Kelly Inselmann

Kelly Inselmann has worked as a Psychotherapist and Yoga Teacher integrating the practices of therapy and yoga through her clinical work for 15 years. She has extensive training in individual and group psychotherapy. Prior to beginning her private practice in 1998, she worked with trauma victims through a variety of non-profit and local government agencies. As a yoga teacher she holds both a 500 Hour Yoga Teacher Certification and an International 200 Hour Kundalini Yoga Teacher Certification, and she has been a Yoga Alliance member since 2002. In addition, she is a registered Yoga Therapist (500 level). She is the founder of the Yoga and Talk™ therapy model and has offered group programs since 2002 to a variety of demographic groups including adolescent girls, adult women, children in the schools, people in recovery, and cancer survivors. Kelly lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and daughter.

Can Yoga and Meditation help Chemobrain?

March 25, 2024June 5, 2023 by Kelly Inselmann

Did you know one of our favorite JoyBoots Yoga meditations, Kirtan Kriya, improves memory and cognition as well as decreases inflammation? There’s research to show it! Click here to find out more and try it yourself.

Hundreds of people have learned to meditate in JoyBoots Yoga over the past 12 years. This photo of my dear friend Joy, who helped me create my online course, Healing Well: Re-Connect with Your Life after Cancer, shows us practicing the meditation together. Like many JoyBooters, she went on to practice it daily for months.

But sometimes it’s hard to get motivated. Circumstances are always less than perfect, aren’t they? It can be easy to neglect healthy habits.

There have been times over the past 4 years since my husband’s diagnosis, my daughter’s entry to middle school, and oh yes – the pandemic that I’ve neglected my own practice.

But taking time both for relaxation, meditation, and feeling part of the larger group of healing humans lifts your mood, gives you energy so you can move forward with more joy.

That’s why JoyBoots Yoga Classes are back for the next 3 Wednesdays in June. June 7-21. Noon-1:15pm. ONLINE. $20 per class (or pay what you can). More info on the class here.

Email kellyinselmanntherapy@gmail.com to put your name on my most recent list for the ZOOM LINK and Wednesday reminders about the class.

It’s easier to practice together!

JOY BOOTS Yoga is BACK for 4 weeks starting May 31, 2023!

May 28, 2023 by Kelly Inselmann

It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? We were still deep in the pandemic doing online classes when I had to take a hiatus to rest and care for my middle school daughter and my husband following his devastating surgery.

Thankfully, my family has reached a moment of stability. My daughter finished her freshman year in high school and my husband is doing well and on a break from further treatments for the time being.

I’ve been getting lots of inquiries about our JoyBoots Yoga class, groups, and community and I have missed you! What’s happening in your life?

As mine has stabilized, I’ve turned to the question of What Now? How do I want to spend my professional time?

My mind always returns to the JoyBoots Community and the pleasure I get in our connections and in offering groups, classes, and individual sessions.

I started thinking of the ways yoga, meditation, and therapy all help us move from anxious to grounded, calm, and hopeful. Check out this previous post on 3 Key ELEMENTS everyone should know: http://www.kellyinselmann.com/meditations/covid-anxious-grounded/

Join me in practicing easily accessible movement, breath work, and meditation to shift your experience of the present moment, stabilize your mind, and open your heart.

With the present moment being all we have,

I felt inspired to offer my JoyBoots Yoga Classes for

4 weeks beginning Wednesday May 31, 2023 – Wednesday June 21.

I hope to be back in person this Fall, but these classes will be ONLINE and DONATION based, pay what you can.

Suggested Donation is $20 per class (Venmo or CashApp).

To sign up for notices of the class, please email me at kellyinselmanntherapy@gmail.com with YOGA in the subject line. I will add you to my weekly list of people to receive the ZOOM LINK. Then you can drop in as you wish (no obligation) and donate only if you attend.

More info about the class here: http://www.kellyinselmann.com/weekly-yoga/

Kelly on Hiatus Until September 2022

June 4, 2022June 4, 2022 by Kelly Inselmann

Hello JoyBooters!

I’ve missed seeing you and hearing from you. I have not forgotten you or our community connection. Please drop me a line to let me know how you are!

My family has needed my attention and focus which has kept me very occupied. I also broke my ankle (try-malleur fracture) while on a trip to California and stayed an additional month for surgery and recovery in May.

I’m hoping to resume Wednesday JoyBooter Yoga as well as begin new groups, courses, and individual client openings in the fall…

Check out many videos and yoga practices specifically for our community here on my BLOG/VLOG – there are many years worth of videos.

