The Playful Yoga Warrior

Movement & meditation

I am a Sydney-based health & wellness coach assisting you to develop your inner ninja! I have worked with over 90, 000 clients across the world to become fitter, stronger & more vibrant in their lives. I have had the pleasure of working with organisations such as Roche, NIDA, The Sydney Theater Co., Arup & The Climate Council.

I deliver a strong, alignment-based yoga & pilates classes. By focusing the mind on the precise placement of the body, the body is simultaneously stretched, strengthened & healed. Not only does this promote optimal energy flow, but it also gives our mind an opportunity to move beyond it's repetitive, everyday thoughts. This allows us to feel refreshed & rejuvenated, both physically & mentally. By fostering greater awareness in how we move & place the body through our physical asana practice, our ability to become more aware, or more conscious, increases in our everyday lives.

I aim to challenge myself & my students; How can we continually grow & expand, whilst maintaining the ability to return to our physical centre & our spiritual heart? My teaching style focuses on feeling the pose from the inside out, rather than simply placing the external "shape" of the pose onto our very own unique bodies.

My background

I have worked in the fitness industry since completing an Arts degree, working as a personal trainer, gym staff member & membership consultant. I began practicing yoga over 17 years ago at the encouragement of my osteopath. At the time, I was training a lot in the gym, I looked strong, but my body was horrendously tight & I suffered from lower back & neck pain. I hated my first few yoga classes, but after completing my third class & being free from shoulder pain, I quickly realised there was something very powerful in this ancient practice. I completed my Bikram training about a year later.

In the subsequent years, I have trained with Baron Baptiste, Noah Maze', Christina Sell, Darren Rhodes, Sadie Nardini, Annie Carpenter, Maty Ezraty, Donna Fahri & Ananda Kennard.

In that time, my body has transformed from being excessively tight to uber flexible. Classic yoga injuries were beginning to show up in my body, a torn hamstring insertion & trochanteric bursitis, - the inflammation of the bursa at the top outer side of the thighbone. This often felt like the muscle fibres were tearing away from the bone. I was questioning whether I would have to leave my yoga practice behind. How could my practice, which offered me so much physical relief and mental clarity, be degrading my body? This has led me to explore in my own practice & teaching, how can we use our yoga practice to challenge ourselves physically, yet still maintain our ability to return to physical centre & spiritual heart?

In my 17 years of teaching, I have taught in Sydney, Melbourne, Rome & Jakarta.

More about Rachel

I hold a Bachelor of Arts, from Sydney University & a Masters in Environmental Planning from Macquarie University. I am a passionate advocate for the human rights & the environment.

I believe in sustainable food sources & a fostering a strong and connected community. I love to travel & aspire to see more of this planet. I love food & cooking for the people I love; my intention is to breathe health, joy, compassion & awareness into the world.

I am super excited to share my first online program! After many conversations with people about how they are dealing with life-in-lockdown, I have put together an online program to move technology-bound bodies & minds to leave you feeling physically and mentally re-centred and re-set.
All sessions will be recorded, so if you can’t make a class you can make it up later. Sessions will be at 12pm on Tuesday’s & Thursday’s, & 10am on Sunday’s, with a meditation to follow. No experience is necessary, just a willingness to move, explore & have some fun!
Please feel free to reach out if money is an issue for you. 🧘🏻‍♀️