May, Mental Health Awareness Month: The Role of Spirituality in Healing and Growth
Each May, Mental Health Awareness Month invites us to slow down and take a more honest look at our emotional and psychological well-being. It’s a time to reduce stigma, encourage conversations, and remind ourselves that mental health is just as important as physical health. But alongside therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes, there’s another dimension that often goes overlooked: spirituality.
Spirituality doesn’t have to mean religion, nor does it require strict beliefs or practices. At its core, spirituality is about connection—connection to yourself, to others, to nature, or to something larger than your individual experience. For many people, this sense of connection becomes a powerful support system for mental health.
When life feels overwhelming, spirituality can provide grounding. Practices like meditation, prayer, journaling, or simply spending quiet time in nature can help calm the mind and create space between you and your stress. In that space, clarity often begins to emerge. You may not solve every problem, but you begin to relate to those problems differently.
Mental health struggles—whether it’s anxiety, depression, burnout, or grief—often leave people feeling isolated or disconnected. Spirituality can gently rebuild that sense of belonging. It reminds us that we are part of something bigger, that our experiences have meaning, and that even difficult moments can be part of growth and transformation.
There’s also a strong link between spirituality and resilience. People who engage in spiritual practices often report a greater sense of hope and purpose. When challenges arise, they may be better equipped to cope because they have an internal anchor—a belief system, a practice, or simply a mindset that helps them navigate uncertainty.
That said, spirituality is not a replacement for professional mental health care. Therapy, counseling, and medical support remain essential tools, especially for those dealing with more severe conditions. Instead, spirituality works best as a complement—a way to deepen self-awareness and support healing alongside other approaches.
This Mental Health Awareness Month, consider exploring what spirituality means to you. It doesn’t need to be complicated or time-consuming. You might start with a few minutes of mindful breathing each morning, writing down what you’re grateful for, or taking a walk without distractions. Small, intentional acts can create meaningful shifts over time.
Ultimately, mental health is about balance—mind, body, and spirit. When we care for all three, we create a stronger foundation for well-being. May is a reminder not only to check in with ourselves, but to nurture every part of who we are.
Because healing isn’t just about managing symptoms—it’s about finding peace, purpose, and connection along the way.
It’s that time of year again!
The 10 class Punch pass is back! But….. For only the month of May!
10 classes
Expires 12-31-2026
Punch pass can’t be transferred to anyone else and can’t be used for anyone but the punch pass holder
Register for classes that work with your schedule
Here are 10 self-care practices that nurture both your mental well-being and your sense of spirituality:
Daily quiet time
Set aside a few minutes each day for silence—whether through reflection, breathing, or simply being still.Meditation or prayer
Engage in a regular practice that helps you feel centered and connected to something greater than yourself.Gratitude journaling
Write down what you’re thankful for to shift your mindset and deepen appreciation for life.Spend time in nature
Go outside, unplug, and observe the natural world—it can be deeply grounding and restorative.Practice mindfulness
Be fully present in simple moments like eating, walking, or listening, without distraction.Set intentions
Start your day with a clear intention for how you want to feel or show up in the world.Digital detox
Take breaks from screens and social media to reconnect with yourself and your inner thoughts.Read or reflect on inspirational material
Engage with books, quotes, or teachings that align with your values and encourage growth.Acts of kindness
Do something kind for others—helping someone else often strengthens your own sense of purpose.Self-reflection
Take time to check in with yourself—your thoughts, emotions, and personal growth journey.
These practices don’t have to be perfect or time-consuming. Even small, consistent efforts can bring a greater sense of peace, balance, and connection.
Want to see what our classes and community are all about! Now is your chance!
Members can always invite friends and family to classes as their guests. All you have to do is have them register themselves.
NON Members: You’re chance to come to class happens every first week of the month!
Non members can attend classes the first week of the month
We have some new classes for you to check out!
