From the Heart with Rachel Brathen

Are you ready for a bit of a sh*t show? Today’s episode is messy, emotional and human - just like the healing journey.As Rachel tackles an extra-loud inner critic, she is dealing with extreme feelings of self-doubt, a scattered mind, and an unanchored soul. She shares how these feelings came about, why they are there, and most importantly, what she does to move away from that negative inner voice (hint: it’s not what you think).The healing journey is never the beautiful experiences we tend to see on television. Instead, healing is messy and hard. But it’s also not linear. No matter how often you feel like you’re moving backward, you have never stopped putting one foot in front of the other. Tune in for the journey. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The love that comes with motherhood is immense - but then so are the fears as well. It’s like living with your heart outside of your body. But is there a point where normal fears cross over into being obsessive thoughts that inhibit your ability to live a normal life?On today’s episode, Rachel contemplates this notion after her daughter, Lea had a recent sickness that shook Rachel to her core. It brought her back to those first moments of motherhood, when the fear of something happening to her daughter was too big to even acknowledge or consciously recognize. She goes on to share a very intimate story about Lea’s birth and a recent epiphany she had about when it was time to push.Perhaps the reason our love is so immense is because we know it’s fleeting and fragile. With risk comes faith, with the unknown comes trust, and with a mother’s heart comes all the love and fears that seem impossible for one person to hold. Today’s episode may be a sign that you are ready to alchemize your fear into something new. Tune in to anchor into trust.Trigger Warning: This episode discusses birth, fear of death, and the sickness of a child. Listen gently. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anxiety can find us at any moment without rhyme or reason. But what should we do when it arrives? If you’ve been struggling with anxiety or any other difficult emotion lately, today’s Yoga Girl Podcast episode will help you recognize your triggers, pause before your reactions, and learn to sit with difficult feelings. As Rachel sat down to record, an overwhelming sense of anxiety was lingering within her. Her innate reaction was to jump into “fixing” mode. Surely she would feel better if she tackled her to-do list and got a lot of things done. But is that really true? Rachel reflects on a moment she had with her daughter recently that reminded her where the healing really happens.We need to feel the entire spectrum of human emotion in order to fully embrace our happiness, our joy and our humanity. You shouldn’t sell yourself short of an experience just because it’s hard. It could be leading you somewhere. Tune in to tap into your innate knowledge to feel and to heal. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are we all living our lives trying to hide the fact that we have no control, nothing is permanent, and we don’t know what’s going on? If the fear of uncertainty is gripping you today, this Yoga Girl Podcast episode can help.Rachel shares a story of returning to her inner child. One year ago, she was lost, between homes, and realizing a deep longing she had to return to Sweden. But what was calling her there? It was only after slowing down enough to listen that she realized her inner child’s true desires: a simple life in nature and a family to love. It all culminated in a beautiful moment with family over the weekend that broke the mold and brought everyone to tears.If you let your inner child speak, beautiful things can happen. But it’s up to you to do the work. Harsh edges can soften. Slowly, things can begin to change. Eventually, you will find your way back home. Tune in to begin the journey. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you define your spirituality? What do you believe in? Are you comfortable with words like God, prayer, universe, or Mother Nature? Today’s episode of the Yoga Girl Podcast tackles the big questions of life. By the end, you may feel closer to your own spirituality and your place in the universe.After recently leading a meditation to embody prayer, Rachel shares not only what this meditation is, but the learnings and epiphanies she took away from the experience. A lot of us have a complicated relationship with our beliefs, but sometimes the weight we put on certain words can keep us from a true knowing: that we are all connected, and we are here for a reason.You are the embodiment of universal love, but sometimes that’s forgotten in the messiness of life. Tune in to anchor back into that knowing.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As parents, we would stop at nothing to do what’s best for our children. But sometimes, what’s best isn’t black and white. If you’re navigating the difficult world of parenthood, today’s episode will help you intuitively recognize your child’s needs by honoring something that isn’t often given enough credit - your child’s own intuition.Rachel shares the story of how Lea slowly found her place in Sweden. It hasn’t been an easy transition! Moving from a wonderful, supportive school in Aruba, it has taken some time to adjust to something new. Rachel discusses the anxiety she has felt, the challenges she’s had along the way, and the real reason why they ultimately changed Lea’s school.Sometimes a small intuitive pull is enough. You don’t need a big sweeping reason why something feels wrong. You can sense it - but more importantly, so can you child. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It is said that the first seven years of your life are crucial in the development of the person you will one day become. That inner child in you still lives on - in your nervous system, in your reactions, and in feelings you cannot always explain. Today’s episode will help you understand the language of your own inner child.Rachel shares a story of her experiences as a young girl, and how lingering traumas still show up in her life today. When she seeks rest, peace, and play, she is always left with a feeling of stress, guilt, and fear. But why? Her life is not the same as it was when she was five years old. Maybe her inner child doesn’t quite believe that. Whatever challenge you may be facing right now, make sure to hold your inner child through it too. That vulnerable, innocent part of yourself is just longing to have their needs met. Tune in to begin the process. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As multifaceted human beings, we are able to hold so much within ourselves at once. Our hearts guide us toward pleasure, joy, and rest. Our minds lead us to create, to work, and to find purpose. But what happens if these two parts of our being are at odds with one another? How can we find internal balance between the give and take? Today’s episode will illuminate the way.Rachel begins with some space to breathe and tune into your own needs. She then discusses her experience in shifting from a hustle and grind lifestyle to something more sustainable and restful. It hasn’t been an easy journey! It has taken years to identify ingrained values from society, what our parents taught us to be truth, and how to reconcile this with who we really are.If you’re locked in an internal battle between slowing down and meeting goals, if you’re searching for worthiness, if the inner critical voice is exhausting you, tune in to find a new pace in life.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You know those days where nothing seems to go right? Where your life feels like a manifestation of Murphy’s Law? Rachel sits down in the midst of a two-week long meltdown to record today’s podcast.From getting sick, to missing appointments, dropping tea on her keyboard, having no hot water, and Dennis almost giving up on Sweden, Rachel shares the entire story. It’s a doozy! If things seem hard for you right now, know that you are not alone. Life has a way of hitting us when we’re down - but it also shows us what we’re made of.Sometimes there is nothing more you can do than find humor, practice gratitude, and keep returning to the practices that steady you. Tune in for an episode that will bring back your sanity. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When Rachel pictured her life in Sweden, she saw days in the forest, swimming in the lake, and getting her hands dirty in her own vegetable garden. But the late arrival of spring has made the last one nearly impossible. If you’re a struggling gardener, today’s episode will inspire you to continue the journey and have a few laughs along the way.As Rachel records today’s episode, there is snow coming down in buckets from the sky - and all her plants are clinging to life in her garage. She shares the grueling efforts she has taken to keep her seedlings alive, how she may have underestimated a Swedish winter, and the impatience she has felt trying to make everything come together.Just like gardening, much of life is trial and error. It all comes down to the balance of staying rooted in the here and now, while letting the branches of your mind grow into different possibilities. If you’ve been feeling the need to plant something new, tune in to get started. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices