Sally Kellett is a professional meditation teacher, certified sound meditation practitioner and founder of Mirosuna, a wellbeing hub and mindfulness studio created for busy professionals to truly recharge.
After experiencing the real, tangible benefits of mindfulness herself without giving up hours of her day to meditate, along with studying mindfulness both in Australia and internationally, Sally now teaches others how to bring meditation and mindfulness into their own lives so they see the benefits long after they finish their meditation class.
Sally Kellett is a professional meditation teacher, certified sound meditation practitioner and founder of Mirosuna, a wellbeing hub and mindfulness studio created for busy professionals to truly recharge.
After experiencing the real, tangible benefits of mindfulness herself without giving up hours of her day to meditate, along with studying mindfulness both in Australia and internationally, Sally now teaches others how to bring meditation and mindfulness into their own lives so they see the benefits long after they finish their meditation class.
Mirosuna, meaning ‘the perfect moment to create space for change’, is Sally’s answer to sharing the tools and techniques required for lasting mindfulness without the ‘woo woo’. Combining the most effective ways to experience deep relaxation and access more happiness and meaning in life, Sally has created an urban sanctuary designed to offer the best in sound baths, meditation sessions, mindfulness classes and a range of therapeutic massage, all optimising the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of anyone who visits.
Whether it’s a mid-week mindfulness class, her trance-inducing sound meditations, or her travels to learn mindfulness direct from Buddhist nuns themselves, Sally’s work always ties back to helping people create more fulfilment, more meaning and more connection in their lives.
Thank you for being part of the Health and Fitness Travel, Strong, Healthy Women Interview Series, where we are shining a light on the importance of self-care, not as an indulgence but a necessity to reduce stress and general health issues.
Is there such a thing as a typical day for you and what does that look like?
There is no such thing as a typical day for me apart from my morning cup of cacao or tea, attending to my garden and a night that ends with spending time with my beautiful husband. I live a really dynamic life, just how I like it! I am a big planner so I know what I’m doing weeks ahead so it’s rarely chaotic, but no two days are ever alike.
In any given day I will have work, client meetings, study and practice mindfulness, teach mindfulness to my community, check in with my students in my Mindfulness Fundamentals course, chat with my family and friends, walk the dog, clean the house, spend time with my husband and make sure everyone is well fed.
It might sound chaotic to an outsider, however my mindfulness practice helps me focus and be present in each activity that I’m undertaking, so that I can move through them without feeling time poor or stressed.
Can you share a time when you felt your well-being was challenged in the past and what did you overcome it?
I had to have three eye surgeries within 8 months last year, which meant a lot of down time and a few complications which I found VERY challenging at first.
Having eye surgery was nothing compared to when I had ovarian cyst surgery. With the ovarian cyst surgery, I was in bed for a week, but I could still eat, watch movies, use my phone, and still do a number of normal activities.
Eye surgery is a whole new level of inconvenience! Without having my sight and being in excruciating pain, I needed help to eat and do even the most basic things like wash my hair, change my clothes, get up from laying down etc.
It was a humbling experience in many ways. I literally went from being really active and a super go-getter to a couch potato…for months!
My initial experience…Mentally my brain was like ‘WHAT IS GOING ON, where is all the noise?’ My body was aching from not moving, emotionally I felt like such a burden on others…and spiritually? Well I just forgot my practice because all I could focus on was the pain!
Whilst it’s not normal to have three eye surgeries one after another, I quickly became aware of how unhealthy my inner struggle was. I used my mindfulness practice to re-focus, and actually enjoy the time I was forced to have.
I tried to use the pain to remind me that there is no gain without pain and that nothing good ever comes without hard work.
I used the time I had with my eyes shut, to go inward and reflect on all these years that I had been working relentlessly and that now is the time to rest.
I embraced the ‘needy me’ in all those moments where my mum would feed me and hold me as I was walking from my bed to my dining table. It reminded me that a mother’s love is so great and unconditional and that whilst I’m not a mother, I too could have that love for others, even strangers.
Being unwell can be the biggest blessing when you can use your mindfulness practice, tools and techniques to help you overcome the challenge at hand. This is why I always teach my students that learning how to have a strong practice is crucial because it will help you navigate your life in times of adversity. It will give you the strength and resilience to get through and come out on top.
What does being healthy mean to you and how do you keep this at the forefront when life gets unavoidably busy?
Being healthy to me means being physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually aligned.
When every part of me is working in unison and towards my pursuit of happiness and my higher purpose is when I’m functioning at my best,
When I get busy, if I am not being mindful and setting boundaries for myself, the first thing to disappear is my physical exercise as well as eating regularly. If I let it get bad, then it starts to affect my sleep which then affects my emotions – like a domino effect.
I really have my strong mindfulness practice to thank, it saves me. It helps me quickly become aware that I am about to start this cycle. Then I can use the mindfulness tools and techniques that I teach, to break me out of it.
To keep my health at the forefront of my mind, I have set myself a strong intention in my life – to help others on their journey as I am on mine.
I remind myself that I am of no use to anyone (let alone myself) if I’m not feeling my best. Therefore, I need to stay aligned and true to my purpose.
Have you ever taken a holiday specifically for your well-being? Can you share what the experience was like?
Absolutely but firstly, I define a holiday for my well-being as giving my mind a break from all the external stressors in life. Through my mindfulness practice, I actively create space in my day and life to give my mind the break that it needs. I do this every day and therefore I take a holiday for my well-being…every day.
To do this, I actively create space for change so that in every situation, I have a choice of how I react and therefore I can control and create meaningful experiences that allow me to choose positivity over negativity, feel more happiness and nurture my well-being in the moment.
As far as a proper holiday goes, in November 2019, I went on my pilgrimage to further my studies in Eastern Philosophy. I trained with the nuns of Truc Lam Monastery in Vietnam. Truc Lam means Bamboo Forest, and it is a Zen Buddhist Monastery situated amongst 24 hectares of protected forest, on top of a mountain in Da Lat.
This was the most nourishing and enlightening experience. Everyday I was surrounded by the Dharma (Buddhist teachings) and the love and patience of the nuns. Despite the long 14 hour days, I enjoyed living every minute in Zen even when I was doing the 4 hours of gardening that almost broke my back (okay not literally but I was in pain for days) and meditating (with mosquitoes in my ear). No matter what I was doing, I loved the state of peace that I was able to achieve there.
My pilgrimage reminded me to stay focused on what is happening on the inside and not let anything on the outside distract me from my higher purpose. Something that is very important in today’s world as there are so many external stressors and distractions.
Every woman’s idea of self-care is different, tell us about yours?
Self-care to me is making the time to do the things that I enjoy and that add to my ‘health’ which I defined earlier as being physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually aligned.
It is mindfully doing things that makes me feel a persistence of positive emotions and making sure that I know exactly what those things are in my life.
Because I have an A-type personality, I love to do more simple activities to find peace.
Self-care for me is nurturing my introvert and going to South Melbourne Markets on the weekend to buy healthy foods to cook up a storm and nourish my body. It is spending time in my garden meditating over sweeping leaves to still my mind. It is me taking the time to research the things that I mindfully use like skincare to avoid silicones and nasties. It is also studying courses in mindfulness and eastern philosophy to continue on my journey.
Self-care for me is also nurturing my natural extrovert by relaxing with my friends, my amazing husband and my foster dog – maybe even all at the same time!
Self-care is an essential part of my mindfulness practice and my life.
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