Class Studio Schedule
No Studio Classes May1-3 We will be on retreat
Monday:
12pm Hatha Yoga with Miranda
5:30 pm Aerial Conditioning with Candace
Tuesday:
5:30pm Slow Flow Restorative with Miranda
Wednesday:
12pm Hatha Yoga with Keisha
5:30pm Aerial Yoga with Miranda
Thursday:
5:30 pm Aerial Nidra Restorative with Miranda
Friday:
5:30 pm Rooted and Regulated with Candace (1st Friday)
Saturday:
9:00 am Aerial Conditioning with Candace
11:00 am Vibrational Sound Healing Keisha (1st Saturday)
11:00 am TheraCommunity Hiking (4th Saturday)
WHY you should become a MEMBER of the THERACOMMUNITY!
Being a member of TheraCommunity is invaluable. Building connection, relationships, and having adventures along the way. Making friends can be hard, showing up for others can feel challenging, fear of sustaining relationships can bring upon unwanted obligations. At Theraexpressions you can come and go as you please, you can get involved in the community as much as you want, you can create the relationships you choose. All you have to do is show up for yourself.
Being a part of the community means community outings, gatherings, adventures, workshops, & retreats.
With every class, memberships, sign up for workshops and retreats you are keeping our dreams alive and our doors open.
Data shows that participating in group fitness classes significantly increases a person's commitment to their personal health goals compared to working out alone. Group settings foster accountability, social connection, and structured routines, which help turn exercise into a long-term habit rather than a temporary effort.
Key Findings on Commitment and Group Classes:
45% Higher Adherence: A study in the American Journal of Health Behavior found that participating in group fitness classes increases adherence to physical activity by 45%.
Improved Consistency: Group exercise participants are more consistent, with 85% visiting their facility twice per week and 43% visiting four times per week.
Reduced Dropout Rates: Group exercisers stick with their routines 35% longer than those who exercise solo, with studies showing 95% of people who start a weight-loss program with friends completing the program.
Social Accountability: The structured nature of classes, such as pre-booking and the expectation of seeing peers and instructors, results in a 30% higher likelihood of sticking to fitness schedules.
Psychology of Commitment in Group Classes:
Social Facilitation: The presence of others can cause participants to push harder (a 24% increase in performance) and work out longer (a 200% increase in time) than they would on their own.
Stronger Exercise Identity: Group exercise membership is associated with a stronger personal identity as an "exerciser," especially among women.
Overcoming "Willpower Fade": While individual workouts rely on finite willpower, group classes transform exercise into a shared, enjoyable experience, reducing the "all-or-nothing" mentality that leads to abandoning fitness plans.
Reduced Stress: Group exercise has been shown to reduce stress by 26% and significantly improve quality of life, whereas individual exercise often results in higher stress levels.
Factors Strengthening Personal Commitment:
Group Cohesion: Participants who feel more connected to their fitness class are more likely to attend, arrive on time, and are more resistant to disruption.
Homogeneity: People tend to be more committed to classes where they perceive other participants are similar to them in age, fitness level, or attitude.
Supportive Environment: The communal support—including validation and companionship—strengthens personal commitment to attending, particularly for women.
May Astrology
May arrives like a gentle exhale for the soul—a sacred pause between what was and what is becoming. After the restless stirring of early spring, this month carries an earthy, grounding frequency that asks you to come back home to yourself. Not just physically, but spiritually. It’s an invitation to root your energy, to listen more deeply, and to honor the quiet wisdom within.
There’s a powerful theme of alignment woven through May. The universe isn’t rushing you—it’s recalibrating you. What feels slow on the surface may actually be divine timing at work beneath it all. This is a month to trust the unseen currents, to believe that what is meant for you is gently finding its way, even if you can’t yet see the full picture.
You may feel called to simplify your life—to release excess noise, distractions, or attachments that pull you away from your center. In that clearing, something sacred happens: you begin to hear your intuition more clearly. Pay attention to subtle nudges, recurring thoughts, or moments of stillness. These are not coincidences; they are quiet messages guiding you back into alignment.
Relationships take on a karmic tone during this time. The people in your life may reflect deeper lessons or mirror parts of yourself ready for healing. Connections that are aligned with your growth will feel steady and nourishing, while others may naturally fall away. Trust this process without resistance—what remains is what is meant to support your evolution.
Mid-month, emotional energy heightens, offering an opportunity for release and renewal. This is a beautiful time for spiritual practices—meditation, journaling, time in nature, or simply sitting in silence. Let yourself feel what arises without judgment. Emotions are not obstacles; they are doorways to deeper understanding and healing.
