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Dr. Kelly Livingston

@thevitalspiritmethod

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The science & soul of healing
✨Gut-Brain ✨ Nervous System ✨ Hormones
🌈 The Vital Spirit Podcast + YouTube ↓
Naturopathic Physician | 13 years

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⚡️Movement doesn’t always look like motion.
Sometimes, it looks like support.

As I share more about movement as medicine, I want to be clear about something important:

👉 Stillness-based practices are not “less than.”
They are often the entry point for nervous system regulation.

This setup is one of my favorite ways to create a gentle craniosacral still point at home:

🤍 Place one yoga block horizontally
🤍 Stack a second block perpendicular on top (more vertical)
🤍 Lie back and let your occiput and neck soften into the support
🤍 Stay. Breathe. Let the nervous system recalibrate

Why this matters:
✨ Supporting the occiput can encourage a parasympathetic shift
✨ It allows the neck, jaw, and dura to release without effort
✨ It gives the psoas, diaphragm, and deep core a signal of safety
✨ It’s a powerful complement to movement, not a replacement for it

If this feels familiar, it’s because I’ve shared similar stillness-based resets before — including:

• Using cranial balls to create a CST still point
• Supported yin poses for shoulder and nervous system release

And if you haven’t yet, I highly recommend listening to The Vital Spirit Podcast — Movement as Medicine, where we explore:#
🌀 Why the psoas holds stress
☀️ How gentle movement and stillness work together
💚 Where craniosacral therapy fits into nervous system healing
🌈 Why regulation must come before intensity

This is the throughline of my work:
🌱 Healing happens when the body feels supported enough to let go.

Movement.
Stillness.
Support.

They all matter.

With Love & Gratitude,
Dr. Kelly 🫶🏼

#TheVitalSpiritPodcast #MovementAsMedicine #NervousSystemRegulation #CraniosacralTherapy taken in Roots Deep Medicine by @thevitalspiritmethod

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9 months ago

✨Burnout isn’t simply running out of energy.

It’s often the culmination of years of adaptation to chronic demands.

One of the things I loved about my recent conversation with Dr. Kirsten Vandenheuvel was the language she gave to high-functioning burnout. The women who burn out don’t always look burned out. They keep showing up, producing, and caring for everyone else… until one day they realize they don’t feel like themselves anymore.

This clip comes from an earlier solo episode where I explored that same pattern through my own lens.

Because while burnout certainly has a physiology, I don’t believe it’s only a physiologic phenomenon.

Yes, we can measure changes in cortisol rhythms, nervous system regulation, mitochondrial function, sleep, metabolism, and hormones.

But, I also think burnout asks a deeper question:
⚡️Where along the way did we stop listening to ourselves?

Healing isn’t simply about producing more energy.

It’s about restoring our capacity to hear the quieter messages our body has been communicating all along.

To me, burnout isn’t weakness.

It’s often the body’s deepest wisdom becoming impossible to ignore.

🎧 If my recent conversation with Dr. Kirsten resonated with you, I think you’ll also enjoy one of my favorite solo episodes:

Episode 25: From Burnout to Balance: A New Medicine for the Women Holding Everything Together.

I think these two conversations beautifully complement one another.

If you’re a high achieving woman who “doesn’t feel like herself anymore” these episodes are for you. 🫶🏼

#TheVitalSpiritPodcast

Follow along for more holistic healing @thevitalspiritmethod taken in Roots Deep Medicine by @thevitalspiritmethod

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2 months ago

✨ With over 20 years in health and wellness, my journey has led me to one undeniable truth:

We cannot heal the body without healing the mind, and we cannot heal the mind without healing the body.

As a Licensed Naturopathic Physician with a background in psychology and philosophy, I’ve spent my career as a doctor exploring the intersection of the physical and emotional.

From conducting psychological research to earning trauma-informed certifications and a doctorate in natural medicine, I’ve always been fascinated by the ways stress, resilience, and healing shape us, and influence our ability to heal.

This passion for mind-body medicine has guided me to help hundreds of women navigate life’s biggest transitions—whether that’s balancing hormones, overcoming chronic stress, or reconnecting with their purpose.

When we work together in my medical practice @rootsdeepmedicine through The Vital Spirit Method we focus on all of the layers of healing - physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional.

Now, I’m bringing these tools, clinical insights, and evidence-based approaches to you through #TheVitalSpiritPodcast with a little sprinkle of the philosophy of healing along the way.

The power to heal lies within each human, and it is my goal to shine a light on that power creating energy and momentum for the healing journey.

I’m Dr. Kelly Livingston, and my mission is to help you feel fully alive by integrating body, mind, and spirit in the healing process.

Join me when the the trailer launches TOMORROW January 16th for conversations that inspire, educate, and empower you to live fully human and deeply healed.
Listen on Spotify, Apple, or watch on YouTube

⚡️ Follow along @drkellylivingston @thevitalspiritmethod taken in Roots Deep Medicine by @thevitalspiritmethod

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2 years ago

⚡️How many things have you talked yourself out of because you weren’t sure you could handle them?

Maybe it’s trying something new, making a career change, speaking up for yourself, or finally making your health a priority.

In this week’s conversation on The Vital Spirit Podcast, @drmeghanwalker and I explored what it means to take risks, trust ourselves, and create lives that reflect what matters most to us.

Meghan recently moved her family to Barcelona, a decision that prompted plenty of people to tell her, “I’d love to do something like that, but I never could.”

But what if courage isn’t something we’re simply born with?

What if it’s something we develop through practice?

Meghan introduced an idea I love: return on decision, rather than simply return on investment.

Every time we make a small decision outside our familiar patterns and take ownership of its consequences, we have an opportunity to discover something about ourselves.

We begin to recognize our capacity to navigate uncertainty, respond to challenges, and trust our own judgment.

And over time, those seemingly small decisions can make the bigger ones feel possible.

What I appreciate about this perspective is how closely it connects to the larger conversation Meghan and I had about health.

Because what is the purpose of cultivating greater health and vitality if not to participate more fully in our own lives?

To have the energy, resilience, and freedom to pursue what matters to us, even when the path isn’t entirely clear.

Perhaps the next time you catch yourself thinking, “I’d love to do that, but I never could,” you might ask:

✨ What’s one small decision I could make today that moves me closer to the life I want to live?

🎙️ NEW EPISODE | The Vital Spirit Podcast, Episode 75

Why Being “Fine” Isn’t the Same as Being Healthy with Dr. Meghan Walker.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Link in bio!

#VitalSpiritPodcast #NaturopathicMedicine #PersonalGrowth #ImpactMedicine taken in Roots Deep Medicine by @thevitalspiritmethod

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6 hours ago

⚡️Ten years ago, my life changed in ways I could never have anticipated.

I was moving through the most traumatic loss of my life, my own dark night of the soul. I couldn’t see how I would find my way through.

I had already devoted my life to helping others heal. I couldn’t have anticipated how deeply it would shape the way I practice medicine.

I learned that no one could do the inner work for me.

I needed people to love me, listen, and help me find my footing. I also had to learn how to be with myself, understand my nervous system, my patterns, and the ways I had learned to survive.

Healing didn’t mean returning to who I was before. It meant learning to live with what happened while making room for peace, connection, joy, and self again.

Today, I sit with women navigating complex physical and emotional challenges.

My intention is to create a space where they feel safe enough to be fully human, to be heard, and to participate in their own healing.

That intention lives in my clinical practice and The Vital Spirit Podcast, where these conversations reach beyond my office.

If you’re in a dark chapter right now, I want you to know this:

✨You don’t have to figure out the next ten years.

Start with today.✨

Let someone stand beside you. Ask for help. Find one small thing that helps you feel grounded. A breath, a walk outside, a moment of rest.

Give yourself permission to grieve without rushing to turn your pain into a lesson.

There is no magic pill for grief, and no single path through it. You don’t have to walk it alone.

The lotus symbolizes awakening in Buddhist traditions. Om Mani Padme Hum, a mantra associated with compassion, reminds me that tenderness can exist amid suffering. I carry these words tattooed on my body as a reminder.

The jewel is in the lotus. 🪷

If you’re navigating your own darkness, I’ve shared more of my experience in The Dark Night of the Soul, along with other episodes exploring grief and healing. I hope these conversations help you feel less alone.

If there’s one thing I hope you take from this, it’s that you don’t have to become someone else to begin healing.

You can begin exactly where you are. As you are. 🫶 taken in Roots Deep Medicine by @thevitalspiritmethod

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19 hours ago

✨What are you actually paying for when you see a naturopathic doctor?

It’s a question that came up during my conversation with Dr. Meghan Walker on The Vital Spirit Podcast, and I think it deserves a more meaningful answer than the number of minutes we spend together.

Meghan has been a mentor of mine for years, helping me build a sustainable practice without compromising the depth of care I believe in.

Yes, a new patient visit with me lasts 60–90 minutes. We explore medical history, labs, nutrition, hormones, digestion, stress, and nervous system regulation. And we create space for patients to share things they may never have felt comfortable sharing before.

But time alone isn’t the value. An appointment is an encounter. What matters is what we do with everything we learn.

As naturopathic physicians, we’re trained to recognize patterns, understand the relationships between systems, and use the Therapeutic Order to guide care.

We consider what may be obstructing healing, what foundations need restoring, and which interventions make sense, in what sequence, for this particular person.