For high quality physical and emotional support during treatment and after, I also highly recommend services at https://www.cancerrehabaustin.com

Stay cool this summer!

XO Kelly

8 Week Online JoyBoots Therapy Group starts soon!

January 13, 2021January 13, 2021 by Kelly Inselmann

The cancer experience is a challenge that continues to unfold as you integrate the painful moments as well as the heart opening ones. Whether you are still in treatment or finished, in my experience, the emotional work is not over and, in fact, is a rich part of your life’s journey. You don’t just “get over” your deeper awareness of the fragility of life and the desire to find greater meaning from your life and relationships.

That’s why I’m writing to invite you to join a special 8 week therapy group for cancer survivors that will meet (online ZOOM) beginning February 16th. Because we are online, you can join from anywhere!

This group touches on a new theme specific to the cancer experience each week with the goal of moving you forward on your emotional healing journey.

Themes include:

HEALING INTENTIONS
SELF CARE AND BOUNDARIES
ANGER
LOSS
FORGIVENESS
NEGATIVE, POSITIVE AND NEUTRAL MINDS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
RELATIONSHIPS

This therapeutic group integrates simple movement and yoga for strength and energy and provides a unique space to begin to share, integrate, and heal.

I’m looking for people who know the value of acknowledging and sharing feelings and have an openness to begin with yoga and meditation. This is a group for working on and uplifting YOU!

$50 per 1 hr 30 minute group or $375 for the 8 week series. Compare at $150 for a 50 minute individual therapy session.

Move beyond the “new normal” to a place of greater support and healing. For additional details, questions and to register for the required individual session (at a reduced rate), please email devona@doddlevs.com.

The individual session is for me to understand your experience with cancer and to be sure the group is a good fit for you at this time. I’m also happy to answer questions by email prior to scheduling your session.

New Year, Same Beautiful YOU

January 13, 2021 by Kelly Inselmann

Join me for a free weekly JoyBoots Yoga class every Wednesday at noon beginning January 6 (central time). To be on the list for the weekly ZOOM link, please email me at kellyinselmanntherapy@gmail.com. More info about the class: http://www.kellyinselmann.com/weekly-yoga/

Image may contain: text that says 'NEW YEAR SAME BEAUTIFUL YOU BUT HEALING Yoga Joybects WED, JANUARY AT 12:00 PM CT ONLINE VIA ZOOM JOY BOOTS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS'

YOGA & TALK with Suzanne Freyjadis

December 21, 2020 by Kelly Inselmann

Share a little bit about yourself.

My name is Suzanne Freyjadis and I am the Founder & CEO of Soft Landing Society LLC. I live in Portland, Oregon and I absolutely love walking in the forests among the trees. I moved here from Austin to heal after recovering from cancer & being in a coma. I worked hard for three years to get stronger and when I learned how to walk for the second time, I left my abusive husband and moved here. That was two years ago. A year after I left, I realized that I wasn’t the only woman struggling with a lack of support for women, not only to help us leave, but we also need support after we have left. I interviewed hundreds of women and decided to use my video game development skills to support women, one game at a time. I don’t get to do my hobbies, which include cooking & crafts as much right now because starting a company is no easy feat, but I am determined to succeed because women who are trapped in abuse or have left abuse need all the support I can give them. They need new tools, because the ones we have don’t work really well.

What drew you to work with cancer survivors and/or caregivers?

I’m a survivor of oral cancer as well as a subsequent 6-week long, medically-induced coma. My husband became increasingly abusive when I was sick to the point where I knew that I had to leave. A lot of my understanding came with Kelly’s help. Women who are already in abusive relationships and get cancer are at an increased risk of escalating abuse from their husband, wife or partner and my goal is to support women so they realize that they are valuable and give them different tools so they can figure out how to leave and how to create a new life once they have left.

How do you help people with emotional recovery and what interventions do you use?

I am creating games to support women so that they can leave. I’m currently raising funds through a GoFundMe to create my first game. This game will help the players learn how to put themselves first, which is one of the first big steps in preparing to leave. I developed this game when I was working on healing from cancer & the coma as well as figuring out what I needed to do so that I could leave. Not only to protect myself, but also my children who ended up being my caretakers since my husband refused.

What self care practices do you recommend for recovery and healing?
I use yoga, as well as other methodologies I learned from Kelly. I’m still using the game I created to remember to put myself first, which is more difficult some days than others. Kelly is the such an amazing, inspirational & kind woman who not only supported me through realizing I was not only recovering from cancer & a coma, but also living in abuse. Her yoga classes, as well as the Yoga & Talk program were not only foundational to my ability to heal, but also led me to life long friends.