Creativity becomes a sacred act in May. Whether you’re writing, building, dreaming, or simply reimagining your path, infuse your actions with intention. Move slowly and consciously, knowing that every small step is part of a larger unfolding. You are not just creating outcomes—you are shaping your energetic reality.
As the month draws to a close, a sense of clarity begins to settle in. The fog lifts, and you may notice that you feel more grounded, more connected, and more certain of your path. What once felt uncertain now carries a quiet knowing. This is the reward of trusting the process and honoring your inner rhythm.
May reminds you that growth doesn’t always arrive in dramatic breakthroughs. Sometimes, it comes as a deepening—a soft, steady unfolding of your spirit. Stay present. Stay rooted. And trust that you are exactly where you need to be.
Our Online Membership is for all of our lovlies that live far away!
OUR OM YOUR MENTAL HEALTH APP is Live in Apple and Google stores in 176 Countries!
Our online membership is for our distance TheraCommunity, our folks who can’t make it into in person classes, folks who have busy schedules, and people that live all over the world!
For all of our distance people near or far we are ready to support you when you are ready!
Our New Revitalized Online membership includes
Weekly live Meditation, Yoga, Breathwork classes
Deconstruction Spiritual Seminars
Journal Questions
Selfcare tracker
Online chat community
Online Class Schedule
1st Friday of the Month- Rooted and Regulated with Candace (60 mins) live class
Bi weekly - Sundays with Jemima - Breathwork (60 mins) live class
Zoom link is in the online app membership for classes
2026 Workshop Alerts
ROOTED AND REGULATED NERVOUS SYSTEM RESET 4 PART SERIES
May 9-May 30
Deadline to register 5-1-26
2 spots remain
120 minutes per series session 1pm-3pm
Members get 125 discount!
Fee: $150.00 for series
Workshops open to members and non members
Online options available for distance attendees (let us know if you will need to attend distance)
Space is limited
Introducing Our 4-Part Wellness Series: Rooted & Regulated 🌿
In a world that often feels overwhelming, finding your way back to balance, safety, and inner steadiness matters more than ever. That’s why we created Rooted & Regulated—a thoughtfully designed four-part series to support your healing, awareness, and resilience from the inside out. We are kicking off Mental Health Awareness Month with this series helping us to gain insight into a deeper awareness of who we are.
✨ What to Expect:
🧘♀️ Meditation Practices
Learn accessible, grounding techniques to quiet the mind, build presence, and reconnect with yourself—no experience necessary. We will go over the history of Meditation and how to incorporate it into stress management techniques.
🌱 Trauma-Informed Yoga
Move at your own pace in a safe, supportive space. This session emphasizes choice, empowerment, and body awareness without pressure or expectation. Learn how to use the body to relieve stress and tension.
🧠 Mental Health Education
Gain practical insights into how your mind works, deepen your self-understanding, and walk away with tools you can use in everyday life. We will be discussing cognitive thought distortions and defense mechanisms along with the brain.
⚡ Nervous System Regulation
Discover how your body responds to stress and learn simple, effective ways to regulate and restore a sense of calm and stability. We will be focusing on polyvagal exercises and somatic exercises.
Continuing education credit available upon request for professionals attending
Register at the link provided and we will send you a text message on payment and additional information.
Text us for additional questions: 307-258-9956
Aerial Yoga for Beginners with Miranda
MAY 17th SERIES!
3 spots remain
Aerial yoga has many benefits, such as decompressing the spine and joints, and Inverting without compression on the head, neck or shoulders. It provides a fun full body workout, boosts immunity, naturally detoxifies, and enhances overall health. It also relieves pain, provides myofascial release, lengthens, strengthens and tones the whole body. Aerial increases flexibility, improves balance, range of motion, and increases blood circulation to the body and brain. It aids in digestion, reduces stress and anxiety, increases focus and self esteem, and more!
If you are a beginner wanting to learn aerial yoga, this workshop is for you! This six week aerial yoga workshop will teach you the basics, and have you confidently moving in the silks in no time. In aerial yoga we use silk hammocks as a prop for stretching, strengthening, yoga poses, inversions, swinging, flying, and you get to lay in the hammock for the final pose of every class, Savasana! This is a fun, comprehensive, and rewarding way to learn aerial.
