Andy's presenting at this years Center for Mindfulness Conference!

MBSRconfI’m so excited to be a presenter this year! I will be discussing:  Integrating Mindfulness In Public Schools – Lessons learned from teaching mindfulness to students and teachers K-12.

We need to give greater emphasis on teaching our kids social emotional skills that can help reduce stress, strengthen attention, and increase our capacity to effectively manage our days.

When students learn to develop their own self-awareness, they learn to become less reactive in class.  This changes their behavior and they realize they have more choices.  When the students become more aware of their behavior – they’re able to shift their behavior – and the whole classroom environment changes.  Mindfulness has the potential to change the entire schools culture.
A great opportunity to learn more and explore how mindfulness is being taught in public schools.  We’re in our third year teaching mindfulness-based education in the public schools in Milton, MA.

Anyone interested in bringing mindfulness to schools would enjoy Andy’s Breakfast Roundtable on Friday, April 19th, from 7:00-8:00 AM.  We will discuss how the program started, what’s involved in the classes, the general issues that arise when you attempt to bring mindfulness in schools – and how you can integrate this into the classroom without dismantling the system that’s already in place. MMind

Here’s what Saki F. Santorelli, EdD, MA, Executive Director, Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society, says about this event : “It is a unique conference because it holds strongly to the science and to the scientific process of investigating mindfulness, MBSR, and a whole range of what we call MBI’s, or ‘Mindfulness Based Interventions’, while also seamlessly integrating meditation practice throughout the entire program for five days.”

Check out the link below for an overview of the five-day conference.

Register Here:  http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/conference/index.aspx

Hope to see you there in two weeks!

Peace IN!

-Andy

Why it's awesome if you think you're "bad" at meditating.

“For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. ” – Shakespeare

A common misunderstanding about meditation I often hear is, “I can’t stop thinking” – but thinking is actually a good thing.  Our mind’s job is to produce thoughts.  And, thoughts are a very important part of the meditation process.  The more you try to force them out, the faster the thoughts will rush right back in.

When we meditate we actually need the mind to be distracted in order for us to see the process at work.  When we’re focusing on our breath, a mantra, or some other object of our meditation – we need to be able to catch ourselves distracted about the past and the future. We need to observe the fidgeting around and notice wanting to stop the timer.  We have to be aware that we’re tired and restless – notice what our mind is doing – and then find a way to come back to our breath, or the object of our meditation.

Understanding and noticing you are having thoughts is a breakthrough in your practice, because you’re beginning to shift your awareness (that internal reference point) from your ego to YOU, your real authentic self. Continue reading “Why it's awesome if you think you're "bad" at meditating.”

New Meditation & Mindfulness Classes!

We’d all like to be the best version of ourselves. So what’s the key to making real change?

Meditation & Mindfulness.

Meditation isn’t just powerful, effective and flexible, it’s also deeply personal to me.  It has enriched my own life in so many ways.  My sitting practice, for example, gives me focus, energy and the clarity to be more mindful throughout the day.  But most of all, it shifts my perspective and interactions with people all day long.

I’ve seen firsthand how valuable mindfulness can be – that’s why I feel our Mindful Mondays series and Monthly Guided Meditation classes are so important.

So join Betty and The Boston Buddha at STIL Studio on Mondays and if you’re in the Hanover area I hope to see you at one of my Monthly Meditation classes with Rose and Maryellen at WillowRock!

Move & Meditate – Moves to Mondays

Join Betty Riaz and Andy Kelley as they lead you through 30 minutes of a simple slow flow Vinyasa series and a 30 minute meditation.

Cost of class is $17.  To register, go to: www.stilstudio.com or click on the logo above and search SCHEDULE.

Beginning 2/4/13, every Mindful Monday from 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM.

Guided Meditation

Join Andy Kelley as he leads you through a guided meditation using your awareness of the present moment and breath.  This hour class will end with an interactive Q&A session.

Cost of class is $15.  To register, go to: www.willowrockhealing.com or click on the logo above and search SPECIALTY CLASSES.

One Saturday a month from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM – come once or come to all.

2/2/13, 3/9/13, 4/6/13, 5/11/13, 6/1/13

 

Looking Back: A sweet note from a Year One meditator.

Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.


- Veronica A. Shoffstall

 

About a week ago I noticed one of my heirloom cactus plants was starting to bloom for the very first time.  It made me smile as I remembered the student who gave it to me.   I thought about how this little seed was cultivated, nurtured, and loved – and how in just one year it blossomed into a beautiful plant.

I showed it to Catharine and snapped a quick picture so I could text it to the student later on.  When I went to upload the photo, serendipitously I found this incredibly thoughtful note from that very same student in my email.

———————————–

Hi Andy,

Continue reading “Looking Back: A sweet note from a Year One meditator.”

