From the Heart with Rachel Brathen

We spend so much time in our armor, protecting ourselves with layers and layers of conditioning. If we do not have our needs met as children, if we are not seen, heard, appreciated or loved, we subconsciously begin to develop a resilience, an armor of protection. We seek to have our needs met elsewhere and develop coping mechanisms to be healed later in life.In this episode, Rachel reflects on the internal work she is doing, how it is affecting her, her daughter, her husband, and giving her new perspective and presence. Doing this work is not easy. It gets messy, uncomfortable things come up, relationships can be affected, and unfortunately there is not one linear line to healing. But we owe it to ourselves, future generations, our children, our communities, to become aware of our traumas, to begin the journey of peeling back the layers and getting really present with our core wounds.This episode will remind you that it is ok to prioritize self-care, to nurture and care for yourself when you are on the sensitive path of healing, and that it’s better to peel back the layers in order to move through the world with vulnerability and truth.   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

After everything that has occurred in 2020, there is no going back to the way things were. We have to do better and be better to ourselves. The only way through is to listen to our inner truth and show up for ourselves in a radical way. The world has intensified, so make sure your healing practices align along with it! Perhaps the old, comfortable practices you’ve had before no longer serve your deep longing for peace. How do you know when it’s time to take our practice to the next level? How can we put healing into action? In this week’s episode, Rachel shares her disciplined practice of dynamic meditation, and all the factors that led up to this new daily practice. In the midst of it now, Rachel is uncovering hidden trauma, emotions, fears – and a deep internal knowing of her own truth within. Now is the time to listen to it.We can’t yoga our way through all of our traumas and insecurities. Sometimes it takes a radical practice to move through everything stored in our nervous system. As a collective we are going through a radical shift, and we are beginning to heal. This episode will open your eyes and hearts to the opportunity we have for change. We have the chance to create a new world where we come back home to ourselves, listen to our deepest truths and embody our inner 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

This is a time in history when we finally acknowledge the problems we have as a society. For as long as we live, we will remember 2020 as a year of huge change. But - is it enough? There are no quick fixes for issues that have been hundreds of years in the making. There is a beautiful collective healing that is beginning right now, but ultimately, it all comes from within each of us. We cannot be whole as a society if even one of us is not. How does the healing the world is in need of relate with the healing you are longing for within yourself? This week, Rachel is joined on the show by yoga teacher, writer, and body positivity activist Jessamyn Stanley to answer these deep questions. Jessamyn is never anything but her true self, which is obvious as she opens up about her journey of self-acceptance, self-care as her most important practice, cannabis, polyamory and more. This episode will remind you of own your truth and the importance of taking care of yourself first. It all starts with being radically honest with yourself. 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 past few months have given us a glimpse of what the world has the potential to be – a world where we work and commute less, where we have more time in our day to take care of ourselves, and most importantly: where justice is for all. In a world that rewards you for putting work and the idea of success above all else, the pursuit of joy and the practice of self-care is a radical tool of resistance and liberation. These are the words from this week’s very special guest, Latham Thomas (follow @glowmaven and @mamaglow on Instagram!). Latham is a maternal wellness maven, best-selling author of “Own Your Glow”, Birth Doula, and proud mama who is transforming the world of birth and motherhood. Along with supporting women in optimal wellness and spiritual growth, she also finds time to advocate for birth equity and to bridge policy gaps in maternal health. This episode will provide an eye-opening look into the wellness field (where so much change needs to happen!), show you how racism weaponizes tools of consciousness, and give you steps you can take within your own community to look for joy while dismantling the systemic issues that keep others from finding theirs. 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 many times have you thought that racism was perpetrated by a select group of ‘bad’ people, that you were completely separate from it, or even that racism didn’t exist at all? The truth is, as white people we have inherent biases and prejudices within us and whether we like it or not, we benefit from that privilege every day. Once our eyes are open to our privilege and to the injustice that comes along with it, we can begin to make real change - but along the way, we are going to make mistakes.Join Rachel in this week’s episode of the Yoga Girl Podcast where she humbly shares mistakes she has made as a western, Swedish, white yoga influencer, what she has learned from those mistakes, how the process opened her eyes to the global system of racism and how she is doing the work on a daily basis in order to listen, share resources, and use her platform to amplify BIPOC.This episode will remind you to create daily habits that help you to understand the far-reaching effects of systemic racism, listen, share resources, make mistakes, but keep the flame of change burning. Keep listening, re-learning and integrating your education on anti-racism in your day to day life. No problem can ever be solved by sweeping it under the rug. 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

With the current climate of the world, many of us may be noticing little things that we have never realized before. Little things that are actually big things, from the voices we elevate in the media to the color of bandaids. In this episode, Rachel starts by touching on the Black Lives Matter movement from the place of a learner, an observer, and a listener - as all white people should be doing right now. We have a responsibly to do daily reality checks with ourselves to uncover our hidden biases and prejudices. Eventually, our thoughts and actions will align.But how can we make a difference in the world while we are moving through our own trauma? As is true with individual trauma, whatever wounds we have inside of us will keep coming to the surface until they are healed. The same can be said with the suffering of the Black community - humanity is uncovering a deep wound right now that’s been kept in the shadows far too long. We need to shed light on this constantly until a great shift and unlearning takes place. Our own traumas can be used to fuel our fire and spark us into action. Ultimately, the majority of the change will happen inside of us. Tune in to acknowledge the pain in the world, and to use your own pain to peel away the layers, dive deep into your healing, and become who you are at your core. To heal the world, you have to start with yourself.ResourcesInstagram Accounts to Follow:Layla F. Saad @laylafsaadRachel Cargle @rachel.cargleJessica Wilson @jessicawilson.msrdLatasha Morrison @latashamorrisonMunroe Bergdorf @munroebergdorfAustin Channing Brown @austinchanningEricka Hart @iharterickaIbram X Kendi @ibramxkBooks:I’m Still Here by Austin Channing BrownSo You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma OluoWhite Rage by Carol AndersonRaising White Kids by Jennifer HarveyBetween the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates 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

