HI, I’M KELLY, A SENIOR YOGA TEACHER, AYURVEDIC HEALTH & WELL BEING COACH & BHAKTI PRACTITIONER. 

I HAVE TAUGHT YOGA FOR MORE THAN 2 DECADES leading group classes, workshops, retreats and private sessions in person and online. I have owned my own Yoga Studio, and also trained and worked in Power Yoga studios in addition to more eclectic local spaces. I’ve lectured in many different yoga teacher-training programs, and also created and certified my own school of yoga through Yoga Alliance, and certified teachers through my own school of yoga. I have taught at the Yoga Journal Conference and been a Lululemon brand ambassador here in Santa Barbara.

I FIRST HAD AN INTEREST IN AYURVEDA IN 2003 as I have struggled with fear, anxiety and worry my whole life. I did some reading on the subject and soon found myself confused about doshas and what I should and shouldn’t be doing – and because it felt overwhelming I gave up. I think a lot of people have shared a similar journey. They are drawn to Ayurveda as they intuitively know it holds the key for them, but don’t know where to begin or how to implement the teachings.

Ayurveda is yoga’s sister science. So, over the years the potency of Ayurveda poured into my practice and life in many ways. I grew up in a medical family-my dad was a western doctor, his dad and his uncles… and my uncle. I was shocked when I discovered Ayurveda as system of preventative care because it has existed for 5-10,000 years. I’ve spent the last two decades or so studying yoga and Ayurveda with Deepak Chopra, John Doulliard, Janet Stone and many others. I’ve been to Bali and India to study with local Ayurveda doctors. I’ve read the amazing works of Dr. David Frawley and Robert Svodoba as well. I became a certified Ayurvedic health teacher, meditation teacher and life coach through the Chopra Center.

Meditation is the basis for all of my work. I truly believe that because we live in this insanely hectic, fast-paced world most of us desperately need to sit down and move from toward stillness and silence, toward a space where we can digest, process, rest and heal. And, also toward a space where we can attune to our inner knowing, intuition and wisdom. I treat all of my clients as whole, complete and perfect and feel that my primary role is to walk alongside my clients in support of their desires and intentions and guide them back to the wisdom they already possess.

My coaching isn’t intended to replace the great wisdom of an Ayurvedic doctor. It’s intended to give you practical ways that you can understand Ayurveda and health, and see it in your day to day life. What might be out of balance in your own life? Your own body? And how you might begin to bring it back into balance. Often very simple adjustments that can make enormous effects.

IN 2005 I GOT MARRIED TO THE LOVE OF MY LIFE & IN 2008 I GAVE BIRTH TO MY FIRST CHILD in COLORADO & 4 YEARS LATER MY SECOND CHILD IN CALIFORNIA. Marrying Joel was one of the most intuitive decisions of my life. When you know, you know. We have been blessed with 2 children. In Vail, babies are given tiny ski hats with a pink or blue ball on top. And, though our love of the mountains is deep, not long after, we moved to Santa Barbara, where my second baby boy was born 4 years later (instead of ski hats, they should give out little diaper boardshorts here!), and where we still have our thriving crew. Nothing has informed-and still informs- my practices as much as being a mother. AYURVEDA comes to me multiple times a day. I have known for years I could no longer ignore the pull towards immersing myself fully and I am so grateful to be immersed in becoming a qualified health and well-being consultant with the Chopra Center.

I COACH CLIENTS and have been fortunate to have been trained in coaching for many decades. In 2003, I began working with the Baptiste Institute as a yoga teacher, and as a coach. Teaching, lecturing, leading and learning how to support others through mind, body, soul science and practices have been cornerstone for me. Yoga and Ayurveda are like almond butter and jelly-they go together. And, it has been one of my greatest life joys to learn, apply and offer it to others. I am honored to be here to offer my help to you and share a small portion of what I have learned from this ocean of knowledge. If you are reading this and wondering if working with me will make a difference - I promise you, I will do all I can to help you find balance and harmony to Mind, Body & Soul. And, for me, fear, anxiety and worry is released when I tap into these balancing practices.

LEARNING AYURVEDA AND HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE IT WITH OTHERS is deeply humbling. I attempt to expand my understanding through ongoing studentship. I hope I can help make Ayurveda feel more accessible to others but it is also my aim to practice in a way that is as authentic as possible and honors the original teachings while making way for some inevitable modern adaptations.

BHAKTI IS MY JAM. I didn’t even know what I first experienced with kirtan and mantra that moved my soul so deeply. Man=Mind. Tra=Instrument. A mind instrument to connect us deeper into our heart and soul. Bhakti is a practice of devotion. It is also a practice of getting our voices involved. Of singing, chanting, community and mantra. Of mythology. Of the heart. Of inspiration. Of joy. I love playing my harmonium and sharing this practice with others!

MORE ON YOGA & ME. I am an athlete, a writer, a lover of ALL things yoga, a mom, a wine lover, a nature lover. I have 2 boys (unless you count my husband, in which case, that makes 3!). I have a small backyard farm with 1 dog, 2 fish, 6 chickens and a garden. I am what is referred to as a “householder” in this practice-someone who attempts to practice yoga with their engagement deep in the push and pull of the marketplace of life. I LOVE a thoughtful, heart-opening, sweaty yoga practice, an Ayurvedic prescription and kirtan….so much in fact, it has forever changed the entire course of my life. 

More than 25 years ago, I found this practice called yoga in a little studio in Denver, Colorado. Wow, those initial fireworks were BIG. At the time, as a marketing executive, I was often booking very important “meetings'' at the studio. It wasn’t long until I jumped in with both feet for my first (of many, complementary 200, 300, 500 Hr) teacher training. I found the love of my life in Vail. So, it was there that I opened my yoga studio, Mountain Lotus. My personal sadhana (practice) deepened during this time, alongside figuring out what it meant to run a yoga business. 

Those BIG fireworks at the beginning of our yoga practice evolve, and over time, change to more subtle reflections, awarenesses, and ripples. And, subtle isn’t small. Subtle is potent. I love how this practice brings together mind, body and spirit in a way that can bring a deep presence and a sense of wholeness. Ram Dass said, “We are all just walking each other home.” To me, these words are about coming home inside of ourselves. He was talking about finding our wholeness - knowing who we are at the deepest and most profound levels of our being and building our lives upon that foundation. As motherhood is messy, challenging, and painful it is also heart-exploding-ly joyous, beautiful and everything I never knew to hope for. Motherhood is one of the first roles in my life where I really identified this union of opposites within myself and within my experience. This practice encourages a wholeness in a union of opposites: easy and hard, love and hate, complicated and simple, night and day, and so on and so forth. The home I have found inside myself is a place in between these seemingly opposites that orients me toward the gifts of my life. As everything is a mirror, and every event is a doorway to discovery, children have been reflecting this back to me from the very beginning. 

Today, I love to pause from my mothering to make the practices of yoga and Ayurveda available for students, teachers and practitioners. In the practices and experiences I offer, I attempt to bring in all 8 Limbs of Yoga. You can find me coaching one on one with clients. I am also inspired to teach a slow, steady burn, or lead mantra as part of a practice at our local, funky, eclectic and beloved YogaSoup.  I am passionate about facilitating Yoga Retreats to recharge our being, and deepen in our yoga practice. Teacher trainings also light me up. They say you know you’ve found your genius when you can go on and on, and that’s how being in teacher trainings always makes me feel. I also contribute to several different teacher trainings annually. And, once a year, with my own School of Yoga, Kelly Heath Yoga,  I immerse with a dedicated group of teachers to train them in the Roots & Philosophy of this Practice, alongside the Pancha Maha Bhutas (the Five Great Elements), and how they, too, can intentionally create yoga classes and experiences for others.. 

So, I hope you decide to jump in, dive in, or parachute in, with me. In a one on one. On the mat, on the cushion, at the next class or retreat or next training. 

K