Words From Rachel

"Information is not knowledge." - Albert Einstein       Have you ever read a book, listened to a podcast, taken a class, a workshop, a webinar (because we are doing more of that than ever now), read an article, taken in some poignant information and on...

Wow, it's been a hot minute since I've reached out.  I've been listening, studying, and having hard conversations with colleagues, friends, members of Embody Ease (Year 1 + Continuity Members) and members of the Practice Wellness Community programs about the...

One of the myriad benefits of studying yoga, mindset, lifestyle, and Ayurveda over the past two decades has been the skills practiced and cultivated to navigate life's ups and downs, ins and outs, obstacles, resistance, and the unknown without losing myself. I used to...

Wisdom flows on the breath. All of the information right now with the corona virus is pointing my awareness to the power of the breath. How you breathe is important and it can be incorporated in your yoga practice or simply walking the dog. Pranayama is translated to...

Download Audio Here Strengthen your diaphragm. This Pranayama technique is called Pratiloma. This will be stage one of two stages of this particular Pranayama practice and diaphragmatic breathing technique. So if you aren’t already I highly recommend that when you are...

Living in the unknown can bring up all kinds of uncertainty and existential anxiety. Are you finding ways to cultivate stability and steadiness?  Have you established a new rhythm for yourself? Your family? How do you want your house to feel over the next week or two...

True confessions. Self-love has been a long journey for me. After a dysfunctional high school relationship, my self-confidence eroded and I quickly learned to build up walls around trust and intimacy with others, determined to go through college without being hurt or...

Over the holidays and as the weather gets cold and the nights long, one of our favorite things to do is wake up, keep the lights low, and turn on the oven. These scones are a great way to keep things simple in the kitchen and keep the sugar low and protein high for...

What happens when life throws you a curveball? An unexpected twist or turn? You know, the times when you find yourself needing to deal with something or someone you hadn't planned on. Maybe it's getting stood up for a date, waking up with the flu, getting results to a...

All sustaining and nourishing endeavors come from a willingness to change. You have to begin somewhere. After five years of studying habit change and identity evolution and realizing the tie into my work as an undergrad, it's clear the small steps towards big results...

I value family. I was gifted a close and loving relationship with my grandparents for the limited time our lives criss-crossed on this planet. It's no surprise really, both of my parents value the relationships they have with siblings and their lineage and made a...

The seasons are changing and the first day of summer is approaching. Can you feel the shift of the light? We've been along the Spanish coastline known as the Costa de Luz or the "coast of the light". It's a magical place for the solstice. Days are LONG. I just met up...

I married a school teacher. We met in the summer of 1996 and married in the fall of 2004. We have many shared values and priorities as a couple, but the one I will highlight right now is the spirit of adventure. The spirit of adventure isn’t always in physical travel...

I’m a label reader. I read the ingredients of any food that comes in a box, a bottle or packaging in general. It has rubbed off on my child, which I’m happy about. Even though he can’t read the labels yet, he pretends and we talk about all the ingredients. As an...

"The best asset we have for making a contribution to the world is ourselves. If we underinvest in ourselves, and by that, I mean our minds, bodies, and our spirits, we damage the very tool we need to make our highest contribution." Greg McKeown, Essentialism Do you...

Prana This is a term used a lot in the yoga tradition and throughout modern yoga. There is even a clothing company who has coined this as their brand name. It is much more than a cute yoga top. It has a depth of meaning, but essentially it means "life force". It flows...

Do you love to learn? Grow? Practice new things?  Experiment even? I'm drawn to study, learn, and implement. Without implementation, the study and learning seem a bit pointless, a dead end, a puddle instead of a means to something greater. I've been studying Ayurveda,...

"No one can do the work for you, and you still can't do it alone." This quote has been reverberating through my mind and heart over the past few months and continues to permeate my day to day mindset. We can only learn and grow so much on our own. Something else gets...

Well, it's been a bit of a whirlwind around my house lately. There's been a lot of travel, guests, family, and all the abundant energy of Spring. It's been full and a lot of fun and we are acclimating to the longer days. I'll be honest, it's been hard, we found...

When was the last time you consciously decided to learn something new? A new language, skill, sport, or hobby? I watch my almost five-year-old and his friends live in a constant state of curiosity and learning. It's got me thinking about how hard it is for some of us...