How has covid-19 affected you physically and emotionally?

It’s been really challenging since I’m an extreme extrovert. However, the focus on starting my company has big a lot of my focus so I haven’t missed things as much if I wasn’t so focused there.

How has being a cancer survivor prepared you to better deal with the pandemic or how is it making it harder to cope?

When I woke up from my coma after the cancer surgery I knew that I had big things to get done. No more waiting. Finding out that my husband was abusive, was just one more thing to tackle before my life could start. So if anything cancer has taught me that I can survive a lot and keep moving. I think that is one of the key lessons we can learn.

What is something you’d like to share with the community to help them along their healing journey?

Just move forward. That’s all we need to do. I think we often try to do to much too quickly. I know I did. But Kelly would always remind me that we heal at our body’s pace.

WILD CARD: What is your favorite saying, quote or personal motto?
You are never alone! It is one of the mantras I tell myself and it is one of the tenets of my company. Women shouldn’t have to be alone. We have the internet and zoom calls. It isn’t the same, but we need a robust support system so that we can thrive.

If you wish to connect with Suzanne, you can check out her website,
follow her on social media or send her an email.Facebook: @SaoirseTech
LinkedIn: @soft-landing-society

Soft Landing Society Website
softlandingsociety.com

Email: suzanne@softlandingsociety.com

Interested in being a featured participant in my Yoga & Talk newsletter?
Click here to apply!

YOGA & TALK with Talaya Dendy

December 7, 2020 by Kelly Inselmann

Share a little bit about yourself.

Prior to starting my own business, On the Other Side, I worked in the supply chain and manufacturing industries for medical device and aerospace companies. I love basketball, reading, and traveling. I hope to travel outside of the US soon. So far Hawaiian is my favorite vacation spot.

What drew you to work with cancer survivors and/or caregivers?

I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2011. Having been a healthy person all my life, I was not a sophisticated consumer of medical services. Other than my annual exams, I did not have a need to go to the doctor often. The lessons I learned along the way were invaluable so I decided to use those lessons to help others that have been diagnosed with cancer. Even though I had a great oncologist and the support of my family, there was still something missing and that was the support of someone who knew what it was like to live with cancer. I want to be that person for others. I want to bridge the medical and emotional sides of cancer.

What is the biggest challenge in working with cancer survivors and caregivers?

The biggest challenge in working with caregivers is getting them to understand that they need care too! They are so focused on taking care of their loved one that they neglect themselves and over do it, which results in them feeling resentment, higher levels of stress, not getting enough rest or sleep and they eventually become sick, depressed and anxious themselves.

How do you help people with emotional recovery and what interventions do you use?

I help people really get in tune with what they are feeling and why. So many people are suppressing a lot of emotions not realizing that they are doing more harm to themselves, their bodies, and overall health. Yet, it is so important to acknowledge those emotions and work through them. One of the interventions that I use is mindfulness, helping them understand how the body and mind work together as powerful allies and what you put into your mind flows down to your body.

What is it like to be caring for cancer survivors during the time of covid-19? How has your role changed?

Listening is so important and being present. The cancer patients that I work with have more questions and of course feel a lot more uncertainty and anxiety. I spend more face-to-face time with them on Zoom and send random supportive text messages or emails. My role has not change too much. It has required DOING more and GIVING more of the support and resources that I normally provide.

What self care practices do you recommend for recovery and healing?
Journaling, it helps us to process our emotions and connect with our inner voice. Creating a spiritual practice, whatever that looks like for you. Getting rest and quality sleep. Exercising, healthy-eating, and spend time doing absolutely nothing, just be.

Is yoga or meditation part of your own self care? What other self care practices do you use?

Meditation is a big part of my own self-care in addition to walking/exercising, journaling, reading and listening to audiobooks, and practicing gratitude.

WILD CARD: What talent would you most like to have and why?
I wish that I could sing. Singing has a number of physical, mental, and emotional benefits. It is another way to have a deep connection with others. Even people you don’t know. Music in general touches and speaks to the soul!

If you wish to connect with Talaya, you can check out her website
and follow her on social media.Facebook: @ontheothersidecancerdoula
Instagram: @ontheotherside17
LinkedIn: @talayadendy

On The Other Side Website
www.ontheotherside.life

Navigating Cancer Together Facebook Group
www.facebook.com/groups/navigatingcancertogether

Talaya Dendy and I are both cancer survivors and dedicated to encouraging and uplifting others facing this diagnosis. Be sure to join us for a free 30 minute interview-style webinar this Wednesday, December 9th at 7:00pm CT. Find out how a Cancer Doula brings comfort, reassurance, experience and information. And learn about how to get your JoyBoots back on after treatment so you can live your best life forward. Advanced registrations is free.

