Rachael Bielecki

I discovered yoga in college after a friend dragged me to the gym one day for a yoga class. I had no idea what I was doing but was instantly hooked. I loved how yoga quieted my mind which to this day is almost always go go go. Most of my practice has been here at my home in the basement. As a broke college student I couldn’t always afford the $18 studio fee so being frugal found myself checking out books at the library and creating a self practice over time. I’ve turned to yoga many times over the last 21 years. In between training for a race, or when coming off of an injury, or when things just got tough. It always brought that same sense of calm it did that first day I took a class. And if I’m being honest I also liked the fitness side of it too 😎 the challenge of trying a new pose and maybe actually being successful at it even if it’s just for 5 breaths. After 21 years I’m still not very flexible, I can’t do any “sexy” poses like you see on Instagram, but everyday on the mat is a new journey. When covid hit, and my gym closed, I found myself with more time on my mat. As someone who is a first responder and was elbow deep at times during the pandemic this practice was my little piece of calm in the storm. I also kept thinking back to that broke college student who couldn’t afford to take a yoga class and wished there was a way to make it more accessible. I began my YTT on January 3 and am excited to have graduated in April! I am currently working on my 300 YTT because I just love learning and bringing what I learn to my community. My goal is to bring accessible yoga to my community. There are so many health and wellness benefits to having a yoga practice and cost shouldn’t be what prevents people from practicing. Especially with times like these when we all could use some zen. Thank you for joining me on this journey and I look forward to seeing all of you on the mat! 🧘🏽‍♀️