6. Yoga, Wellness, and Nervous System Mastery with Rach from Temple of Her Moon

Krystal (00:02):
Hey guys, it's Krystal here and welcome back to today's episode of Nibble and Splash. I thought while

Tegan was soaking up the sun in Bali, there is no better time than to have our first guest on the podcast.

Rach (00:12): And

Krystal (00:13):

We have the beautiful Rach from Temple of Her Moon. Rach is not only one of my good friends, she's also one of our upcoming retreat partners for our Barossa Valley Luxury Retreat. If you haven't joined the wait list or booked a discovery call, make sure you head to the website and do so. We only have limited spots for this boutique retreat and we cannot wait to share it all with you. Rach delves deep into some common misconceptions of yoga. Today. We chat about her opening of her new studio and we also talk about your fight flight and freeze modes. I can't wait. I learned so much just from our little chat today and I hope you enjoyed as much as I

Krystal (00:49):
Did. So a super big congratulations. Thank

Rach (00:56): You.

Krystal (00:57):
Last week was week one of your new studio opening in Gola in South Australia. Very cool.

Rach (01:03): Thank you.

Krystal (01:04):
Tell us a little bit about it. A little bit about you.

Rach (01:07):

Yeah. Well thank you for having me here, by the way. It is a real honor. Mm. My studio. So it is my third studio that I've opened every baby. I kind of had to step away a little bit, um, because mama life came first. Yes. But yeah, this has been a dream for a few years and an opportunity came up and I wasn't overly ready for it yet, <laugh>, but I'm like, you know what? I'm just gonna dive on in and see what happens. Mm-Hmm. And yeah, already it feels like home and got a beautiful group of women journeying through with me and I have so many offerings and I cannot wait. Yay. Wait, Shannon. Yay.

Krystal (01:43):
That's so exciting. A few of our staff actually take part in some of your classes. Yeah. Which is really

cool. I've heard nothing but good things. I can't wait. I'm doing a class scene. Yes, it's happening. Oh, I

Rach (01:54): Can't wait.

Krystal (01:55):
So Rach and I actually first met because our little boys go to the same school and they're just little besties

at the moment, aren't they? They're

Rach (02:03):
So cute together. Oh my gosh.

Krystal (02:06):
Oh, book week. The other week you were awesome enough to arrange us some, some costumes that just

came on time. <laugh>,

Rach (02:12):

I think. I said, if they're not here by one 30, I'm gonna go to the shop and get a backup outfit. And the poster came at quarter past one and I think I scared him by how excited I was like, here was I? What is going on? And he

Krystal (02:27):
Is sitting there like, they're just minion costumes. Lady

Rach (02:30):
<laugh>. They looked so cute.

Krystal (02:33):
No, they did. They were awesome. Yeah. I should post some photos actually. Yeah.

Rach (02:37): Yeah.

Krystal (02:37): Cool.

Krystal (02:38):

So yeah, that's how Rachel and I met, and then I sort of find out that she is just this epic, you know, goddess that empowers women is the most beautiful soul. You probably are gonna hear it through her lovely voice that she has, just how calm and just graceful she is with life. Thank you. And yeah, you've become one of our retreat partners now, which is very exciting. A few things we're gonna talk about today will be the retreat, but also I wanna know a little bit about how you became not just a yoga instructor, but a women's coach and Yeah. Just all the things.

Rach (03:16):

Yeah. My gosh. Well, I think it all started, I started practicing yoga when I was 16, so that's like 20 years ago now. Oh my gosh. And that was when I decided, I'm like, I'm gonna be a yoga teacher one day. Wow. Um, 'cause it came to me at a really tough time in my life and it really just helped me come back home to myself and I'm like, ah, I need to teach this to people. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, like, more people need to feel this. Um, and then I went on and did uni and became a midwife and kind of got lost in this sort of chaos of life. And then I had my beautiful aza and I feel like when you become a mom, something cracks

open in you and it really aligns you with like your purpose in life. Yeah, absolutely. And yeah, so I just did my yoga teacher training and opened my first studio, I think when she was a year old or something like that. Wow. Quite young. Yeah. And as I've grown and evolved, so has my business. Um, yeah. Just, and my addiction to learning <laugh>

Krystal (04:21):
Knowledge is power. I say it all the time.

