not know we had

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Pavla Haluskova works at the intersection of body awareness, nervous system regulation, and relational honesty. Her perspective is grounded in lived experience with people who feel outwardly capable but inwardly disconnected. In this conversation, she offers language for experiences many people recognize but rarely articulate, especially around intimacy, safety, and self-expression.