Life and Work with Kelsey Lawrence

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Lawrence.

Kelsey, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My yoga journey began after I got out of treatment for an eating disorder about 10 years ago. I practiced yoga off and on for 5 years during my recovery, trying all different modalities to heal, then finally surrendering to the true healing power of yoga. In 2011, I got pregnant and immediately started prenatal yoga, which helped to keep my body open and my mind calm. After my baby was born, I practiced hot yoga to get the baby weight off and equally fell in love with that. In 2013, I realized that yoga was my path and it was my time to deepen my practice even more. I signed up for teacher training from InnerVision yoga and my entire life changed. The asanas (poses) were what drew me to yoga, but once I engrossed myself in the ancient teachings and philosophy, my love for meditation took over. My teacher Michele Dante, guided me through different techniques and taught me the power of silence and depth of the soul. Her soft and spiritual approach kept me grounded in my practice and my teaching. I woke up to the true nature of my being through meditation and now that is my passion; to help others wake up to their true divine nature.

Since receiving my 200-hour certificate, I have been on a soul journey that is full of light and pain. The deeper I go the harder, yet more rewarding it gets. I have taken multiple continued education classes in guided meditation, restorative yoga, sound healing and tremor release. All modalities I use in my teaching.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Awakening to your true nature is a hard task. We as humans hold a lot of past pain and trauma in the body. When soul work begins, there is a lot of shedding that occurs, it is wonderful yet painful. Healing takes time, courage and strength, but the reward is magical. It took me a while to realize that my work was solely going to be in the spiritual healing realm and that in order to help others to heal, I have to keep healing. It is a daily conscious effort to keep an elevated vibration and it’s easy for us to think that we have completely healed and stopped the work. Healing is not a destination, it is a journey. Some days, I feel amazing and others I feel tired and weak, both are okay. The challenge is surrendering and nurturing yourself on those days you feel sad or tired, honoring and trusting what your body is telling you.

My advice to other women who are starting their healing journey stays with it. Feel the pain and the happiness and know that the more you release the deeper you will get to your true nature. If you are struggling with issues of body image, understand that we are all souls inhabiting these bodies. That the image you see in the mirror is probably not the true way you look. A lot of the negative things we see in our self is merely emotional weight or emotional energy that we have not dealt with. If you don’t know where to start, go to a beginner yoga class and focus on connecting the breath with the body movement. Avoid classes that are fast flow so you can come to a space of breath and awareness. Listen to a different uplifting podcast or YouTube videos about expanding your consciousness it will help to keep your vibration high and happier through out your day!

Please tell us about Mindful Movement.
Right now, I teach yoga at Surya Yoga and Wellness up in Paradise Valley. My classes are centered around healing the soul. Connecting the breath with the body movement and bringing people into a space of complete presence. Yoga means union and my goal in my classes is to help people to feel the complete connection of body, min, and spirit. I also offer sound healing restorative classes, which helps to take the nervous system from that fight or flight mode, down to the rest and digest mode. This is where the true healing can occur.

In addition to my weekly classes, I offer private sessions where I work with the Chakra system, the 7 main energy centers in the body, clearing them through sound vibration and crystal healing. As well as, guiding people through meditations and helping them to create their own meditation practice.

I also co-created a workshop with my dear friend Katie Jones, called Moving Beyond Trauma. A 2.5 hour workshop centered around women empowerment and healing from narcissistic abuse. We work with women who are getting out of toxic, narcissist relationships and move through a series of gentle yoga poses, tremor release, deep guided meditation and sound healing. Combined; these therapies help women to break through the deep issues and trauma that is stored in their body. It is a very powerful workshop and we love helping fellow women heal who have experienced what we have.

Lastly, I co-founded the company MountainWillowCo. based out of my home state of Utah. We are launching a summer healing subscription box, full of organic facial products, herb, essential oils, guided meditations and more!

I love co-creating with other like minded women and helping others on their healing journey.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts or other resources that you’ve benefited from using?
The Positive Head podcast is one of my favorites. I also love anything psychic, so the Psychic Teachers podcast is amazing, they give tips and tools of deepening your psychic powers. Empowered Empaths is beautiful. I am an empath and feel so deeply, this helps fellow empaths to realize that they are not alone and not too sensitive. Listening to Abraham Hicks is equally powerful to awakening.

Some powerful and influential books I love:

The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle
Rise Sister Rise – Rebecca Campbell
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
You Can Heal Your Life -Louise Hay
A Course in Miracles – Inner guide to peace
The Universe Has Your Back – Gabrielle Bernstein
The Heart of Yoga- Desika Char
Siddhartha – Hermann Hesse
Autobiography of a Yogi- Paramahansa Yogananada

Pricing:

• Private Sessions 1.5 hours – $120
• Moving Beyond Trauma Workshop – $30 -$35
• Mountain Willow Co. subscritption box – $40

Contact Info:

• Address: Surya Yoga and Wellness 18010 N Tatum Blvd Phoenix, AZ 85032
• Website: mountianwillowco.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @kelseymarieyoga @moving.beyond.trauma @mountainwillowco

Image Credit:
Lea Guillory, Stephanie Passaro

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