Yoga With Kelly

Yesterday I took a mental health day in observation of the New Moon. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and in light of that I took care of my need for a break. Mental Health  Awareness Month has taken place in May since 1949. I did not know that, did you know that? Every year it is the goal to fight the stigma surrounding mental health, educate the public on the importance and the facts, provide support, and advocate for policies in support of those people with mental illnesses. I am fully aware of when I am feeling overwhelmed and know it is time to rest. I did nothing overly exerting yesterday, just basked in the calmness of the day. To me mental health is of the utmost importance, without our mind’s health who are we? Our mind is a part of our body; it is occupied by a vital organ that needs to be in good working order so it can take care of the rest of our body. So then why are so many people against taking care of it? Why are employers not advocating more for mental h...

“I hold in my heart as a gourd filled with love, ready to pour upon humanity.” – Jessica Powers This past week I was studying compassion. It is a part of my continuing spiritual work; I am using the book The Cup of Our Life: A Guide for Spiritual Growth by: Joyce Rupp. It is a wonderful book that I have enjoyed working with. It is broken up into six weeks; on the fifth week is when compassion comes into play. One the first day the lesson was learning compassion. Compassion, I learned, is very demanding. For some people it is not easy to know and feel the hurt and pain of another. For some they can easily feel this. For both of these people compassion can be a heavy weight to bear. And sometimes we get so lost in ourselves that we forget to extend compassion to others. We must also make sure we are not giving compassion for our own egocentric needs. Compassion must be given lovingly, to ourselves and to others. Compassionate people, however, can often inspire other people to ...

" I'm just a little frustrated." The other day a friend of mine asked me what I do when I become frustrated of overwhelmed with myself. I gave her my simple answers, but then it got me thinking… What do I do with myself when I am feeling frustrated? I have come up with a list of 10 things that help me when I am feeling frustrated, maybe they will help you too. We could all use a little help right now... Use them individually or together, use them however you see fit. First things first if it is a project you are working on and it is not working out the way you want put it aside and step away from it, then step out of your comfort zone.  Here are my 10 ways to help with frustration: Take 3 – 10 deep breaths… fill up your lungs completely and then breathe out slowly Drink some calming herbal tea… such as chamomile, peppermint, green tea, rose tea or passion flower just to name a few. Also Yogi brand tea makes a blend called Calming Tea, it is ...

" The Earth does not belong to us. We belong to the Earth " -Chief Seattle As I sit at my computer, stuck inside my apartment for what feels like forever when in all actuality it has only been a few weeks, I think about how only a month ago I was in New York City, venturing around Midtown, with its noise and flashy lights, its taxis and scaffolding. It was full of life, the city that never sleeps. Now if you were to look New York City is basically a ghost town, save for a few people brave enough to wander the streets. The noise has died down, the taxis are in the garage, and people are in their homes. Just the scaffolding remains. Police cars are lurking in the streets looking for rule breakers who have gone out against the Stay At Home order. Our nation is under uncertain times, along with the entire world. We sit in our homes trying not to think about the future, when in reality that is all we ever did. Some people are working from home others have to trea...

Have you ever been annoyed to the point where that annoyance is about to ruin your whole day? You’re in the middle of doing something, you’ve got a good system going and you are getting things done, but then all of a sudden something disrupts the perfectly good flow you’ve got going. Or maybe something unexpected happens and you have to drop what you are doing to take care of that something… And with everyone staying home, tensions can be even higher. I have definitely felt annoyance's pestering manner creeping into my perfectly planned out day. I especially feel it if that annoyance comes at a time when I do not want to be bothered. As a writer and a person who enjoys their privacy and the quiet one little annoyance can disturb the equilibrium I create for myself when I am alone or trying to work. In that moment when my anger is starting to build I can choose to let that anger out or let it flutter into nothing. I can choose to allow that annoyance to ruin my day or I can si...

I came across this quote on Pinterest the other day and it got me thinking. It wasn't until I found yoga and came in tune with my spirit that I began to feel at peace with my life. Worrying was my thing to do. Freak outs and panic attacks were most common, only getting worse with age and more responsibilities. I would work myself up over the smallest thing and cause myself all kinds of stress. I was overbearing at these times and a pain to be around, I'm sorry to say.  I wasn't at peace with myself yet. My teacher training taught me to be authentic. At first I had to think what this was because up until that point I really had no idea who I was or what it is that I wanted to do or who I wanted to become. My teacher training also taught me to be calm, breathe and focus. It taught me to have a clear mind about everything, to take things as they come and to not worry about the outcome. For when we worry we cause ourselves stress. Stress causes us dis-ease. We d...

Gratitude is defined as: the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.* In the month of November we find ourselves thinking about all of the things we are grateful for. Maybe we do extra kind acts during this month, maybe we practice a little more yoga, maybe we thank a higher power for all of the things in our lives. But what about the rest of the year? Why is it that we are make a bigger deal about being more grateful during the month of November than we do any other time? Is it because of the Holiday? The one that we as a society have chosen to overlook? We make the giving holiday a holiday all about me, me, me... about shopping and buying the latest high tech gadget and once those doors open we do not care about anyone else. We only care about being the first to get that new gadget. We fight people over it, we are rude to sales people and our fellow citizens, and we fork out tons of money for something we ultimately may not n...