Rach (04:23):

It is. And just, yeah. I love listening to podcasts and listening to audio books and just constantly learning and growing and evolving and sharing what I've learned. And I feel like I've really noticed we live in such a masculine led world. Yeah. And as women's so hard to come back to our feminine, and it's like we're trying to keep up with the men. Yes. When, and it's exhausting <laugh>, it's so exhausting. Oh, when there's another way. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And when we're just, when we learn the art of coming back into our feminine life feels a lot more useful. And we feel more at home because we are in our nature as women, we're able to be and receive and flow, but it's not something that is like taught to us. Yes. It's not, we don't really see examples of it out there. And yeah. So I feel like the world needs us in our feminine. Yeah. And it wasn't until I did a course called, uh, embodied Queen that I started feeling and experiencing what it was like to be in my feminine, my healthy feminine more. And I was like, wow. And then the more I learned from that and experience, it's like I need to learn more <laugh>. So, um, at the moment I'm still studying to become a relationship coach and yeah. That is a whole other world. It's opened up. It's so cool. So many different portals. Yeah. I cannot wait to share. Yeah. Just even more women's empowerment. Mm.

Krystal (05:57):

Well, just even I feel like I've been a little bit more conscious just knowing you and hearing you talk about things. You really do take it in and have those moments to process. Yeah. And then you do think, oh, hang on a minute. I do. I notice a big difference. Mm.

Rach (06:13): Yeah. Yeah.

Krystal (06:15):

So we know that you do all these wonderful, beautiful things, but tell us a little bit more about the yoga and wellness side. So we have you being our retreat partner for our Barasa Valley Nand Splash Culinary Journey. Can't wait. And you're gonna be with us for the entire few days, which is awesome. So every morning everyone gets to just indulge in all the goodness. Tell us a few misconceptions about yoga.

Rach (06:43):

Yes. Oh my gosh. So I have been a yoga teacher for 10 years now, and the most common thing that I hear is I'm not flexible enough to do yoga. And that's something that comes after regular practice. And I like to say, if you can breathe, you can do yoga, because that's how accessible it is. And I feel like a lot of people believe with yoga, like it's a fitness class, you've gotta keep up and, but it's not like it's not a competition. You're there for you. And just showing up is the most important thing and sometimes the hardest thing as well. Mm. Especially when we've got, you know, big things going on in our life and when we are quiet, we're kind of like faced with them. But what I love with, when you get on your yoga mat, it's not just a movement.

Rach (07:33):

It's like you are learning breathing techniques that you can take with you off the mat to help you move through stress more gracefully. Um, you are learning like mindfulness stuff, what you focus on, expand. And so you are able to really catch those unhelpful thoughts and replace them with helpful thoughts. And yeah, I think the most admirable thing to witness when teaching a class is when people do really honor their body. Like, and I do encourage focus on how it feels Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> rather than how it looks. And it's about kind of flirting with your edge <laugh>. Yeah. And so when you're on the mat, you'll be guided into an asana if you choose to go in it. Like even if you show up and you're like, I don't really feel like doing these movements. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, you can just be in child's pose or lay there and just like listen.

Rach (08:27):

And there are so many variations and it's the kind of like go at your own pace and remembering that you are there for you and no one else. And it's kind of like a homecoming. It's floating from your mind down into your heart, into your body. And we don't really realize that there is more wisdom in our body than there is in our minds. Often our minds are a little clouded, but when you're on the mat and you're quiet and you're being guided through your breath and what to focus on, it's like, Ooh, my body's starting to speak to me. And more so your heart. And I love, like, when you really explore energetics, your heart has a magnetic field that is far greater than any other organ in your body. And I find when you're practicing yoga, you're really beginning to get more in touch with your heart and to lead a more heart led life. So like everything that you're doing on the mat, it flows on into the rest of your life. So yoga really is a way of living. Other misconceptions would be, or more so fears, like a fear of I'm not good enough. Because you see a lot of like social media, these <laugh> amazingly

Krystal (09:43):
Flexible off like the cliff edge and they're just doing these beautiful poses and

Rach (09:48): Yeah.