That clinical reasoning becomes a roadmap. Not simply a list of supplements or tests, but a thoughtful, evolving plan that helps someone move from managing symptoms toward meaningful, lasting change.

That is the transformation we’re working toward.

And delivering it well requires both clinical skill and a sustainable business. Meghan has devoted much of her work to helping practitioners build the infrastructure to offer that kind of care without burning out.

We also talked about what she calls “the line of fine.” You can have labs in range, be told you’re stable, and still know you don’t feel well.

I believe naturopathic medicine has an important role alongside conventional care in helping people move beyond that line, toward greater vitality and agency in their health.

⚡️ Coming soon: Episode 75 of The Vital Spirit Podcast with @drmeghanwalker

Why Being “Fine” Isn’t the Same as Being Healthy. ⚡️

#NaturopathicMedicine taken in Roots Deep Medicine by @thevitalspiritmethod

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2 days ago

✨Feeling disconnected from your body?

We spend so much of our lives thinking about our bodies rather than experiencing what it feels like to live within them.

We analyze symptoms, evaluate emotions, monitor progress, and search for explanations. As a naturopathic physician, I believe deeply in understanding physiology and investigating the underlying causes of illness.

I also believe healing requires us to develop a relationship with the body we’re working so hard to understand.

I’ve been revisiting Body Sense: The Science and Practice of Embodied Self-Awareness by Alan Fogel, PhD, and was struck by how closely his work aligns with what I teach in my practice.

Fogel describes eight principles for restoring embodied self-awareness, beginning with finding resources that help us feel supported, slowing down, and remaining present with our sensations and emotions.

Embodiment extends far beyond noticing sensations.

It involves recognizing when we need support, experiencing ourselves in relationship with others, developing a clearer sense of our boundaries, and bringing that awareness into how we live, connect, and make choices.

There’s also fascinating physiology behind interoception, our ability to sense the internal condition of the body.

Our thinking mind can generate interpretations almost instantaneously. Awareness of subtle bodily sensations often requires a different pace, allowing us to remain with an experience before assigning it meaning.

Our mind wants an answer. Our body needs more time.

This is part of why I created Episode 74 of The Vital Spirit Podcast.

I wanted to offer you an opportunity to experience embodied self-awareness rather than simply learn about it.

Through a guided meditation, we explore interoception, the felt sense, inner knowing, and awareness beneath our constant mental commentary.

Your body is more than something to analyze. It’s somewhere to live. 🫶

🎧 COMMENT MEDITATION and I’ll send you the full guided practice from Episode 74 of The Vital Spirit Podcast.⚡️

Save this carousel to revisit these eight principles.✨ taken in Roots Deep Medicine by @thevitalspiritmethod

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3 days ago

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4 days ago

⚡️What if you can’t think your way into knowing yourself?

I’ve been wanting to record an episode called What Is the Self? for quite some time.

It’s a question that has followed me through psychology, yoga, meditation, naturopathic medicine, and my own ongoing exploration of consciousness and healing.

Every time I thought about recording it, I felt like there was foundational material I needed to cover.

While recording this week’s guided meditation, I began to understand why this episode needed to come first.

We spend so much of our lives thinking about ourselves. Our identities, our experiences, our emotions, our symptoms, the stories we tell about who we are and how we’re doing.

But what happens when we move beyond that commentary and into the direct experience of being here, within ourselves?

In yoga and contemplative traditions, there is a long history of exploring the relationship between the thinking mind, awareness, and the nature of the Self. In psychology and neuroscience, we can approach some of these questions through the study of self-awareness, interoception, and our sense of identity.

These traditions don’t necessarily describe the same thing, but I find the places where they intersect fascinating.

And increasingly, I believe that embodied self-awareness is an essential part of healing.

Learning to inhabit the body rather than constantly analyzing it. Becoming curious about the awareness beneath our thoughts and the sensations that arise before we have words for them.

Perhaps that’s why I felt this meditation needed to come before my episode on What Is the Self?

I wanted to invite you into the experience before we tried to explain it.

Because sometimes the most meaningful questions aren’t answered by thinking harder. They’re explored by becoming more present.

🎧 Episode 74 of The Vital Spirit Podcast: A Guided Meditation for Nervous System Regulation and Healing

This is a 31-minute guided experience of embodiment, interoception, inner knowing, and awareness.

✨Comment SELF and I’ll send you the full episode. ✨

Stay tuned for What Is the Self? There’s so much more I want to explore with you. taken in Roots Deep Medicine by @thevitalspiritmethod

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4 days ago

✨We spend a lot of time thinking about our bodies.

Is this symptom good or bad? Am I getting better or worse? Is this normal? What does this feeling mean?

