Yoga Teacher, Yoga Therapist, Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant and Professional Counsellor. Founder, owner and principal yoga teacher of Ray of Light. Yoga first came into Rachel’s life in the late 1990s. It was part of a transformation for the little girl, who had grown up in a small village in the English countryside. She was in awe of the serenity she experienced in Yoga; she felt she had come home and that Yoga was the perfect counterpoint to her demanding work life as a therapist. A fresh experience of heartbreak then spurred her onto a healing journey – a trip through India that ignited her love affair with the chaos and the culture of the home of Yoga. It was there that she heard the call to teach, and her purpose was clear.
On returning to Australia, she studied under Katie Mantisas, completing her first teacher training in 2007. Since then, she has continued to deepen into study and her sādhanā – a sacred practice by weaving together āsana, meditation, chanting mantra, kirtan and Āyurvedic cooking. Her interest in Āyurveda prompted her to seek out teachers such as Dr Rama Prasad, Mother Maya and David Frawley. Rachel regularly takes panchakarma (deep cleansing) and lives her Āyurvedic practices as part of her daily life. Rachel sees herself as a forever student. She has integrated her learning by creating a methodical approach to Vinyasa Yoga. This includes intelligent sequence design, the weaving of Yogic philosophy and real-life storytelling, and chanting into the Yoga practice. She loves how her students can choose from a range of Yoga tools to make the practice available to all students. Because Rachel has found her life’s purpose, she would love to inspire you to find yours. She teaches her Yoga courses and workshops at her home studio in Long Beach, near Batemans Bay – a place she has created with her husband Mick’s loving support, whose unwavering support makes this all possible. He keeps the amazing rainforest gardens, grows veggies and does all the cooking for the events.
Rachel leads retreats in India, Australia, Europe and Bali. In addition, she offers ongoing mentoring to Yoga teachers who have completed the Ray of Light teacher training or those looking to continue their exploration of Yoga philosophy and teaching. She loves how the Yoga family is expanding and celebrates the rich diversity of the students who attend her courses.
Drawing on her background in counselling, Rachel has extensive experience helping others find harmony between mind, body and spirit. In addition to her work as a Yoga teacher, she offers counselling therapy for couples and families, those in addiction recovery or overcoming anxiety and depression. She takes a whole-person approach as well as looks through a wider systemic lens. She does this by taking in the individual and their place within the broader family and community networks.
Rachel’s qualifications:
- Post Graduate Diploma in Yoga therapy, 2011
- Yoga Teacher Training, 2007
- Diploma in Counselling and Group Work, 2004
- Graduate Diploma in Relationship Counselling, 2008
- Certificate 4 in workplace training and assessment