By Nicole Peppin
If lately you’ve been hearing the siren call of the open road, long for the grit of sand between your toes, want to exercise more in good company or are even looking to throw back a few brew skis among buds then you’re in good company with Kelly Howard of Bayou City Outdoors. For the past 14 years Howard has been having fun, introducing couples, and exercising hearts & souls with her engaging take on fitness, joy & love.
Kelly started Bayou City Outdoors(http://www.bayoucityoutdoors.com)back in 1994, before the internet was as publicly accessibly; as a small, printed directory which listed places for people to meet around Houston. Today, what started as a small project has morphed into online outdoors membership site that boasts more than 80 events a month! Membership is open to anyone: gay, straight, single, married and attracts individuals that are interested in going out and doing things that are more active as a group such as hiking & traveling. But, let me stress…this is not a dating club! If you’re interested in dating then you’ll have to check out Kelly’s other two membership sites exclusively for singles:http://www.houstonsinglesource.com & http://www.eightfriendsout.com
As Body Mind Spirit exponents we often tout the benefits of Mother Nature, the healing effect she has on our consciousness & body but often times we don’t do a good job of combining our spiritual practices with nature. Remember how Alan’s five intelligences: Spiritual, Moral, Emotional, Physical, & Mental IQ encompass a whole. Kelly has combined her love of nature and exercise to produce a healing effect in her life using her five intelligences especially when it comes to centering herself:
“As a mountain biker & whitewater kayaker I have the chance to use focus and expansion of my thoughts while being completely engaged in a possibly high risk situation. I have the opportunity to turn off my mind chatter, really appreciate nature and truly focus on one thing” Kelly states.
In exercise & adventure Kelly has managed to find her Zen. She’s able to clear her mind, and truly appreciate each moment for what it is.
Several years ago she was going through an extremely rough patch and physically and emotionally she wasn’t handling the change going on in her life very well. It got to the point where she was so stressed out, so emotionally exhausted that she just didn’t care what happened anymore. And then a strange thing happened, she started having vivid dreams that literally spoke to her. They lasted for three nights and each night she would come out of the dream to a loud, clear voice saying “Kelly, it is time you wake up.” By the third night she was startled, to say the least, each time it happened and lay awake pondering what it all meant. As she lay there she heard her name once again, clearly ring out into the night “Kelly.” And she realized that the meaning behind the dreams & all of the sleepless nights lay in the simple message the voice was trying to tell her: “Wake up!” Not in the physical sense but to engage her consciousness, awaken her spirit, and live vibrantly. To not continue to engage in the stupor she had allowed herself to fall into.
By instead choosing to mindfully practice joy & engaging in daily exercise she has found her life is much more fulfilling and invigorating. Often, she will sit down during the week (particularly if it’s a stressful one!) and read a little bit from “The 72 Names of God” which allows her to clear her mind and slip into a meditative state. “I find quite frequently the same things come up again and again until I am willing to embrace and accept them” She stated.
Several local Houstonian teachers have influenced her spiritual journey including Bill Ferguson, Anisa Aven & Kim O’Neill. She was actually referred to Alan and his book by Kim O’Neill. She recognized a pattern of pain within her own body where she would be consumed by chronic pain every six months. Due to this she would be forced to change or discontinue many of the physical activities that she enjoyed. After reading about Alan, she became determined to live pain free and started working on a transformation between her body, mind & spirit. Her progress has been nothing short of amazing. She states “This was a huge goal as pain had become a way of life for me. Alan started me on a journey that has been extremely enlightening and I can say that the amount of pain that I am living with presently is very minor. This has all taken place over just a few months period!”
As an animal enthusiast and the loving owner of her dog Zephyr, her constant travel companion; Kelly hopes that the generation after hers will have a deeper connection to nature, animals and the world in general. “Our world is fragile. We are fragile and need to be treated with love. And animals are fragile and have feelings and thoughts; they aren’t just here for our benefit!”
People she states just need to “take time to play more often.”
If you’d like more information on Kelly Howard or her businesses please feel free to contact her at 713-524-3567 You can also check out and subscribe to http://www.bayoucityoutdoors.com, http://www.houstonsinglesource.com & http://www.eightfriendsout.com
Alan Davidson is the founder of ThroughYourBody.com and the author Body Brilliance: Mastering Your Five Vital Intelligences, the #1 bestselling Health & Welness book and winner of two National Book-of-the-Year awards.
Alan is also the author of the Free report “Body Breakthroughs for Life Breakthroughs: How to Peak Your Physical, Emotional, Mental, Moral, and Spiritual IQs for a Sensational Life” available at www.throughyourbody.com
Love Your Way,
www.ThroughYourBody.com
1103 Peveto St.
Houston, TX 77019
713-942-0923