CLICK TO REGISTER

YOGA & TALK with Laraine Herring

November 16, 2020 by Kelly Inselmann

Share a little bit about yourself.

I’m a writer, tenured professor of psychology and creative writing, grief therapist and book coach. My most recent book is The Grief Forest: a book about what we don’t talk about, which I wrote and illustrated to help people of all ages navigate complicated grief. I have a trilogy of writing and yoga/movement books through Shambhala. The most popular one is Writing Begins with the Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice. I’m also a novelist, and my speculative memoir, A Constellation of Ghosts, will be out in October 2021. I love helping people navigate grief through writing and other creative practices. I have 5 amazing cats.

Share a little bit about your cancer experience.

In early 2017, I was dx with stage 2A colon cancer. Within 2 weeks, I had surgery, which removed about a foot of my sigmoid colon. I was fortunate that it was caught before it had breached the colon wall and spread to the lymph or other organs. I chose an integrative approach to care after surgery.

How has it benefited you to be part of the JoyBoots community?

Kelly is pure light.

What is your meditation practice like?

My meditation practice is writing and drawing.

How has yoga and meditation benefited you?

I came to yoga for the first time in 2002, and it fundamentally changed my life. So much so, that I went through yoga teacher certification. I had never learned to meet my body in the way that yoga allows. Yoga changed the way I write and teach, and it gave me a lot of tools I used after dx (breathwork, yin yoga).

What practices have benefited you the most?

Writing, drawing, yoga.

What are you still struggling to cope with?

Scan-xiety, trusting in how I feel in my body, the dance of moving forward from cancer while always having to stay in touch with it (scans, etc) for optimal outcomes.

What brings you moments of joy?

Watching my cats sleeping in a cat-ball together.

What is something you’d like to share with the community to help them along their healing journey?

I learned very quickly the power of self-advocacy and the need to listen to my body and stand up for her. It can be overwhelming in the medical arena. So many choices. So much urgency. So much fear. Like Kelly’s Joyboots concept–find that way that you can connect with your inner knowing, and listen to her and act on it, even if it goes against what other people say. You know your body and heart better than anyone else.

How has Covid-19 affected you physically and emotionally?

When we left work (I teach at a community college) for spring break, we never went back. I haven’t set foot on campus since then, and have been teaching entirely remotely. We will not be back in the spring either. I haven’t been able to see my mom (she lives in Phoenix and I live in Northern AZ) since then. I don’t go out, except to the grocery store. I miss the spontaneity of seeing people around town. I miss *trusting* people. Our town does not have a mask mandate, and I’m really troubled by how many people not only flaunt no masks, but actively intimidate those of us who wear them. I miss students in real life. I hate Zoom. I absolutely hate it. It is not good for my limbic system. I feel like there’s not much to look forward to, and that I can’t plan anything, and that is challenging. Also, because of my job, I’m providing support to 160 students, which is draining, especially since there are few ways that teachers are being supported right now. I’ve been doing Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube about five times a week since March, and that has helped a lot. I used to go to yoga classes and Zumba classes, and those have been shut down. I am sleeping too much. Fortunately, I am not sick (to my knowledge), but I feel despair and helplessness by all of the many challenges facing our country right now, and without being able to be in the physical presence of friends and a support network, that is intensified. I am grateful that I am also a therapist (which means I also **have** a therapist, lol) and have tons of tools for self-care, but it’s definitely hard. I’m an introvert, and I have introverted enough now.

How has being a cancer survivor prepared you to better deal with the pandemic or how is it making it harder to cope?

Being a cancer survivor means learning to live with uncertainty. It’s not something I’m great at, so I had to really dive into my own issues of control. I had to learn how to check in more immediately with how I’m feeling (psychologically & physically), and not leap too far ahead into the future. That’s COVID-19 in a nutshell. I don’t know that I’m better able to deal with it because of cancer or not, but there are similarities for sure.

What is something surprising you’ve learned about yourself as a result of the quarantine experience?

I can illustrate an entire book in 3 months. 🙂

WILD CARD: What is your most treasured possession?
My most treasured possession are the letters my dad wrote to me on birthdays and Christmas. He died in 1987, and I’ve returned to those many times over the course of my life.

