190: How to Create Guided Meditations with Kelly Smith

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

190: How to Create Guided Meditations with Kelly Smith

Description:

In most typical or mainstream yoga class settings, an aspect of yoga that doesn't get too much attention is meditation. Many of us have encountered students complaining that they don't have time to meditate, or people who really struggle with laying still and quieting their minds - perhaps that's even something you have struggled with. There's where guided meditations can be helpful, and Kelly Smith has some tips and insights for us on the topic.

Kelly Smith is a meditation teacher, yoga teacher trainer, and the founder of Yoga For You, a location independent yoga and meditation school. She also hosts the Mindful in Minutes podcast, where she shares her personal guided meditations. By focusing on the less physical yoga practices like meditation, yoga nidra, restorative yoga and mindful flows, Kelly helps people find their true selves and begin living the joyful life they deserve through mentorship, private sessions, teacher trainings and online courses.

Kelly shares some of the benefits of meditation, and highlights some of the differences between guided imagery, guided meditations and Savasana. She has tips on how to write guided meditations, and the nitty gritty details of how to record a meditation and share it online. Kelly also tackles some of the common misconceptions around meditation, and why it's so important to meet your students where they are in their meditation journey.

If you've been wondering how to get students interested in meditation, how to create your own guided meditation practice, or how to get those meditations online, this interview with Kelly is a great starting point.

Key Takeaways:

[8:07] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Kelly Smith.

[9:33] Where did Kelly's journey with yoga begin?

[12:53] What are three things Kelly would highlight to people that want to skip out on Savasana?

[15:09] Shannon and Kelly discuss why it's so important to meet students where they're at when it comes to meditation.

[17:38] How long do you need to meditate to get the benefits of meditation?

[20:11] What does Kelly offer now in terms of meditation?

[21:37] What is the difference between some of the common forms of mediation like guided meditation, guided imagery and Savasana?

[26:19] Where can we start if we decide to write our own guided meditations? What are some steps to follow?

[27:55] Kelly walks through an example of what writing your own guided meditation could look like.

[33:44] What has Kelly learned along the way in creating and writing meditations?

[39:48] Kelly recommends keeping a big document as your Idea Parking Lot, and a separate document to record descriptive words and images.

[42:09] How can you record and share guided meditations or guided Savasanas for your students to take home?

[44:20] Find out more about Kelly's work at her website.

[46:13] Shannon shares her key takeaways for this episode.

Links:

• 2021 Planning Party
• Kelly Smith, Yoga for You
• Mindful in Minutes Podcast
• How Meditation Can Reshape Our Brains: Sara Lazar at TEDxCambridge 2011
• GarageBand
• Audacity
• Masterclass with Kelly - Ins & Outs of Recording guided meditations
• Staples

Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity and Pelvic Health Professionals

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Quotes from this episode:

"No one ever educated me on the benefits or why we do Savasana." - Kelly

"There's this common misconception that meditation is kind of like doing nothing. If that's what people think, then we haven't done our job in educating our students." - Kelly

"The science shows us that anywhere from 8 to 12 minutes a day is enough to get the neurological and physiological benefits of meditation." - Kelly

"We start by writing the guided meditation by thinking about how the story that we're telling is going to end." - Kelly