From the Heart with Rachel Brathen

Latest Episodes:

Epiphanies, Self-Care and Being Alone Jun 22, 2018

Show notes

In this episode, Rachel speaks of her time away from her husband and baby girl and the epiphanies that accompanied her during this time alone. She recollects on her past, and how her childhood shaped her into a ‘fixer’ who always put other’s needs before her own. Now as a working mother, Rachel notices how her attention is pulled in thousands of directions, and still never on herself. After six days on her own, Rachel speaks of the shift she felt in her inner energy and how she reconnected to the grounded and calm person she is at her core. Diving further into this topic, she discusses the ways she can keep this feeling of space and translate it into her everyday life. She realizes that to be a better mother, wife, friend, boss, and more the best thing she can do is take care of herself first.

We all need to make sure our cup is full before we try to fill others. It is possible to use the resources we have to arrive to a place where prioritizing ourselves is natural. Recognizing this is the first step, then we can go squeeze our loved ones.

Project Alone Time Jun 15, 2018

Show notes

In this episode, Rachel speaks on the importance of taking alone time to rejuvenate and practice self-care. With the demands of everyday life, taking time for ourselves can be challenging but is so necessary if we wish to offer our best selves to the world.

Rachel begins the episode by sharing the emotions that surfaced as she left her baby girl and husband back in Sweden and arrived to Aruba alone. She discusses what led her to travel home early and why leaving Lea Luna was especially challenging for her this time. Diving further into this topic, Rachel speaks of the guilt and shame she places on herself as a new mother and how we are often our own worst critics. With five days of alone time ahead of her, Rachel shares the fears she faced, what led her to a shift in mindset, and how she plans to fully embrace this opportunity to unwind, practice self-love, and focus on what she wants to do, guilt-free. She ends by sharing the first moments she spent grounding herself back home – the best destination of all.

Yoga with Usher and An Emergency Toolkit For Wellbeing Jun 08, 2018

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Healing by Feeling Jun 01, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Rachel discusses the need to release stored emotions and the challenges that arise within us (and later reflected in the state of all of humanity) when we don’t have space to open up and release what’s inside.

Beginning with a guided 15-minute meditation to first find a place of silence before diving in, she moves on to sharing an experience she just had in Dynamic Meditation. Answering questions she often gets about this strange and somewhat wild way of meditating, she uses this opportunity to describe the Dynamic Meditation she often practices and also discuss the controversial figure Osho and his teachings.

She ventures into the important topic of letting anger and resentment go, and how already as children we are raised that such emotions are shameful. Everyone needs a safe space free of judgment to own their feelings! She gives helpful tips on how to release suppressed emotion, and why it’s important to do so every day. She concludes by coming back to a core principle in her life – that if we fix what’s on the inside, we can then fix what’s on the outside to create true change in the world.

Triggers and Teachings May 25, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Rachel dives into the topic of using relationships and challenges for growth, finding ways to express your emotions no matter what society says and the beauty of letting your inner child come out to play.

She begins by discussing the different place she is in this week compared to last. From feeling ungrounded and stagnant, Rachel talks about diving back into work-mode and the new energy that came with it. By moving away from the idea of feeling busy and more into the idea of simply doing, Rachel mentions how stretching on the floor when playing with Lea Luna, or coming into a single child’s pose can be crucial for arriving back home. Diving further into this topic, Rachel talks about how we can all benefit from making yoga part of our every day, weaving practice into everything we do and using it as a tool to ground us again and again. She also talks about her style of parenting and how she deals with Lea Luna’s tantrums and how at the end of the day, a single deep breath can do wonders.

Wedding Wonders and Tough Travels May 18, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Rachel talks about her latest European adventures at her best friend’s wedding in the South of France. Feeling like she was taking an intermission from life for the past couple of weeks, Rachel moved around at a high pace and speaks of a deep feeling of being uprooted. She discusses the changes she has seen lately, not only in her group of friends since her wedding four years ago, but in herself as well. Wondering whether this is a transitional feeling or a true personality change, Rachel delves into the reasons she feels so ungrounded – partly due to the difficulties she faced as a vegan in the South of France. She talks about the importance of feeling your feet on the ground, moving the body and nourishing ourselves with good food. Diving further into the topic of veganism, Rachel shares her tips for vegans when traveling, how her own advice didn’t work at all on this particular trip, and the lessons she learned for next time.

Powering Through and Mellowing Out May 11, 2018

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In this episode Rachel reflects on her latest weekend trip to LA to teach a yoga class at a fitness festival. She talks about the different mindset she had being separated from her baby girl compared to previous solo trips, and how this allowed her to turn on the fiery side of her personality so she could tackle an intense weekend with a strict run of show. She shares how staying in the here and now reminded her why she travels to teach yoga for a living – to have fun and connect with her community. Rachel then dives into discussing the flight home, how exhausted she was, and how she lost connection to the here and now. Realizing that her softer side emerged just as she was reuniting with her husband and baby girl, Rachel comes to an epiphany that everything happens in perfect timing.

On The Road Again May 04, 2018

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In this episode Rachel is joined by her husband Dennis while traveling through south of France. They talk about their adventures through Europe and their differences in terms of the kind of traveling they enjoy. Dennis shares what it’s like seeing the world from the eyes of a someone who grew up on a tiny island and Rachel shares how she has changed as a traveler since becoming a mom. They share their favorite parts of the journey so far, challenges that keep coming up and also talk about where in the world they see themselves raising their baby girl.

Mind, Body and Stories About Pain Apr 27, 2018

Show notes

In this episode Rachel shares her experience with training with a Naprapath for 8 straight days and learning new, unconventional ways of moving her body. She talks about how she has built a story around her back pain and an old injury and the epiphany that the story around the pain actually may have led her to more of the same. She shares some of the out-of-the-box exercises she has done over the past week, ignoring everything she has learned about yogic alignment, moving out of her comfort zone and leaving the idea of comfort far, far behind.

Stress, Anxiety and Accepting The Present Moment Apr 20, 2018

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How can we practice being present in the here and now when the moment we are in is particularly challenging? In today’s episode Rachel talks about her latest travels to Europe and how parents should receive awards at the end of long travels with babies. She shares everything that went wrong and how, even with the best intentions, she lost her cool and spent almost two whole days overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. She talks about the power of making peace with the moment and how accepting the here and now can completely transform your life.