Souvenir Live: Spiritual Awakening with Ky

Britt: Hi, everybody. We're going to give it one more minute for the Instagram gods to tell everybody that we are aligned. How are you feeling tonight? Thank you so much for being here. Welcome to Souvenir Live. If this is your first time joining a Souvenir Live, we basically meet here and gather in this space every Tuesday evening, Eastern Standard time -- it might be morning afternoon for you where you're tuning in -- just to hold space to talk about those amazing travel moments in our lives that change the health, influence the trajectory of the way that we see our futures. These souvenirs that we're talking about, that we bring back from our trips are not those physical trinkets. They are about those conversations that we've had the new learnings, the new perspectives that we've picked up along the road that have changed the way that we see our surroundings and see yourself fitting in the world.

And tonight I am so, so stoked to be speaking with, an aerial yoga Barre instructor who has a passion for traveling and exploring the globe. She's a spiritual healer student as, as a traveling is extremely dear to her heart and helped manifest her spiritual awakening. Ah, we're going to invite Ky up to chat with us tonight.

Welcome. Welcome, welcome.

Ky: Thank you for inviting me. I'm so honored and so excited to be here. So honored. 

Britt: We haven't even started talking to you, but I'm so looking forward to this conversation, because I think there is so much between what we both do that, um, there's so much synergy.  I really love the fact that so much of what you do involves, you know, your spiritual nation, spiritual awakening involves like being in touch with your body and being in touch with the elements and going with the flow. And these are all literally so essential to like what we try to do through our adventure, adventure treats all the time. So I'm super stoked to have you here.

Ky: Thank you. Thank you so much. Yeahm I seriously. It's been such a journey and it's still a journey. Always be a journey,

Britt: Why don't you let us know a little bit about yourself, who you are, and kind of what got you to this point today?

Ky: So I am Ky Bernard. I started as a traveler, I want to say in run late 2017 ish. That was like my go-to. I went with a friend randomly. We started off like in Florida, it was just a quick little trip to Florida, but that was when, like the hunger kicked in where it was like, wow, like, this is so different than where I'm from. Like, what else is there? And I met a human from Spain and we clicked and it was so magical and I was like, I'm just going to come visit you.

And literally once that happened, it was just gone from there. So I am a traveler and then that sort of spiraled into my, spiritual journey. Once I sort of started traveling. I realized like what was out there in the world? And I was like, wow, there's so many different human beings. So many different cultures, so many experiences right now that I'm experiencing. And it just really opened my mind to like, what else is out there? What is in me? Like what is going on is you always have that, like what is going on moment? And. That led me to become a yoga teacher. And it's just been such a beautiful journey since then. That's a little bit about me.

Britt: So you said that Florida was super different from where you were from. Where, where, where are you from originally in Boston?

Ky: I'm from Boston, Massachusetts, and two parallels, sort of just like city life, cold rainy coffee lab, Dunkin donuts, everywhere. And then Florida was just warm and fun and exciting stuff like that. 

Britt: You said you met this human from Spain that you completely clicked with, and there's been so many moments in my own life where you meet somebody. From somewhere completely different than where you were raised, but they're like so similar. It's like kindred spirit. You think the same way you talk the same way? And you're like, how could we be so similar? Would we like grew up so far away? And so it's definitely one of those magic moments that I'm happy. You went to go visit them in Spain.

Ky: Yes. Oh my God. It was absolutely amazing. I don't know if he'll join, but shout out to him. We're going to shout us out because you truly brought me to Spain and further than that. Gosh. Yeah, I really am so grateful for that moment. Grateful for connecting. And it was just so natural and genuine, and we just kept we've kept in contact since, you know, and even though I haven't seen him since we still have that genuine connection and those connections are just so important and you really.I can't find them unless you go searching for them or they sort of fall into your lap.

Britt: So it's true. And like the best travel experiences are the one you never plan. But like, so if you are watching this and you fall cry, you'll, you'll instantly find that, you know, not only is her feed beautiful and her presence beautiful. She has Incredible energy that she shows through her socials. And it just her presence, there's like a lot of, um, getting in connection with your body. You know, she does yoga outside. If you like, it's connecting with the elements. Um, she talks a lot about going with the flow. So like tell me a little. Where you did you find that you had this sense and approach to life and energy before you traveled? Or like, do you think that, that you had that and then he went from, and you're like, oh, this actually feeds that. Or were you inspired to start living your life that way because of the feelings that you felt abroad and the experiences you have?

