Life Alchemy with Kelsea

Dear Friend,

This journey offers three longer yoga nidras (also called NSDR or non-sleep deep rest) to support you when your body needs extra care. If you're living with or recovering from illness or injury, or navigating pain, fatigue, or other difficult symptoms, this journey is for you. All of you is welcome here, just as you are, just as you’re feeling and just as your body is right now.

Yoga nidra has been so supportive of my own well-being while living with multiple complex conditions that I was inspired to train in offering it to others. These practices are especially near and dear to my heart, informed by my own experiences with chronic illness flare-ups, living with chronic fatigue and pain, and recovering from major medical procedures - and they’re designed to offer the unique support needed in each instance.

Each practice is voice-only (no background music or sounds), trauma-informed, and gentle, with plenty of options so you can meet yourself where you are. There is nothing to do, change, fix, or "get right." I invite you to simply rest back and receive the nourishment of yoga nidra. The practices differ in length and emphasis, so I encourage you to explore and notice which feels most supportive on a given day.

As always, please think of my guidance as suggestion, make any adaptations that serve you, and practice in whatever supported position feels best. If you drift off to sleep, that's likely exactly what you need. Know that you're receiving all of the benefits of the practice.

I’d love to hear about your experience with these yoga nidras and learn about how I can best support your needs. If a particular type of practice or an adjustment to what or how I offer these practices would be supportive for you, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you (either privately or in the comments below).

May this journey bring you comfort and support, and may you experience the alchemy of rest.

With Love & Care,

Kelsea

Dear Friend,

This journey includes a collection of yoga nidras, each under 15 minutes, designed to help you pace and replenish energy. Whether you’re living with an energy-limiting condition (e.g. ME/CFS, long COVID, POTS, fibromyalgia, etc.); experiencing fatigue, insomnia, burnout, or natural shifts in stamina that accompany aging; or you’re simply in need of a break during a busy or stressful day - this journey is for you - and you deserve deep rest.

Yoga nidra (also called NSDR or non-sleep deep rest) is an easeful practice where you’re encouraged to suspend any effort and doing, and simply rest in being, just as you are. Regular practice can improve both daytime energy and nighttime sleep quality. As a person living with multiple energy-limiting conditions, yoga nidra has been a transformational and cherished part of my daily routine, helping me pace and turn what was previously the most difficult energy dip in my day into a nourishing nap I look forward to.

What might unfold for you if you were to listen to the practices here when your energy is at its lowest? Or before it's at its lowest? How might it feel for your body, mind, heart, spirit, and nervous system to take a few minutes of rest each day? Each of the yoga nidras here offer something slightly different - with various supporting soundscapes (or not), and various lengths. I encourage you to experiment with them, and see what’s most supportive for you. And I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.

As always, please think of my guidance as suggestion, make any adaptations that serve you, and practice in whatever supported position feels best. If you drift off to sleep - that’s likely the exact restful medicine you need - know that you are still receiving all the benefits of the practice.

May this journey rejuvenate and support you - and may you experience the alchemy of rest.

With Love,

Kelsea

Dear Friend,

This journey includes a series of quick (7-minutes or less) mindfulness meditations to support you in taking a moment of pause, however and wherever you may be. You’ll be guided to ground in this moment, awaken the senses, and come into deeper presence. There’s nothing to change, fix, or “get right” - instead, we practice meeting whatever’s here with loving awareness. All of you is welcome here, just as you are.

In just a few minutes, these practices can help you reset, settle the nervous system, anchor into the present moment, improve focus and mental clarity, and build the skill of meeting the full spectrum of experience with kind, curious awareness.

These are choice-based practices with different options for participation provided throughout. Please think of my guidance as suggestion, make any adaptations that serve you, and practice in whatever shape works best for your body. Remember that it’s natural for the mind to wander - noticing and gently returning is mindfulness itself.

May this journey support you in coming into greater presence and ease.

With Love,

Kelsea

Photo Credit: Kate Warren

Dear Friend,

If you’re feeling dysregulated, activated, overwhelmed, wired yet tired, or depleted - this yoga nidra journey to support the nervous system is for you. Yoga nidra (also called NSDR or non-sleep deep rest) is an easeful practice where you’re encouraged to suspend any effort and doing, and simply rest in being, just as you are. Regular practice can have profound effects on the nervous system - helping you cultivate a felt sense of safety, balance, restoration, resilience and - regulation.

Each audio experience within this series expands upon the previous one by immersing more fully into the practice of deep rest. For optimal benefits, I recommend nourishing your nervous system with the entire journey over the course of between a few days to one week (if possible). If that timing doesn’t work for you - know that a single yoga nidra practice can shift the nervous system from the sympathetic (fight/flight/freeze/fawn) state to the parasympathetic (rest/digest) state.

Please think of my guidance as suggestion, make any adaptations that serve you, and practice in whatever supported position feels best. If you drift off to sleep - that’s likely the exact restful medicine you need - know that you are still receiving all the benefits of the practice.

May this journey soothe and support you.

With Love,

Kelsea

Dear Friend,

This journey is an invitation to meet whatever is present - be it pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral - with kind, curious, loving awareness. Appropriate for both beginners and experienced meditators alike - you will be guided to start exactly where you are, to awaken your senses, and to meet physical sensations, thoughts, and emotions with care. The more we practice coming into loving awareness - the more we alchemize our relationship with our inner experience, ourselves, each other, and the world into one of freedom, balance, peace, and care.

This is a choice-based, go at your own pace series that provides lots of options for participation. You’ll be encouraged to practice: in whatever shape supports your body, with whatever meditation anchors work for you (we will explore many), within your window of tolerance (resourcing suggestions provided), and with whatever modifications would serve you. If mindfulness meditation has felt too difficult or inaccessible for you before - I’ve been there, too. This series was created for you. Mindfulness meditation is for everyone, wherever they are, however they’re feeling, whatever their background, whatever their abilities - in all their parts and wholeness. You belong here.

With Love & Encouragement,

Kelsea

Photo Credit: Kate Warren