Krystal (09:48):

Or in the movies and they're doing like yoga on, you know, this wham bam, like Fijian beach. And they're holding these poses that I just couldn't even imagine doing, thinking how do they get their legs and their feet there? Yeah. But yeah. Yeah. I, I did a mockup class with you and we did our photo shoot and I did half the shoot, but then I just sort of sat and watched you go about it. And honestly just being present, I learned so much. I didn't even have to be doing the poses or, you know, joining in, in that little group class setting, just sitting back and watching, I learned so much. Yeah. It was crazy. Oh,

Rach (10:23):

That makes me so happy to hear that <laugh> like, yeah, I wish more people knew how accessible it is. Yes. And just how much you take with you off the mat. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> and just Yeah, that real homecoming, but also the calming of your nervous system and Oh yes. Like we were chatting before about we're human beings, not human doings.

Krystal (10:48):

Is that just not the most amazing saying you've ever heard? Mm, I just, I love that so much. When you sent that to me in a text the other day, I just, you know, when you hear quotes or like you see words and sentences and they just stick with you. Yeah. That was one of 'em. Mm. I love it. Tell me more. <laugh>.

Rach (11:05):
Yes. Oh my gosh. Yeah. I feel like a sentence can change the whole perception of something. Yes.

Krystal (11:11): Yeah. Yeah.

Rach (11:11):

Oh my gosh, I've got so many gems to share with that <laugh>. Um, but yeah, human beings not human doings. And that comes back to the living in the masculine world. The masculine is very much on striving, doing, achieving structure, and like, we're actually not built to live in that way, especially as women. And we don't really realize as well how much we're doing and doing, doing and doing and doing. We don't realize how stressed we actually are.

Krystal (11:42):
Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> guilty <laugh>.

Rach (11:44):

Yeah. And then it's when you get on your yoga mat, you're like, I've never experienced a sense of peace like this. Yeah. And like you can have more of that when you really give yourself permission to be more like, be where you are. And I think what you do learn on the mat as well is to really get in touch with your senses. Mm. So, and that's a really great way of returning to presence, to being where you are. It's like you're aware of the sounds around you, you're aware of like all the sensations in your body, and you are not thinking about the past or the future. You're listening to your breath and there is so much peace available to us in like every given moment, but we're so caught up in the culture of doing like we really lose sight of that.

Krystal (12:35): Yes.

Rach (12:36):

And even like, like we were talking about the bell curve. Yeah. The importance of starting our day slowly and generally. So if you can imagine like a bell curve, it's like a flat line that's slowly, slowly rides, it peaks and then it slowly falls down and returns to a flat line. Most of us wake up and we are like, rushed out of bed, get up, we have our coffee and you know, gotta

Krystal (13:00):
Gotta get the kids to school. Gotta

Rach (13:02): Get to

Krystal (13:02): Work. Exactly.

Rach (13:04):

And it's like stress, stress, stress, stress. So we're starting our day in our fight flight or freeze mode with so much of the catecholamine stress hormone in our body. It's like the way you start anything dictates how the rest of that will flow. So if we're starting our day in that state of high stress, we're gonna carry that with us through the whole day. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Whereas what I love at the retreat, because we're doing yoga first thing in the morning. Oh yes. And you can all just like float out of bed, come as you are Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> just show up to your mat and it's like the perfect way to start your day because it's slow and gentle. You're gonna be in a really beautiful mindset. You're gonna be connected in with your body and you're gonna be really ready to receive all of like the magic that is in store throughout the rest of the day. And because you're gonna be in that really restful state, your nervous system's gonna be ready to receive. It's just gonna really amplify the experience so much more. I'm

Krystal (14:08):

So excited. I will definitely be taking advantage of your sessions every morning. It yeah. 100%. We'll start your day off better. Yeah. And just give it a go at some point throughout the retreat. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, even if you're a bit skeptical when you wanna sit back and watch the first day, I urge you before you leave, give it a go. Yeah. It is just, it will just change you. Ah.

Rach (14:30):

And it's in a best way and it's suitable for beginners. Like you could never have done yoga before and like it's such an honor to guide people through their very first class. And you can see in people's body language, your energy is what introduces you before you speak or before you do anything else. And you can really feel the difference in the arrival and the departure when people come to a yoga class, like they live with such a lighter energy and you can feel it. Yeah. And you can see it. And yeah. It's such an honor to witness that as well. Yay. I'm so excited. You are just definitely the perfect person for the job. Mm- Hmm. It's gonna be amazing. Thank you. Thank you. So one thing that I really wanted to talk about was your nervous system because I feel like it's something not very many people have an understanding of, and when you do, it changes everything.