Today’s episode features three guest hosts, Dianne Bondy, Maite Onochie, and Rocky Heron, all guides on the yogagirl.com platform and voices from the Black community. Coming from different global perspectives, they share their views on how they see the world right now - and how the world has seen them. Offering up their deep wisdom on everything from white supremacy, complacency and allyship, this episode will help you question your own attachments to race, and align your inner values with your outwardly behavior. Dianne is a Canadian yoga teacher who focuses on inclusivity, diversity and accessibility on and off the mat. She is the author of the book, ‘Yoga for Everyone’ and offers online courses and workshops at diannebondyyoga.com. She also has two sons, and shares on this show her fears for them, the pushback she receives when she affirms that her life matters - that Black lives matter - and how we can all show up, as spiritual guides and as good human beings.Maite was born in Nigeria, grew up in Spain, and is now living in Costa Rica. She has a background in social anthropology and a specialization in international development which led her to work for different organizations around the world, including the United Nations. She is now about to birth her first daughter, and shares in this show the world she envisions her daughter growing up in - a world where she can be her authentic self, feel safe in her own skin, and see no limitations to her dreams. Maite speaks on growing up in a predominantly white society where she was left not feeling represented, beautiful or enough. To continue the conversation with Maite and learn about her current work as a yoga teacher and doula, follow her on Instagram at @maite_yoga.Rocky Heron is a musician and yoga teacher. He grew up in California with his mother, and shares his unique view of being a person of color raised in a white culture and how that forged his identity and allowed him to see multiple perspectives. With a passion to always continue learning, Rocky expresses the need for Americans to educate themselves on the history of their country, and demand more from leadership. You can find Rocky on Instagram at @rockyheron.Tune in to listen from the heart to voices that need to be heard, now, and always. 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

In this episode, Rachel finds herself in a place of shame after realizing she has gained weight during quarantine. But here’s the thing - she felt no shame at all, in fact she felt great in her body, until she stepped on a scale. What was it inside of her that caused that shift? This pandemic has brought with it a lot of change, and many of us are seeing changes in our physical bodies. The minute we feel shame, we have a tendency to try changing ourselves. But no matter how we try to change, whether it is through hardcore dieting or through yoga and green juice, it will all be rooted from the same place - a place where it is not okay for us to gain weight or be anything other than what society expects of us. We can also approach “changing ourselves” in a completely different way. Maybe it is not our bodies that need to change, but our mindsets instead, and the years of conditioning that society has fed us. Instead of dieting, or judging, or feeling shame - come back to that practice that reminds you that your body is sacred. Do things that serve you. Keep growing. Society has told women to shrink themselves for too long.This episode will remind you of the tremendous gift your body is and the wisdom it contains. Your body is divine, your body is sacred, and your body is an asset to your enlightenment - not a hindrance. Tune in to shed the layers and come back to a deep rooted self-love that has been inside you all along. 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

In this episode, Rachel reflects on the patterns and relationships that haven’t been serving her throughout her life. There is one common thread between them all: she played a role in the decision making. The pace of her life, the people she invited into it, and the work she focused on was ultimately decided by her. What if this is true for all of us? Are we are all actively playing a part in the things that don’t serve us in life? As society slowly starts moving again, there is a lot for us to make sense of – but ultimately, we are in control. The truth is, we don’t have to continue being the same person we were pre-corona virus. We have the chance to implement changes around infrastructure, relationships, self-care, and mental health, and we can water the areas of our lives that we want to nourish and grow. What changes do you want to make to align with everything that you truly desire? Have you noticed anything come up that is keeping you separated from your heart’s purpose? Are there areas of your life that you feel you are neglecting, or not having the hard conversation, or looking the other way? This episode will remind you that if you want a different kind of life, now is the time. If you want to make a difference, start with caring for yourself, setting clear intentions and goals, and aligning with your deepest desires. You may notice that once you come into alignment, everything around you begins to flourish, too. 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 often has your intuition warned you that the exchange (physical or energetic!) between you and another individual was unfair, unbalanced or absolutely exhausting? More importantly, how often have you ignored your intuition to benefit that other individual’s needs before your own? In today’s episode, Rachel discusses the importance of setting and keeping boundaries for the sake of your own mental health.It can be so hard to set boundaries and stick to them. As women and mothers especially, we are taught that we are here to serve. But setting boundaries is a radical form of self-care – and when you are at your best self, everyone around you benefits, too. Doing what you need to do to take care of yourself and show up for yourself is a way to heal both yourself and co-dependent relationships.This week’s episode will help you take a deeper look into areas of your life that may need some firmly set boundaries and show you exactly how to set them. Tune in to learn one ultimate truth of life: you don’t owe anyone anything that drains you. The world can only benefit from you choosing yourself, each and every day. 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