Winter Solstice – Yoga & Meditation

Winter Solstice  – Yoga & Meditation – @ STIL YOGA

   Thursday, December 20, 2012      7:00 to 8:00 PM

Stil Studio, 740 Legacy Place, Dedham, MA 02026

with Betty Riaz & Andy Kelley

The holidays are a time to gather with family and friends – to reflect, and enjoy the new season.  What better way to approach the New Year with renewed energy, flexibility, and inner strength!

Come celebrate the beginning of the Winter Solstice at STIL Yoga with Betty & The Boston Buddha. We will transition into a new way of BEING by honoring the cycles of life and setting some positive intentions for the New Year.  It’s a beautiful time where the Sun Stands STIL!

Continue reading “Winter Solstice – Yoga & Meditation”

Connecting Beyond The Classroom

June, 2012 – Taken by my Special Photographer – Anika

I had the pleasure of seeing one of my students yesterday, Tiye, who is now up at the middle school.  She was picking up her younger sister from school and came right over to me with a big smile on her face.  She told me how she still remembers to use her breath to come back to the present moment when she’s feeling stressed.  Tiye holds the record for taking our Morning Mindfulness classes – four sessions in a row.

I’ve seen Tiye’s confidence grow over those two years and now it seems that she can jump hurdles that would stop most of us adults.  Just seeing her enthusiasm smile made me smile, proof that kindness is truly contagious.

Peace IN.

-Andy

 

 

Secrets of Meditation

“When I let go of who I am, I become who I might be”Lao Tzu

In his new book “Secrets of Meditation“, davidji offers a truly unique approach to personal transformation.  Using a daily meditation practice as his foundation, dji shares his own journey of self-discovery and some powerful lessons that he’s learned along the way.

With his classic humor and wisdom, davidji guides you through the meditation process. He discusses many forms of meditation for you to “try on” and see what works for you – and he gives you specific tips on how to deal with a wide range of challenges and experiences that will most likely happen when you first get started.

Continue reading “Secrets of Meditation”

Start The School Year With Less Stress

The summer is almost over and it’s time to get ready to send the kids back to school!

Fall is my favorite season – the cool crisp air, the return of Patriots football, The Boston Celtics and new Morning Mindfulness Classes starting back up.  So while I’m excited for the new school year, I feel it’s important to remember that it can be a stressful time for our kids.

Outside of the obvious stresses that accompany a new school year – new teachers, advanced material, homework and after-school activities – most kids are just out of practice and have trouble switching gears… getting back into a structured schedule, without feeling some added stress.

Factor in the social and emotional growth that comes with being a kid – dealing with self image, appearance, peer pressure, trying to fit in and the pressure they put on themselves to do well, and you see there’s a lot more involved with going back to school than picking up some new clothes and back to school gear.

So what can we do to make these transitions as smooth as possible for everyone in the family?

Continue reading “Start The School Year With Less Stress”

Connecting With Community

Below is an incredibly sweet note from a student who recently attended a TBB Meditation Challenge.

Hi Andy,

I was endorsing your workshop to the nice woman working at STIL STUDIO the other day. I told her I had attended one of your workshops and that I was a complete novice, and that you are wonderful (which you are!) and that she should certainly attend. You get my thumbs up, way UP!

I started my yoga practice a little over 10 years ago, but it wasn’t until the past year or so that I noticed I needed something else other than asana. Don’t get me wrong, I love the asana part of my practice, but something inside of me told me I needed more, that I deserved more.

So, I began seeking out ways to get in touch with with the real me, my authentic Self. I started practicing another style of yoga (Para Yoga), focusing on pranayama and realized that beginning a meditation practice might be what I need the most. But where was I to begin?

Continue reading “Connecting With Community”

Face Your Own Personal El Guapos

“In a way, all of us have an El Guapo to face.  For some, shyness might be their El Guapo.  For others, a lack of education might be their El Guapo. For us, El Guapo is a big, dangerous man who wants to kill us.  But as sure as my name is Lucky Day, the people of Santa Poco can conquer their own personal El Guapo, who also happens to be *the actual* El Guapo!”

– Lucky Day,  The Three Amigos

El Guapos

Whatever you want to call it… threats, problems, obstacles, hopes, worries, struggles, anxieties, suffering – we all have our own triggers for our emotions and fears.  These fears clutter our thought process – they block our creativity, constrict our choices, and force us to react in predictable ways.

If we don’t learn to face our fears head on, and work with these powerful emotions as they bubble up, they can have a negative impact on our mental, physical, and spiritual health – tripping our fight or flight response and actually shaving years off of our lives.

So, how can we overcome some of our personal obstacles and fears?
Continue reading “Face Your Own Personal El Guapos”

Event Schedule