Classes will be one day a week, every Sunday at 1:30pm - 2:15pm , beginning on May 17th and ending on June 21st 2026. Each class will be 75 minutes long. Cost is $150.00 per person for the full 6 weeks. This class is available for members and no-members. Please check out our website for proper attire for aerial www.theraexpressions.com
You will need to bring a water bottle, and a yoga mat if you have one.
text us at 307-258-9956 for registration and payment
2026 TheraCommunity Summer Event Alerts
July 3rd Glow Run 9pm
July 4th 9am Hiking
July 10-11th Yoga On the Rocks July 11th 7am
Red Rocks Bi-Lingual Yoga Sunrise Yoga & Brunch
Practicing Yoga with 1000 yogis at Sunrise!
Text 307-258-9956 if you want to attend and are a member!
Where my feelings start
Hypothalamus is involved in sexual responses, hormone release, and regulating body temperature.
Hippocampus helps preserve and retrieve memories. It plays a role in how you understand the spatial dimensions of your environment.
Amygdala helps coordinate responses to things in your environment, especially those that trigger an emotional response. This structure plays an important role in fear and anger.
Limbic cortex. This part contains two structures, the cingulate gyrus and the parahippocampal gyrus. Together, they impact mood, motivation, and judgement.
Brain chemicals that impact feelings
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, released by hypothalamus and is involved in focus, attention, memory, drive, muscle control and ovulation. It is associated with alertness, memory, cognition, happiness and vigilance. Low levels of dopamine in the body can result in depression, impulsivity, mood swings, attention deficit, cognitive issues, compulsive behavior, cravings, apathy and loss of satisfaction in life activities.
Seretonin regulates wide range of physiological and biological functions including mood, arousal, aggression, thinking abilities and memory.Right levels of serotonin are related to relaxation, mood increase. Excess of serotonin causes sedation and apathy, whereas deficiency of serotonin is associated with low mood, lack of will, poor appetite control, anxiety disorders, depression, social behavior.
Acetylcholine is the primary neurotransmitter released from nerve endings in both central and peripheral nervous system. It is in charge of muscle movement, alertness, concentration and memory. When levels are optimal, mood is elevated, mind is focused and intelligence increased. With the low levels learning, recall, ability to think clearly can plummet.
It also controls drives and emotions like anger, fear, rage and aggression.Norepinephrine is a catecholamine that acts as a neurotransmitter as well as a hormone. It is involved in the arousal system of the brain and the sympathetic nervous system, where it is responsible for increase in blood pressure, breathing and respiratory rate. As a hormone, it is released by adrenal glands and is involved in the fight or flight response of the body to stress.
Endorphins are neurotransmitters, chemicals that pass along signals from one neuron to the next. Neurotransmitters play a key role in the function of the central nervous system and can either prompt or suppress the further signalling of nearby neurons.
Stress
Stress is the body's natural defense against danger o0r what the body perceives as dangerous. It flushes the body with hormones to prepare systems to evade or confront danger. This is known as the "fight-or-flight" mechanism.
When we are faced with a challenge, part of our response is physical. The body activates to protect us by preparing us either to stay and fight or to get away as fast as possible.
The body produces larger quantities of the chemicals cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. These trigger an increased heart rate, heightened muscle preparedness, sweating, and alertness. All these factors improve the ability to respond to a hazardous or challenging situation.
Factors of the environment that trigger this reaction are called stressors. Examples include noises, aggressive behavior, a speeding car, scary moments in movies, or even going out on a first date. The more stressors we experience, the more stressed we tend to feel.
Different types of stress
Acute stress
This type of stress is short-term and is the most common way that stress occurs. Acute stress is often caused by thinking about the pressures of events that have recently occurred, or upcoming demands in the near future.
However, repeated instances of acute stress over a long period can become chronic and harmful.
Episodic acute stress
People who frequently experience acute stress, or whose lives present frequent triggers of stress, have episodic acute stress. This type of stress can occur when life presents us with undesirable situations.
Chronic stress
This type of stress can cause additional long term damage to the body and mind.
Chronic stress can continue unnoticed. It can become part of an individual's personality, making them constantly prone to the effects of stress regardless of the situations.
