search blog posts

If we don’t listen to our bodies, our bodies will make us listen
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

If we don’t listen to our bodies, our bodies will make us listen

Unfortunately, many of us have a habit of ignoring our bodies and pushing through. If we continue to do that over time, our bodies will raise the volume of the alarm until it is too loud to ignore, and we will end up with autoimmune conditions or other serious illnesses. If we don't listen to our inner wisdom, our bodies will make us listen.

Read More
A Game of Chicken
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

A Game of Chicken

No one likes to feel uncomfortable, but the challenge is not the discomfort, it is the way we relate to it. If we resist it, through avoidance or anger, we will be feeding it energy, and it will grow. If we try to pretend it doesn't bother us, it will show up in other ways (maybe as digestive discomfort or a skin rash). On the other hand, if we understand it as temporary and offer ourselves the support we need to meet it, we will learn that we have the capacity to be in the flow and its power will naturally dissipate. This is super important because we simply cannot control the flow of the universe. No amount of struggle will stop the waves from coming. We don't need to stand in the storm and try not to get knocked over, we need to build a boat and learn how to surf.

Read More
Starting from a place of wholeness
Ayurveda Rachel de Simone Ayurveda Rachel de Simone

Starting from a place of wholeness

Ayurveda starts from a place of wholeness, not a place of deficit. Ayurveda is not a set of rules; it is an invitation to cultivate a relationship with yourself and with your world. It is a beautiful practice of learning how to listen to your body's wisdom, and be responsive to your own changing needs. We don’t get there by following a list of rules imposed by someone else. We develop this capacity by paying attention to signs and symptoms as communications from our wise bodies, and learning how to support and nourish ourselves so that we feel well-resourced. When we are well-resourced, our gifts naturally shine.

Read More
restorative Yoga & Pranayama for Winter Workshop
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

restorative Yoga & Pranayama for Winter Workshop

Winter is a really great time to slow down and to replenish our energy stores. I'm leading a special practice today specifically for winter that will leave you feeling rested, grounded, and renewed. I'd love for you to join me.

Read More
Ojas Milk Recipe
Recipe Rachel de Simone Recipe Rachel de Simone

Ojas Milk Recipe

This recipe for ojas milk has lots of brmhana (building and nourishing) ingredients and is great for balancing out the depleting qualities of winter. Banyan Botanicals is a great source for ashwagandha and shatavari, and if you use the coupon code RACHEL15, you will get 15% off your order. Ashwagandha is an adaptogen that helps the body heal from stress. The etymology of the word is associated with the strength and vitality of the horse, and it imparts those same qualities. It is also sometimes called Indian Ginseng because it promotes mental focus and clarity. Shatavari is also an adaptogen whose name means "100 spouses." It is a replenishing herb that helps the organs and tissues of the body retain their juiciness. Both herbs are calming for the mind and nervous system as well.

Read More
It’s the little things
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

It’s the little things

Happy New Year, friends! As we close out 2023, I'm feeling called to celebrate the little things, and to leave space for 2024 to unfold organically, rather than make bold proclamations. Sometimes the most meaningful moments aren't the big accomplishments, but the little moments of wonder we experience when we are being fully present.

Read More
Hello darkness, my old friend
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

Hello darkness, my old friend

Creation begins in darkness. We plant seeds underground and they germinate in the dark. Yes, the light helps them grow once they are seedlings, but the darkness is necessary for them to take root. We need darkness and rest to nurture our creative potential so that we can give birth to new ideas, and continue to regenerate.

Read More
Oil = Love
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

Oil = Love

Did you know that the Sanskrit word for oil (sneha) is also the word for love? Abhyanga is truly magic, friends. It is a beautiful practice of self-love that nourishes the body, heals the nervous system, calms the mind, and grounds the spirit. Combined with yoga nidra, this will be the ultimate practice for healing. Come to the workshop today and experience it for yourself!

Read More
Two of the best practices for staying grounding this winter
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

Two of the best practices for staying grounding this winter

In Ayurvedic medicine the rhythms of nature provide insight into healing and self-care practices through the principle, "Like increases like and opposites bring balance." When we align with nature, we experience more harmony and balance in our lives. Late fall and winter are the vata seasons, which means the elements of wind and space predominate. These two elements, when balanced, provide the space for introspection and the mobility needed to make sustainable changes in our lives. When vata is stabilized by the earth element, winter provides the perfect opportunity to turn inward and expand our connection to our truest selves. Winter self-care should include grounding practices that invite time to rest and restore. When we pause, we give ourselves space to filter out illusion and remember our inner truth.

Read More
Today’s WOrkshop: Yoga & Ayurveda for Fall
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

Today’s WOrkshop: Yoga & Ayurveda for Fall

Unlock your body’s wisdom and align your nature with Mother Nature to support:

  • Better sleep

  • Improved digestion

  • Easeful elimination

  • Supple skin

  • A stronger immune system

  • Vibrant, grounded energy

  • Steady focus and concentration

  • Balanced mood

  • The ability to listen to and honor your body's wisdom

When you understand the how the qualities in nature also manifest within you, you will be able to flow through the seasons of your life with grace. I hope to see you this afternoon!

