Yoga Girl: Conversations From The Heart

In this episode, Rachel touches on an unexpected parenting issue her and Dennis have come across - Dennis doesn’t want to be Santa for Christmas. Christmas is an especially important time for Rachel and she reflects on her past to figure out why that is. Prior to having her baby girl, Rachel placed so much emphasis on her birthday. Not too long ago, she realized that a happy birthday meant separating from loss and trauma that plagued this celebration before. Since leaving Sweden, Christmas has been the time of year Rachel loves the most. Coming from complex family dynamics (learn more about these in the episode, “From Suicide to Sobriety” with Rachel’s mom, Shama), Rachel realizes that having a Christmas where everyone is together and happy means so much to her. Spending the holidays with her little family is a time to create happy memories with Dennis and fill Luna’s childhood with Christmas joy and magic. But now, with Dennis and Rachel not seeing eye-to-eye on the importance of Santa Claus, Rachel tries to decide the best course of action moving forward. There is beauty in this time of year, even if it is sometimes messy. What are your Christmas stories and traditions? Share and let’s see what this time of year brings us all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Rachel discusses the disconnect between what resonates with her inner voice versus what society tells her. She wonders what her life would be like if she fully let the wild woman inside of her blossom - not the woman who has been conditioned by society.  These thoughts were triggered after Rachel noticed a pattern of how often she tells Luna how beautiful she is. Of course, this isn’t a bad thing to do - our children are all beautiful - but Rachel realized that this is exactly how she was brought up. Putting an emphasis on our looks, however well-meaning, can lead us obsessing over our exterior as we grow up - but what if you didn’t have to do anything to be worthy? What if you didn’t have to look good or accomplish things or be successful, but you could feel validated just from being exactly the way you are? This is how Rachel wants Luna to grow up. She doesn’t want her to grow up watching her mom do things she hates just to please society - like shaving her legs. Anything we do that doesn’t make us feel happy and whole should be cut out. For the sake of our daughters and our sons, so they know they can grow up being exactly themselves. Rachel’s conclusion: she needs to let her wild woman roar (and that might include not shaving her legs). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Rachel is on her very first day of maternity leave - and it is not going well. She discusses everything that led her to this moment, from feeling burnt out and tired from work with a heavy burden of responsibility on her shoulders. So she took time off and... cleaned the house, walked the dogs, fed the goats, took out the garbage, browsed Instagram and felt like she did nothing of value to help her slow down. After some evaluating, Rachel recognizes that her challenge doesn’t just lie in slowing down, but in practicing mindfulness and staying present in all the moments in between. Are there areas in your life where practicing mindfulness is a challenge? Where are you not present and how can you better focus your attention? Maybe its the in-between moments - standing at the grocery store line, driving to work, cooking dinner - that really matter. And maybe the key to finding inner peace is available to us, all the time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Rachel talks about her absolute inability to slow down. After a very intense few years culminating with back-to-back retreats and trainings, her body has started giving her serious signals to work at a slower pace. How do you slow down when moving fast is all you know? Rachel wraps her head around the fact that there is never a time that she is not working. Not on her honeymoon, not after having a baby, not even when she got so sick she had to get a steroid injection in her butt!  She talks about how leading her latest yoga teacher training while incredibly sick finally allowed her the space to slow down, take a real vacation, and make the decision to go on a very overdue maternity leave. And it also helped her to realize that the world will not stop if she is not constantly on the move. Our life’s purpose is not something that comes easy for us, it is something we have to work at. Rachel discusses her own life purpose - which just may be learning to slow down and sit with her emotions. Tune in to this episode and then find a way for yourself to slow down this week! Put everything away. Be with your children. Cook dinner. Whatever you are focusing on, immerse yourself in that fully. Be wherever you are - because that is the only place you can be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Rachel continues sharing with her group of yoga teacher trainees as they discuss Fear and the answer to the question, “What Scares You?” How does fear hold you back? Does it run your life? Does it paralyze you? How does it show up day-to-day? Listen to what this community had to say about it - it may sound very familiar. Then of course, the participants turn to another question, “What if that fear wasn’t present?” Or “What if fear didn’t have such a big part of our lives?”. What would your life be like without this fear steering the ship? What is the first thing you would do? How would you live differently? Tune in for the second segment of this raw and beautiful podcast. Especially if you’re in need of a good cry, a bit of heart opening, or you just want to sit down and feel your feelings for a moment. Fear may be present in all of our lives, but the first step to moving past it is to recognize that we all fear the same things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Rachel is once again joined by her yoga teacher trainees for a special two-part podcast segment. The topic of this group sharing is Fear and answering the question “What scares you?”