Ky: I feel like traveling sort of kick-started. That feeling and that energy I've always been a pretty upbeat person and pretty motivated when I put my mind to things. But I think once I started traveling, it gave me that goal and it gave me a reason to keep searching for that energy and search for that flow. Once I started traveling, that's when I truly truly found it. And after that, it was like, okay, how am I going to manifest this trip to Bali? How am I going to manifest this money to do this solo trip? You know, how am I going to organize that? And I truly feel that. That really helped me to find that motivation and the confidence, um, to truly pursue those adventures.

Really. I started traveling with my close friends and it was just, you know, very nice. And it was like, okay, so I have my buddy and we're going to go do buddy things and it's going to be great. And then. One day, like they couldn't make it, you know, life happens and not everyone's as crazy as me. Like at the time, once I got my taste of traveling, I was sort of just like, when's the next one? What else can I do more? You know? And not everyone is on that same wavelength. So it turned into okay, like, why don't I go? And. Why can't I go, you know, and it was that block that I hit where it was like, are you sure you are a black woman? You're going alone. You're very young. Like, can you really handle that? And once I pushed past that boundary, it was like, all right, you know what? This can happen. And it, it did. It was awesome.

Britt: Love that. And so let's talk about the topic of spirituality, because I feel like it means something a little bit different to everybody. Would you have called yourself like a spiritual person, before you kind of started your travel journey, second part of the question, how did your notion of what it meant to be spiritual change?

Ky: I don't think I was much of a spiritual person before I started traveling. I. I feel like I was sorta just floating around and like, I practiced yoga. I practice yoga since I was a child. And, but it was never for spiritual reason, it was more for the physicality for just, you know, getting into the poses, doing the best poses, getting flexible and just getting strong and. After I traveled and sort of just started like seeing more, what was around me. It led me to search for more and, you know, it's not like I could afford to keep going to these places so low. So it's like, okay, there's definitely more out there, but it led me to believe that there's actually more inside me. And that realizing that, that. That's sort of what pushed me to dig more into my spirituality. I want to say maybe my trip back from the first time I visited Asia, that was when I was started meditating. And I started just really doing more yoga for connecting with my breath, then connecting, you know, creating that, um, equanimity mind, body, soul, and just sitting there and asking questions.

Googling so much Google, so much good, like shadow work. And what is this? What is tarot? What, what our spirit guides, all of that it's sorted just like domino effected and. Yeah, traveling truly helped me to achieve that. It really did.

Britt: Cool. And so like, what does spirituality mean for you today? Because you know, I really love what you said about the mind body, soul connection. What did you call that equanimity? I always have this thing. And this is like why I started origin travels. You know, we're at adventure company specifically for women. Um, and our goal is ultimate goal is to help women travel off the beaten path places while feeling safe and secure. And the reason why I started this was because I was like, I feel like the modern woman, especially, you know, being from Boston, like in a, in a cosmopolitan city, we're just like in our heads all the time, whether it's like the laundry list or the things we have to do, or like the, what, like what do we have to cook tonight?

Or like, you know, like this thing overthinking, that's something that somebody said and you literally go, you literally go your whole life. Just worried about all of these things. And I feel that like traveling is just one of those things that allows you to actually step outside of your comfort zone and environment that is so unlike your own, and you're forced to be in your body. You're forced to be smelling and looking and hearing because like your body's on alert. Cause you're like, I haven't been here need to get orientated and that's such a big part of traveling that I love. It helps you to get into your body and fuel things and be present.  Like, what, what is your day-to-day like now? Are you like, I see that you do yoga, like ariel yoga as well.

How do you kind of, um, go through your day as a modern cosmopolitan woman and still hold on to that spiritual aspect.

Ky:  I make it a, I make it like a priority. It's not, it becomes a part of that metropolitan life. It's just a part now. So it's like,  I'm constantly thinking of ways to stay present. I'm constantly thinking of ways. Okay. How can I connect with my breath in this moment? If I notice my mind sort of dislike buzzing, I'm like, okay, come back to the center. If I notice there's negative thoughts and I'm bashing myself, I reevaluate. And I hit back with those thoughts. Like, what are those already been? My thoughts. It's become a practice. And figuring out how to incorporate this spiritual lifestyle. And essentially the spiritual lifestyle just becomes your lifestyle. It's not, for me, it's not something separate. It's something that I will forever have with me from now on. So I don't believe, like you said, you were like, I don't meditate.

Like it's hard for me. I can find meditation, you know, when I travel or something, I truly believe like you can find meditation at anything. I meditate when I wash my dishes, I put on some music and then I'll just do an animal while I'm scrubbing away. Like that can be a form of meditation. And I feel like. Some people have this, visual and they feel like, oh no, I have to be centered and sitting and, you know, blocking everything out. And in reality, meditation is just finding stillness. You know, this, your spirituality is going to be different. It's going to be different for everyone. You know, spirit, I believe is an all of us and it's just living through us on this world right now in the presence.

So my spirituality, my spiritual practice, what I do in my daily life from waking up at 6:00 AM, I do not wake up. I try to, but it's not easy, but shout out to those people who wake up and they meditate and they can do that's beautiful. I wake up when I have to go. Do something I make a little bit of time. I'm like, okay, let me get some rest work, go to my shift and, you know, get my coffee, you know, you sorta just make it a part of your practice and you figure out what that practice is for yourself and whether it's waking up so early and meditating for an hour, or simply just taking a couple breaths, you know, before you walk out that door, it's still something that you're, you're still putting you first, and you're still putting your spirits first, and being in the present moment.

Britt: So, okay. Everything you said was just so beautiful. There's two things that I particularly love that you talked about. The first was being that like, it's, it's intentional. Like you have to make space in your day to do it. It's, it's an action of like actually making space and making time for being mindful and meditative. And I think that that's so important because, you know, for people who are in the tech talk world or in the Instagram world, it's easy to scroll and see people who seem so, you know, just at peace with themselves.

And you're like, how do I even get there? That seems so far a snap. Like, it just must naturally be part of that person to like, want to be that way. So it can be intimidating to start kind of like tuning into yourself and being still. But the second thing I liked what you said was, um, How, like you don't have to sit there in the morning and meditate for an hour at peace or, or like are still, and like you can incorporate in, into your daily tasks.

And I think that that's super cool. Do you have any other like insight or advice for women who would like to get more involved in the more in touch with themselves spiritually?

Ky: While we're still in this period of non-movement. Globally. I would recommend, I would recommend just finding what feels good. I would recommend tapping in with what you connect with most. So I just feel like for every woman it's going to be different, whether it's slight dancing or whether it's plants, you know, or little things like that, find something that you truly connect. And then when you find that spark within you, when you feel, you know, connected with that, go forward with that and see where, you know, it leads you, you know, they there's so much, we can do online now with everything going on globally.

Like everything is easily accessed online. So that's really exciting because you can, you know, look up a bunch of things. And I think that's very helpful too, where you can find some yoga and if you're not into yoga, maybe look up dancing. If you're not into dancing, maybe look up, well, Hey, I literally love to try so many new things.

I love. My body just gets so used to certain types of movements. So I love to incorporate different forms of movement. So I'm currently looking into like MMA I'm currently looking into, um, what is, um, my tie I'm currently looking into that. And that's, that's like pretty aggressive and stuff, but I know it's going to keep me out of my head and I know it's going to be something super fun to just challenge myself, buying something that challenges you and just really lights that fire and then go forward with it and see where that takes you. And if it doesn't switch directions, go back, take a couple steps back and then go forward with it.

Britt: Amazing. Well, that was all super beautiful. And I thank you so much for joining us here.  I think you're going to be awesome at like MMA you're strong and you're super flexible. You can get yourself into, and I truly wish, wish you the best. And I hope that our paths cross one day before we leave, like where can we find you? Where can we follow on.

Ky: You can follow me on Instagram. I'm here on the ground at and I live in Boston. So I teach at sweat studio. I teach at pure Barre. So again, lots of modes of movement. And if you're interested in personal yoga and you're trying to just start as a beginner or you're someone who's sort of just been, trying to figure out what practice works for you. You can please send me a message. Chat and just have a discussion on what you're looking for and how you can, we can work that out together. So thank you so much for having me.

Britt: This was such a lovely surprise and I'm just like so grateful to be here in the space with you. Thank you. Yeah. Such a privilege to chat with yourself.
We've been people like yourself on a weekly basis. It's like my favorite part of my job. So thank you so much for bringing some light to my dark and dreary Tuesday night. I hope we see each other soon and, um, have a fantastic evening. Thank you, you too. Bye.

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