Rach (15:24):

Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, it's the biggest game changer. Um, and what we don't realize is that our nervous system, obviously it's designed to keep us safe. And although that we have evolved over time, the nervous system is pretty much still operating at the same that it was, you know, back in the cave days. Very old school. Yeah. And so I'm gonna keep it really basic, but there's three main responses with your nervous system to a threat. The first is flight, fight, or freeze. And so if we're perceiving a threat, our nervous system will default to one of those to keep us safe. We're only designed to be in that state for very short periods of a time. Um, and I'll touch on it more soon, but we're pretty much in fight, flight or freeze constantly with the way that we're living now. <laugh> just everyday life. No wonder I'm bloody And so, so much dis disease in the body, um, because fight, flight or freeze, when it's activated, you're getting higher levels of catecholamine, like all the stress hormones as well as all fight flight or freeze. All the blood is rushing from your organs to your limbs to either fight. So all the blood is rushing to your limbs. So you've got energy to fight and get to safety freeze. It's like, oh my gosh, if I stay still, they'll think I'll, I'm dead. And they'll leave me alone. <laugh>, <laugh>,

Rach (16:56):

Um, fight flight or freeze or like to run. Yeah. We need energy to run. And then our nervous system when we're feeling safe can come back to safety. And so, like I said before, although the nervous system that we have evolved over time as humans, our nervous system hasn't really Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So like fight, flight or freeze kept us safe in the cave days from things like tigers and things that would actually kill us. Yeah. Now though, our nervous system can't tell the difference between a deadline at work or a

tiger. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative> stop. I know, right? So like, we're feeling threatened by our nervous system is feeling threatened by deadlines or like running late or like overstimulation. And it's like our nervous system is like, oh my God, I need to keep, yes, I need to stay safe. And so therefore, if we're in this constant state of like fight, flight or freeze, not only have we got that stress hormone flowing through our body, our organs aren't operating how they should because they're not getting that blood and oxygen to them.

Rach (18:06):

Because we're in that fight flight freeze. Our body's trying to give us energy to get to safety. And it's crazy that that has become our new normal. Yes. Yeah. I've never thought of it like that. It's insane. Right. And so when we're in this state, a fight, flight or freeze, it's also really hard to show up as our best self. And so it is actually really easy to come back into your center and to calm the nervous system down. But it's kind of like the more you practice it easier it gets just like anything really, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. So the most, probably the most important tool that we have is our breath. And you think about if your breath is calm, your mind is calm. And one of the best ways to reset the nervous system is breath, sound and movement. And one of the best examples that I've got is that I can think of is like you look to animals, they're experts at resetting their nervous system.

Rach (19:10):

And so if they've got a threat, they could do the fight, flight or freeze, they get safe and then they shake it out and you can hear often they make a sound. So breath, sound, movement and then they're good. Wow. And we never, almost never complete our stress cycle. So we are carrying so much of that energy in our body. Goodness me. Crazy. Just mind blown right now. And so I wanna teach you guys before, um, we finish up today, some really simple tools to help you reset your nervous system. And the more you do it, the easier it will become. And then it will, will become like second nature. Like, I'm stressed, this is what I need to do to get back to center. So the first tool, which you learn a lot of different techniques in yoga is your breath. And you think like, I know how to breathe <laugh>, but do you, do we really, so many of us breathe really shallow. We are breathing up into our chest, not deep down into our belly. And your breath is a reflection of your mind. Oh goodness. Yeah. Okay. So if you are breathing shallow, it's like stress, anxiety. But if you're breathing slow and like conscious straight away, you begin to feel like things begin to slow down and you can see things that they are instead of how you want them to be or you know, it's great at dissolving fears as well. So the second you feel stressed from now on Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>, you're gonna focus on your breathing.