Read More
Let Your Heart Break So Your Spirit Doesn’t
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

Let Your Heart Break So Your Spirit Doesn’t

One of the great teachers of our time, Valarie Kaur, asks us to look upon the faces of strangers who are suffering and to grieve with them; to see their children as our children; to see them as part of us. Imagine what the world would be like if we saw each other as kin and not foe, and honored each other's suffering as our own.

We have a choice in these moments to harden ourselves and shut ourselves off to pain, or to open our hearts and, as the poet Andrea Gibson wrote,

"Let your heart break so your spirit doesn't."

Read More
Balancing Act
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

Balancing Act

Have you been feeling a little blah lately? Nature is transitioning, and unless we are also transitioning along with nature, we can feel tired, anxious, spacey, and ungrounded in the fall as the air and space elements start to take center stage.

Most of my clients are experiencing flare-ups of back pain and insomnia, which makes a ton of sense from an Ayurvedic perspective. Want to know why? Come to this workshop! When you understand the how the qualities in nature also manifest within you, you will be able to flow through the seasons of your life with grace.

Read More
solving the puzzle
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

solving the puzzle

It took a fair amount of time, research, and trial and error, but I was determined to figure it out. That is basically how I operate. I love to solve a problem, I'm always up for learning something new, and I don't give up easily. I have just the right amount of faith, curiosity, patience, and stubbornness to keep trying long after others have thrown up their hands.

Read More
Happy 1st business birthday!
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

Happy 1st business birthday!

Lessons Learned from 1 Year in business:

  • Nature Takes her time

  • The path is created by traveling it

  • Trust the process

  • The heart already knows the way.

  • Connection is the soul of the practice.

Read More
Yoga is more than exercise
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

Yoga is more than exercise

Every part of our practice (studying philosophy, mantra, mudra, pranayama, meditation, asana, etc.) is yoga. But the true yoga is living your yoga. What is the purpose of our time on the mat if not to guide us into becoming more engaged, compassionate, and aware beings? Your personal practice informs your life, and your life informs your practice. And, this is a lifelong practice of cultivating peace in the world, starting with cultivating peace with ourselves.

Read More
VERMONT FLOOD RELIEF
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

VERMONT FLOOD RELIEF

Vermont was devastated by floods and many people lost their homes and businesses. Additionally, many of our local farms were completely submerged and lost all of their crops for the summer and winter seasons. Please join me in supporting VT Flood Recovery Efforts by donating time, money, or resources. This page contains a list of organizations raising money. It will continue to be updated. Please share additional requests for support and I will add them to this page.

Read More
balance your nervous system: meditate
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

balance your nervous system: meditate

Moving the body circulates energy. If you move in a rhythm (walking, running, dancing, practicing yoga asana), you give the wind element purpose and direction. Wind is the only one of the five elements that moves, and when it moves erratically, it can be destructive. Think about how it feels outside in a windstorm, and you might notice that anxiety feels a lot like a windstorm inside. Wind can also be used to generate power, and moving in a rhythm transforms the wind inside your system to be generative rather than destructive. If you have pain, stress, anxiety, or other signs that your nervous system is out of balance, move your body, and notice the effect it has on your mind and spirit. Choose movements that enhance your vitality rather than deplete you, and that you can do while still maintaining a steady, rhythmic breath.

Read More
balance your nervous system: move
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

balance your nervous system: move

Moving the body circulates energy. If you move in a rhythm (walking, running, dancing, practicing yoga asana), you give the wind element purpose and direction. Wind is the only one of the five elements that moves, and when it moves erratically, it can be destructive. Think about how it feels outside in a windstorm, and you might notice that anxiety feels a lot like a windstorm inside. Wind can also be used to generate power, and moving in a rhythm transforms the wind inside your system to be generative rather than destructive. If you have pain, stress, anxiety, or other signs that your nervous system is out of balance, move your body, and notice the effect it has on your mind and spirit. Choose movements that enhance your vitality rather than deplete you, and that you can do while still maintaining a steady, rhythmic breath.

Read More
Balance your nervous system: nourish
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

Balance your nervous system: nourish

The nervous system likes predictability. If you eat your meals at roughly the same times each day, the nervous system will start to trust that you will always take care of it and give it the energy that it needs. Grazing, skipping meals, or eating irregularly puts the nervous system into scarcity mode. That stress can affect hormone circulation, and can lead to overeating when you finally get a chance to eat. It also leads to behaviors that mask the symptoms, again like using caffeine and sugar to provide false energy.

Read More
balance your nervous system: slow down
Rachel de Simone Rachel de Simone

balance your nervous system: slow down

We have a choice to make as individuals and as a society. Do we keep up the same unrelenting pace season after season and year after year until we burn out? Do we ignore all the warning signs of imbalance and disconnection, paying attention only when the alarm gets too loud to ignore?

Or do we choose a different path?

Read More