If you wish to connect with Laraine, you can check out her website at laraineherring.com and follow her on social media.
Facebook: @laraine.herring
Instagram: @laraineherring
Twitter: @laraineherring

YOGA & TALK with Nanette Labastida

November 9, 2020 by Kelly Inselmann

YOGA & TALK
with Nanette Labastida

The Yoga & Talk series features Joybooter stories and words of encouragement to nurture, heal and inspire— and in doing so, helps us to get to know one another, stay connected and to remind us that we are never alone in our healing journeys.

Share a little bit about yourself.
I’m a single mom, I have a 22 year old daughter & an 18 year old son. I work as a realtor and have for 15 years. My passions are yoga, live music, road trips and vegan food

Share a little bit about your cancer experience.
I was diagnosed in 2010 with stage 2 breast cancer. I had a lumpectomy but the tumor was large and they could’t tell me 100% that there was or was not cancer in the surrounding tissue, so I decided to have a bilateral mastectomy with silicone implants for reconstruction. I then also had 4 rounds of chemo. I had a lot of support from friends and family to help me through all this as a single mom but it was terribly hard. I still worked and sometimes my mom drove me to show houses or even my dear clients would pick me up. I never hid the experience, I was very open about it.

How has it benefited you to be part of the JoyBoots community?
I miss going to the classes, I love the camaraderie and I love Kelley’s wise gentle teachings!

What is your meditation practice like?
I meditate daily, usually a guided meditation or visualization, and sometimes some tapping/EFT.

How has yoga and meditation benefited you?
I feel like they help me to be centered and calm in the midst of a storm. And they help me to find my breath too in crazy times.

What practices have benefited you the most?
Finding 15 minutes to do some kind of yoga almost every day and my meditation practice, the biggest thing especially during covid has been a gratitude journaling practice

What are you still struggling to cope with?
Trying not to future trip.

What brings you moments of joy?
Driving in my new car listening to good music. Having a face to face (mask on) hang with a friend .

What is something you’d like to share with the community to help them along their healing journey?
I really think finding the things that bring moments of joy, and taking in what that feels like, so you can recall that feeling in all or most of your moments. Sometimes I think I’m such a cliche but I really do feel happy 98% of the time.

How has Covid-19 affected you physically and emotionally?
In the beginning I was constantly on edge and scared and on the verge of tears, or actually crying. I feared my job would be wiped away for months, I was in shock and I was exhausted. It was like one event a day was my max. And by event I mean picking up curbside. That really was a short period for me though, I have since focused even more on joy and meaningful exchanges with people and I feel more determined and hopeful than ever. Physically I can feel stiffness and soreness from not practicing yoga regularly or going to a gym. I have been taking long walks and eating well though and have lots of energy.

How has being a cancer survivor prepared you to better deal with the pandemic or how is it making it harder to cope?
I feel like it has prepared me to better deal with it because I know I can do hard things and I just don’t let external things like news and fear affect my inner core.

What is something surprising you’ve learned about yourself as a result of the quarantine experience?
I’ve learned that I’m even more resilient than I thought. And resourceful and patient and driven to succeed and radiate joy.

WILD CARD: Would you rather be a mermaid or a unicorn? Why?
I kind of already am a unicorn – haha – I’ve always identified with the unicorn symbolism of uniqueness, rarity, delight and beauty. In my job it’s very easy to be like thousands of others and I’m just not and I love that. Also I’m kind of scared of the ocean so nope, never a mermaid.

If you wish to connect with Nanette, you may connect with her on Instagram at @rocknrealty.

Seek Your Sanctuary

March 25, 2024November 2, 2020 by Kelly Inselmann

What is sanctuary to you?

I think of a safe place, where I am welcome exactly as I am. No need for performance. I can set down my burdens and extend my legs and catch my breath. I notice what’s happening around me because for just a moment, I can let down my guard. No need to scan for danger.

I think of entering an ancient space, with cool walls and floor and with a cozy place to lie down. I think of a community sanctioned spot, a chapel, a temple, a park, or a safe house, a friend who is always home and has something cooking.

I know the people in the sanctuary are holding a space for me and devoted to a higher consciousness than we what I live in during much of life. I know the space is one that was created for safety and for aligning with a higher purpose that includes compassion for the human experience and reverence for the sacredness in each of us.

I have the image of grandmothers taking me in, washing my brow and comforting me, caring for my wounds. Protecting me. A place to go when no one else understands. Here, they hold space for me to love myself again. Here, I surrender the need to know what the future holds and the notion that I must be in control.

I hope you feel our Joyboots for Cancer Survivors group is a sanctuary, a place where friends surround you, where everyone understands and offers compassion, where everyone cares for you and is eager to be by your side. I hope you find sanctuary in my gifts to you, like this meditation. Rest in a space of openness- to learn, rest, heal, care and be.