Krystal (20:53):
I'm just gonna spend the rest of the episode just sitting here going like

Rach (20:56):
<laugh>. Um, you're doing all the

Krystal (20:59):
Talking now because I'm focusing

Rach (21:00):

On my breath. Yes. I love that though. And there are so many different techniques, but if you just start with breathing in slow and deep, hold it for a moment, breathe out slow and deep, and then we're gonna build on it because what you focus on expands. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. So now you're gonna focus on relaxing your muscles and we store a lot of our tension, forehead, jaw, neck, shoulders, hips,

Krystal (21:27):
Goodness me. Yep. Shoulders

Rach (21:28):

Big on. So you're gonna start breathing slow and you're gonna remind yourself to relax your muscles. And the best way is to imagine a wave flowing down over you. And it's softening the muscles in your forehead, your jaw, your neck and shoulders, belly back, hips, arms and legs, hands and feet. It's like kind of like a calming breath that you're putting over your body to add movement. Shake it out. How often do you know? Do

Krystal (21:55):
We shake it out? Not very often.

Rach (21:57):

Yeah. Put music on, shake it out. Yeah. Um, actually have a morning routine where I do some breath work and movement to music. So just get up, put music on and dance however you wanna do it. And it's the best way to reset your nervous system. Um, obviously you can't do that at work. <laugh>, <laugh>. Well, I mean you could, we could <laugh> dance break everyone. You're all feeling way too stressed. Um, but yeah, start your day with like breath work and movement. That's where the retreat, the yoga is so perfect because you are completing a stress cycle that you may have been holding onto. You are resetting your nervous system and then you're realigning, um, to your center and you're able to show up as your best self. You are able to be more present, more calm, um, and yeah, really powerful tool. Your breath. So remember your breath, what you focus on expand. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. And just think of how animals reset. The nervous system. Breath, sound and movement.

Krystal (23:01):
I think of my puppy dog. Just

Rach (23:02):

Yeah. Shake it out out. Yeah. Really, really powerful. And we, we take that for granted in our body. Like we just rather we're not taught about it. Mm-Hmm. And yeah. Can't do it if you don't know. This is true. Yeah. Well

Krystal (23:17):

Thank you so, so much for jumping on here today and just sharing your knowledge and just your aura is incredible to be around. I'm sure that everyone listening has taken something away from it. We are so excited to be able to do the retreat with you. Just a reminder to anyone that would like to register to know a little bit more, if you wanna book a discovery call with Keegan or even just jump online and buy your ticket straight away. We cannot wait. It's May, 2025. It's at Ben Bullen retreat in the Barasa Valley and we get to have the beautiful Rach come with us. Is there anything you wanna finish up with?

Rach (23:56):

No, thank you <laugh>. Just thank you so much for having me and yeah, it is such an honor and oh my God, just from seeing behind the scenes for the retreat, I remember the whole day <laugh> that we were filming, like the promo stuff. I was just like, they've thought of everything. Like, this is amazing. It's gonna be epic. It's gonna be like Yeah. A really special day. And I feel like life changing too.

Krystal (24:22): Absolutely.

Rach (24:22):

Yeah. Yeah. And so many things that people can take home with them. Um, so yeah. I cannot wait to share yoga with everyone in the morning. It's gonna be Yeah. Just perfect for beginners. Even if you are, um, well practiced at yoga, you're gonna get so much out of it and Oh, the views and the

Krystal (24:43):

Scenery, the views. Where you guys will be doing yoga is just magic. Hands down. It is the best view of the Barossa Valley and I've stayed in quite a few paces in the Barossa and this one is just my favorite. Yeah, just my favorite. Oh,

Rach (24:59):

It's beautiful. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>. Um, and I'm gonna be bringing my sound healing. Yes. So my singing bolds to further help you just melt into your calm and relaxed nature. Um, I'll be having, yeah. My aromatherapy and all the things.

Krystal (25:16): We're so excited. All

Rach (25:17):
The tools. Yeah. I cannot wait. Um, yeah. I cannot wait. So thank you so much.

Krystal (25:21):

You're so welcome. Well, thank you for listening everyone. We hope that you took something out of this and I'm just super excited. If you would like to know more about Rachel, please head to all the links, um, in the show notes, we'll have her socials and we'll even have some tickets to some of her events that are coming up.

Speaker 4 (25:40):

Thank you so much for listening everybody. If you like what you heard, please head down below, subscribe, check the show notes, follow us on socials. We'd love to hear from you and can't wait for next time.

Rach (25:54): She's

Krystal (25:55): The baddest of

Rach (25:56):
Them all. Ooh, that's all I know.