And when you’re trying to heal, that constant evaluation can become second nature.

But there’s another way to relate to your body that doesn’t begin with analyzing, labeling, or trying to change what you feel.

It begins with simply noticing.

The tension in your shoulders. The heaviness in your chest. The warmth in your hands. A subtle movement toward or away. A sense that something feels settled or unsettled before you can explain why.

This is the difference between thinking about your body and actually experiencing it from within.

Sometimes, when we stop demanding an immediate explanation, we give ourselves enough space to notice what’s happening beneath all that thinking.

Our mind wants an answer, and our body needs more time.

As a naturopathic physician, I believe deeply in understanding physiology, symptoms, and the many factors influencing our health. But I also believe healing asks us to develop a relationship with our bodies that goes beyond intellectual understanding.

In this week’s episode, I guide you through an embodied practice to slow down, move beneath the mental commentary, and become more present with what’s actually happening inside you.

What do you already know before you explain it?

🎧 The Vital Spirit Podcast, Episode 74: A Guided Meditation for Nervous System Regulation and Healing

Find somewhere comfortable, give yourself 31 minutes, and experience this one with me.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Comment MEDITATION and I’ll send you the episode link! 🔗 taken in Roots Deep Medicine by @thevitalspiritmethod

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5 days ago

⚡️Have you ever noticed how quickly a conversation can change the way you feel in your body?

A shift in someone’s tone. A critical comment. The experience of not being heard.

Suddenly your jaw tightens, your breathing changes, or you find yourself getting defensive.

One reason I invited Dr. Daniel Goodman onto The Vital Spirit Podcast was hearing him speak about Nonviolent Communication (NVC), something I’ve used personally and professionally for years.

I was intrigued to hear a chiropractor discuss a framework so meaningful to my understanding of healing and relationships.

Developed by psychologist Marshall Rosenberg, NVC invites us to look beneath our reactions and get curious about the feelings and needs driving them.

Research on affect labeling, or putting emotions into words, suggests that naming what we feel engages prefrontal regions involved in regulation and can influence activity in the amygdala.

Naming a feeling doesn’t resolve it, but it may create space between the experience and our response.

This connects to something I teach in my work: Notice → Name → Story → Shift.

Notice what’s happening in your body. Name what you’re feeling. Get curious about the story you’re telling yourself. Then explore another way to respond.

NVC brings that awareness into our relationships, helping us express needs without immediately turning to blame or defensiveness.

How we communicate, whether we feel heard, and the relationships we inhabit can all shape our experience of stress and connection.

Nervous system regulation isn’t just something we practice alone on a yoga mat or through breathwork. It’s also something we bring into our relationships, one conversation at a time.

Swipe through for the four components of NVC and a practical example to try.

Save this for the next time you find yourself reacting instead of responding. It’s especially helpful when navigating relationship dynamics that deplete you. 🫶

🎧 Episode 73 of The Vital Spirit Podcast: Chiropractic, the Nervous System, and the Body’s Innate Intelligence with @flowstatechiropractic

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. Link in bio!

Follow @thevitalspiritmethod taken in Roots Deep Medicine by @thevitalspiritmethod

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6 days ago

✨ What do I already know before I explain it?

We’re so used to trying to think our way through everything.

Something feels off, and immediately the mind gets to work: Why am I feeling this? What does it mean? What should I do about it?

But sometimes the rush to find an answer makes it harder to notice what’s already happening underneath all that thinking.

A subtle settling. A contraction. A feeling of moving toward something or pulling away. Something that becomes quieter when we give it our attention. Sometimes the body shifts before we have words for what we’re experiencing.

That’s part of what I’m inviting you into in this week’s episode. Rather than giving you more information to process, I’m guiding you through an experience of coming back into the body, exploring the felt sense, and listening for what may already be there.

⚡️A couple of notes before you listen:

I would normally leave much more silence when guiding a practice like this. I intentionally shortened the pauses because I wanted to ease people into this kind of listening. If something comes up that you want to stay with, pause the episode and give yourself more time.

Also, I was laughing hysterically watching this clip back because I kept squinting 😂. I normally close my eyes when I guide something like this, especially when I’m working intuitively with a patient. But this time I had a script I really wanted to follow AND apparently remembered halfway through that we film the podcast for YouTube and Instagram. So you’re watching me repeatedly fight the urge to just close my eyes and go inward with you.

Episode 74: A Guided Meditation for Nervous System Regulation and Healing

Find somewhere comfortable, give yourself 31 minutes, and do this one with me.

🎧 Apple Podcasts, Spotify + YouTube. Link in bio.

Follow along @thevitalspiritmethod ✨ taken in Roots Deep Medicine by @thevitalspiritmethod

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7 days ago