. We are all dealing with fears somewhere in our own lives - in our relationships, family or work lives. Sometimes fear is purposeful, but often it holds us back or paralyzes us. Here, the participants share their deepest fears for the world to hear, speaking openly on their challenges and struggles in a way that will move your heart deeply. The sharing then turns to a second question, “What if that fear wasn’t present?” Or “What if fear didn’t have such a big part of our lives?”. If we were released from what holds us back the most - how would our lives be different? How would we act differently? Sharing powerful statements, the participants speak their hearts’ deepest desires - what they crave the most and how they would fully embrace life released from worry, anxiety and fear. Tune in for another beautiful episode of community sharing. It is this openness and raw bravery that shows us all we are not alone, we all feel the same way, and we are all capable of letting go of what does not serve us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the first time ever, Rachel is joined by two guests, her husband and her mom! Rachel had the brilliant idea to invite them both on to take control of the show while she is sick and battling a throat infection - but that didn’t work out for her! The three discuss everything from their relationship to what they love and the most about each other and what they are annoyed by (chewing, slow talking, and time spent in the bathroom top the list). They also answer some very anticipated questions, such as why Dennis cried at the end of his Iron Man, how he feels being vegan (he’s angry) and how in the world Rachel and her mom are going to survive doing a half Iron Man of their own.  Tune in for an episode on family dynamics that will have you laughing out loud and remind you of the importance of family - whether they are near or far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Rachel is immersed in leading her third yoga teacher training while Luna is with grandma and Dennis is at an Iron Man race.  Rachel reminisces on all the programs she has led since Luna was born, from the ones that were super overwhelming while breastfeeding to the ones that are easier now that Luna is older. Rachel is used to hosting large groups, but it was having a baby that made her realize she has a deep desire to merge her community with her family life and be more accepting and supportive of families as a whole. This idea was challenged recently when she shared a post of Luna laughing in the group of teacher trainees and received incredible backlash for allowing her daughter to join the circle. This leads her into a deep conversation on social media drama, her own triggers and the epidemic of judgement that exists especially for mothers. Disagreements are part of life, but the next time you find yourself disagreeing with someone can you bring more compassion and understanding into the discussion? Can you sit with what triggers you and separate your feelings from the actions of others? At the end of the day, we are all more similar than we are different. The small actions of support you can offer to others matter more than you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Rachel is joined once again by her husband and baby daddy, Dennis Schoneveld! Both Rachel and Dennis have big things coming up - Dennis is participating in his second Iron Man at the same time that Rachel is leading a yoga teacher training. They discuss what happened the last time Dennis did an Iron Man - and how it was the most they’ve ever fought as a couple. Recognizing that Rachel is much calmer this time around (maybe due to the Path of Love retreat she recently attended?), the couple makes a deal - Dennis will attend a Path of Love retreat if Rachel will participate in a Half Iron Man (!!). Finishing off the episode with some questions from the community, Dennis discusses Rachel’s nagging, what gives him anxiety, how he handles social media drama, what finally made him go vegan - and of course, when to expect baby number two.  Tune in for another great conversation between Rachel and Dennis that will redefine the word ‘compromise’ and have everyone cracking up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode Rachel begins by discussing her newly launched Yoga Girl Community - a safe space for people to open their hearts online. From receiving so many deep and personal messages through emails and social media, she knew she needed to find a space to connect us all in a deeper and more tangible way. With the Yoga Girl Community comes the tradition of Sharing Sunday. Speaking deeper on this and sharing herself, Rachel opens up about her desires to be a participant again - to be unknown and invisible. To step away from things to do deep, emotional work anonymously. To be a regular person and take regular vacations. Diving further, Rachel notices a striking duality that is present in her life - she wants to let go of everything and step away, but at the same time she has a need to control all around her. Noticing that this pattern is related to the environment she grew up in, she discusses the idea that in order to change something about ourselves, we need to go all the way back to the root of what caused it and start our work from there.  What patterns do you carry with you from childhood? Which ones serve you and what can you let go of? Join Rachel as she works through this herself and comes away with the notion that while it may be hard to trust - it is safe to let go. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode Rachel is joined by JP Sears, the comedian, author, speaker, emotional healing coach and YouTuber (with over 300 million accumulated views!). Sharing from the heart what has been present in his life lately, JP opens up about feeling lonely and insignificant and how it is through merging comedy and spirituality that he seeks to bring awakening to others. It is, as he says, one of the best ways to let go of the ego, not take things too seriously, and have some fun along the way. With that, JP even shares the only video he has ever deleted and how to handle negative or critical comments from others. Diving from there into a deep conversation on vulnerability, Rachel and JP notice a common thread as they discuss the emotional distance they felt from their fathers, as well as their need to be “rescuers”. As the discussion draws to a close, Rachel and JP discuss how important it is to feel your feelings as they come - and how this will lead to true change in this world. How can we drop our ego and open ourselves up to being vulnerable? What is it about feeling our feelings that will create true change in our society? Join in as Rachel and JP discuss these questions in what is a witty, lighthearted and reassuring conversation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this weeks episode Rachel speaks to us from Path of Love, a retreat she has been assisting for the past week in Motala, Sweden. To begin, Rachel tells the story of her own Path of Love experience when she participated in May, 2016. She shares the story of what brought her there (she finally went after booking it twice and cancelling!) and what came out of it (Hint: Her name is Lea Luna).  Rachel has been waiting to return to Path of Love ever since, and again has been experiencing new epiphanies each and every day. She speaks of the dualities between the masculine and feminine that exist in her life and relates them to her relationship with her mother and father. It is by doing this work that Rachel has realized how her past and her relationships have shaped her into the person she is today - a person who can take all that she has learned and transform it into meaning. What we go through in life is challenging, but it does not come without purpose. Sometimes it is easy to see the lesson we are learning, sometimes it takes years to discover. Join Rachel in this conversation on healing from trauma, counting your past as a blessing and finding your purpose in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode Rachel is joined by none other than Cheryl Strayed! Cheryl is a novelist, essayist, column writer and podcast host with the Number 1 New York Times best selling memoir “Wild” (you’ve probably seen the movie, starring Reese Witherspoon!) along with several novels under her belt.  Rachel begins the episode by reminiscing on Cheryl’s novel “Tiny Beautiful Things” and how it was on her bedside table for years to support her whenever she was going through something challenging. Discussing her Dear Sugar days, Cheryl opens up about the deep and emotional messages she received and how she poured herself into this work that created the deepest sense of kinship with her readers that she has ever known. Diving into a beautiful conversation on perfectionism and how striving for unattainable balance is a form of imbalance, Cheryl and Rachel beautifully note the dualities of life - especially how they relate to the grief we experience in heartbreaking moments that stays with us for a lifetime. Release old patterns that do not serve you, try to find acceptance in every situation in life and tune in to listen to an episode with one of the most inspiring advice givers that this world has to offer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The wait is finally over. Welcome to Yoga Girl! In this episode, Rachel shares the news she has been wanting to spill forever - we have launched! All the secrets and hints are finally being revealed and this podcast is all about Yoga Girl - the lifestyle, the movement, the brand and the community. Rachel answers all the questions that come in and goes in depth into detail on why she created this platform and what it means for the future. How did this grow from an instagram handle into a community focused on self-love, sustainability, and inclusivity? From the moment six years ago when the @yoga_girl instagram began, Rachel shares the critical moments from losing her best friend, to getting married and having Lea Luna that shaped her - and all of us - into what it is today. Join us on www.yogagirl.com to read authentic stories, take heartfelt yoga classes, and be of service to the world. Yoga is for everyone - no matter your age, size, gender, or anything else. This practice is for us all. We can all look within, we can all change the world. Everyone can be a Yoga Girl. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feeling emotional, Rachel begins her first solo episode in almost a month catching up on all the recent changes that have come about in her life – from launching her YouTube channel to getting steps closer to the big initiative she has been hinting at so much. With James Aspey visiting Rachel in Aruba, it is no surprise that veganism has also been a topic on her mind. She discusses her family dynamic; how Rachel and Luna are vegan while Dennis is not – and how Dennis was admittedly worried about living with 4 vegans for more than a week (tune in to see how that worked out for him!).  From smaller things like what we eat in a day to larger things like the complicated topic of cultural appropriation, Rachel touches on judgment and how the fear of being judged is often the first to surface when others view parts of our lives negatively. Moving from this space, she opens up about what she has learned, the changes she has made so far, and how making the yoga practice available for everyone is her number one priority. How do you receive those challenging moments where your identity is questioned? How do you embrace change – is it towards the direction of more unity and inclusivity or is it further away? Tune in with Rachel as she discusses these topics with the goal of bringing this community together in a way that has never been done before. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices