Rise and Wild

As she left my class this morning, Leslie said to me “Rachel. Your classes are medicine. It’s so much more y’know.... It’s a mind, body experience. I am so glad that I found you.” Stood there, watching her with kindness and intent in her eyes, my own welled up. Listening, receiving, smiling. What a gift it is to be sharing the wisdom and the qualities of a practice that I’ve devoted so much of my life to exploring. Practicing yoga. Practicing being here in this body. Aware. Present. Calm. Sometimes anxious. Back to calm. Other times overwhelmed, joyful, soft, slow, angry, shallow breathing. Belly breathing. Mmm. Belly breathing! Practicing balance. Pranayama. Meditation. Practicing peacefulness, stillness, surrender and sacrifice. Practicing beyond asana (the postures). Deepening my understanding of what it means to be human, to have this body and to be influenced, ohoho so influenced, by the world and the people and the creatures and landscapes we share our lives with. It’s a practice, yoga. It’s a showing up. Choosing and practicing to live well. Sometimes we nail it and sometimes we fail and sometimes we forget and not often enough do we celebrate the medicine that is at our finger tips. Here I am, with you, learning and guiding & reminding one another as we go 🌍

Finding wonder in the spaces in-between. In the small places, the unexpected, the catch you by surprise on an idle afternoon. You know the ones. Something, a glimpse, and a rush of sensation floods the body, speaks to the heart and captures our eyes. It’s how I felt here, walking with a friend through the forest, deep in conversation. Until we both paused. We left the path in silence and looked. We wondered and we ooooohhhhed and ahhhhed. Ahhhhh. Look! The wall sang to me with her jagged teeth and stones lay by hands however long ago. Miranda was smiling, practically grinning, reaching out to touch the flowers in all their lifefullness and glory. Photographing them like loved ones. It was so lovely to witness her there in the moment, breathing it all in. Being there with the hawkweed. The cow parsley. The insects and the grasses and man, those stones. That moment. May our lives sparkle with those moments, those pockets of noticing how beautiful and bizarre and unique this life really is ✨

A couple of spaces have become available for our much loved Rise and Wild Retreat Day in a very special woodland near Macclesfield 🌲 Sunday 18 August, 10am - 4pm.

https://www.riseandwild.com/wild-retreat-days

“Thank you for a wonderful day. It was a perfect mix of my favourite things; good food, conversation & connection, relaxation, and a bit of adventure with the swim and nature collecting ☺️ I loved it all! You brought together a lovely group and the space is magical”. ~ words from Tom who joined us earlier in the year.

What’s included? ✨
Gentle yoga & embodiment practices on the land (inside a wooden cabin of it rains), woodland walking and mindfulness practices, exploring & nature creating, wild swimming in the lake, a delicious two-course lunch cooked over fire with seasonal ingredients, time to relax, connect, learn, practice and experience wonder.

🌱 Everybody is welcome aged 16+. There’s no need to have any experience, all the practices are invitational and designed to nourish rather than challenge us. We keep numbers small & our days are held in a family owned, private woodland.

Find out more here: https://www.riseandwild.com/wild-retreat-days

Feel welcome to message me with any questions 🤍

Over the years, so many people have said to me, “I can’t practice yoga because I’m not flexible enough”. I hear it all the time, along with “I wouldn’t be able to do it because I can’t get down onto the ground, or I’m not quick/strong/fit/calm enough. I don’t have anybody to come with, I’m not confident enough or I can’t afford it”. I really hear those realities and feel strongly about how many practices there are out there that reinforce similar beliefs & barriers. Not every yoga class can be for everybody, and I’m very open about the sessions I teach that are only accessible, for example by car (the woodland ones). My most accessible class is the chair-based one, bringing folk together for a 45-minute seated practice, a natter and for those who fancy it, a brew afterwards. The practice I teach has the same theme & movement patterns as my other classes that week, the only difference is that it’s seated. I love the process of creating something that can be expressed in different ways, that speak to different people & their individuality. As I grow as a teacher, my class plans are becoming more & more fluid, responding to the people who attend in those moments. I try to create an environment where everybody feels involved and comfortable, especially if they’re doing something different to the person next to them. That’s not to say I won’t encourage you, at times, to explore your comfort zones. And sometimes I get it wrong, and sometimes I forget and often we figure it out together. I learn so much from you, with you. Liz has been joining my weekly chair-based yoga classes, the first time she’s ever felt she could practice yoga, and she recently said “I had no idea what I’ve been missing out on all this time.” The classes are offered on a pay-what-you-can scale from £0 - £8, people who don’t have a lot financially come for free and people who have enough pay what they can (I offer this for all my classes). If you ever want to talk about what’s involved, or share experiences where yoga really hasn’t been accessible for you, or to come and try a class for free, message me 🤍 photo taken after a class & shared with their permission.

~ Life in the water 🐟

So many people ask me “why are we drawn to water?” Why do we feel at peace being by and in bodies of water? Is it something to do with our body being made up of the stuff? That it’s where we came from, before our bodies met land? Studies show that (for those who feel safe) the benefits of being outdoors increase where water is present, and I feel that in my own experience. Almost as though there’s a magnet in my bones that really feels this deep draw. Sometimes I get in the van and can’t help but drive to the coast, and there’s that feeling, like a bodily sigh, when I arrive. A homecoming. I had a brew the other day & Ash and Jim were beaming telling me about their recent adventure to Pembrokeshire swimming in the sea. “It felt incredible!”. It does feel incredible! Yes! My body responded with that same feeling. My best friend has been pregnant recently and she has taken herself to lakes and pools to swim and be, to feel the water holding her body & baby with a lightness that we don’t experience on land. Each week, I swim in the lake I’m in here, sharing the evening with a small group of folk who join me for an outdoor yoga practice, and I watch their eyes light up and their faces beam with joy. There are so many stories of awe and wonder I could share, my own and other folks, of our connection to the lakes, the rivers and seas.

Gratitude for my friend and incredibly talented photographer who captured this moment when she joined us at our Wild Retreat Day last year 🤍

This year I’ve been working with the Our Dee Estuary project, a Heritage Lottery funded programme led by Cheshire Wildlife Trust designed to inspire coastal communities about the natural heritage of the Dee Estuary. They approached me to design and deliver Coastal Connection training days for community facilitators & organisations who create opportunities for social connection to improve wellbeing. We created experiential opportunities for each group, to learn about the process of deepening our relationship with nature (our own and that which we are part of), and to put it into practice... To connect, explore, share barriers and find solutions within the work that they do and want to do. Each day unfolded differently, responding to the needs of the group and the lay of the land, sharing facilitation skills, mindfulness practices, nature knowledge and conservation toolkits, with opportunities to slow down, respond, listen and to truly connect. I design and deliver these days but the people who come along (fully funded, free places 🙏🏼) really make them what they are. It’s been a real joy collaborating with Hannah and supporting the team with the incredible work they are enabling .

Lean into something new & create a Monday evening routine 🙌🏽 to set yourself up for the week.

Join me from Monday 15 July for a Summer programme of yoga classes, each Monday over six weeks.

Reflections from Nicky… “I always thought yoga wasn’t for me, I’m not the most flexible!, however your classes are amazing & have become an important part of my exercise & wellbeing, there’s no pressure to be anything you’re not or do anything you can’t, but with encouragement I’ve achieved more than I thought possible”. 🤍

Would you like to lean into something new? To move your body, stay mobile and at the same time, feel rested & rejuvenated? Experience the ease of your breath and a little more peace of mind. I share grounding practices, beautiful poetry and yoga teachings that support us in our day-to-day life.

If you’re interested or would like more info get in touch (comment / message on the post / or email [email protected]) ☺️

Yoga with Rach @ Rise And Wild
https://www.riseandwild.com/yoga

Mondays 6pm
or Mondays 7.30pm
📍Rainow, Macclesfield

When Same But Different asked to interview me for (a publication for people affected by rare disease, disability and cancer & their communities, with content that is truly inclusive), I was honoured and so excited to meet with them. We had a humbling conversation about wholeness, about unifying our collective experiences and celebrating and sharing differences. Sally and the team transformed my words and gestures, passions & frustrations into a 4-page article. It captures a little of my journey and my care for being an inclusive yoga teacher who advocates for accessible, welcoming practices, celebrating & honouring all bodies. If you would like to read the article, please comment below and I’ll share the link with you 🤍

P.S. Whilst my first yoga teachers were in the Iyengar discipline (over 10 years ago) this is no longer my area of study. I teach a much gentler, grounding practice anchored in yoga philosophy & nature’s way.

🌱

I have a special offer for anybody (and all bodies are welcome) who would like to try one of my yoga classes this week to celebrate the summer solstice 🌞 I’m offering a half-price class (£5) at my Monday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday classes ~ see photo of timetable attached to post.

Message me on Facebook or email [email protected] if you’d like to come along or would like more info!

What to expect?

💫 One hour class with options for all abilities. Beginners very welcome!

✨ I teach grounding yoga postures and movement for mobility encouraging exploration, steadiness, and relaxation.

☀️Mindful practices inspired by nature invite us to connect with and regulate our breathing, calming for body and mind.

🌎 Philosophy for wellbeing, making it relevant for day-to-day living.

🕊️ An hours peace for you, with practices guided by an experienced teacher (10 years +).

Join me this evening (or an upcoming Wednesday!) at our beautiful community hub at Silk House Therapy & Wellbeing to explore and experience the benefits of Yoga practice ✨👇🏼🤍

Find out more about me (Rachel) on my website & please feel welcome to message me to ask about classes or any questions ~ https://www.riseandwild.com

🌞 Community classes for increased mobility, ease and wellbeing in a beautiful, spacious and light church in Rainow, Macclesfield

~ Join me for a new six-week course starting this Monday (or book to try one session first!)

I guide you through an hour-long practice exploring gentle movement, breathwork, mindfulness and relaxation. This is yoga with a difference… I offer lots of options and teach from an inclusive, all bodies & beginners welcome approach whilst also offering opportunities to deepen your practice 🌱

Find out more about Monday 6pm classes: https://www.riseandwild.com/service-page/mondays-6pm?referral=service_list_widget

Find out more about Monday 7.30pm classes: https://www.riseandwild.com/service-page/mondays-730pm?referral=service_list_widget

Message me with any questions 🥰

Retreat to a beautiful woodland near Macclesfield with us on Saturday 18 May 🌲 10 - 4pm for a down to earth, nature-filled day.

There will be time, space and practices encouraging us to rest, play and rejuvenate. Move your body, calm your mind and get to know the land . Nature-based activities are woven throughout to support your wellbeing, with time to explore, share, reflect and refuel for the week ahead. Experience the magic of a wild retreat close to home, including a two-course seasonal lunch. Two spaces left!

🌱 Wild Retreat Days, find out more & save your place here: https://www.riseandwild.com/wild-retreat-days

Looking back and moving forward - a reflection of the past 5 years of FRESH CAMHS at Alder Hey. - NHS Forest Carl Dutton is a mental health practitioner, Forest School leader, Nature Well facilitator and psychotherapist. He works for Alder Hey Children’s NHS

Join a friendly, inclusive yoga* class with me 🌱 at Silk House Wellbeing on Pickford Street on Friday mornings, 9.30 - 10.30am.

*slow, gentle, revitalising movement and breathing practices that support us to find peace, ease & improved wellbeing for both body & mind.

🌬️“Rach has helped me to fall in love with moving my body all over again. It was a nervous start - I question everything and anything - but now I look forward to my morning classes. Thank you for allowing me to reconnect with my body and helping me work on my mind. Honestly love it” (words from one of the people who join me).

Find out more & try a class here: https://www.riseandwild.com/service-page/yoga-fri-macclesfield?referral=service_list_widget

For my weekly class times: https://www.riseandwild.com/yoga

A weekend retreat in the Peak District!

Joy, feasts, yoga, rest, retreat. Come! Join me & Feastable 🤍

https://www.feastable.co.uk/ashbourne

Waking up to pine trees and the sea loch from a little cottage in the middle of wild lands on the Cowal peninsula (a few weekends ago). Cooking meals together, all of us involved and dancing around the kitchen navigating who, what, where, how long, and the sensational heat of an aga. Jumping in the loch’s icy cold water and running back up the hill feeling alive, awake & grateful, dogs in tow. Watching little birds and red squirrels, listening to peacefulness, and finding endless wonder in the enormity of the landscape. Offline, swapping screens for board games, and better connected than ever 🌲

“I’ve always felt like yoga wasn’t for me. Until I found Rachel’s classes… Knowing I can come exactly as I am and feel ok… Like I belong here and actually enjoy being here!” ~ words from a lovely person who has been joining weekly since their first class a few months ago.

Mellow & inclusive yoga classes in and around Macclesfield. I teach in a kind, enquiry-led way that invites you to find your own pace and really learn about and enjoy the practice, whether it’s your first time or you’ve been practicing for years.

❍ Mondays 6pm + 7.30pm
❍ Tuesdays 10am
❍ Wednesdays 6pm
❍ Thursdays 2pm
❍ Fridays 9.30am

You can find out more & book a class through my website: www.riseandwild.com/yoga and if you have any questions (or hesitations!), please message me ☺️

Do you love yoga? Or want to try something new?🌺

Why not try Wild Yoga with Rachel Barker from Rise and Wild🌿

Green Angels - The Land Trust are hosting Wild Yoga at Hassall Green Nature Reserve on Thursday 18th April from 2pm-4pm

To book your space please contact: [email protected]

We have a special £25 off voucher for folks wanting to join us this Saturday at our Breath Connection Retreat Day.

We’ll be leaning into this hopeful energy of Spring 🌱 Sharing practices & ways we can live with more ease and joy in body, mind and daily life. Exploring our connection with nature, how to improve digestion and sleep, and workshops about how to breathe for our best health. There will be qigong and restorative yoga, dynamic breathwork, learning about the benefits of cold water (including ice baths for those who want to experience it), time outdoors, nutrition advice and a delicious lunch + seasonal snacks, and 3 experienced facilitators guiding you through the day.

Book now and have something to look forward to this week.

Sat 13 April, 10am - 5pm
Mellor, Stockport,
£70 (with this £25 off voucher: reset25)
Everything is invitational & suitable for folks new to these practices.

https://www.thebreathconnection.org/booking-calendar/full-day-reset-retreat

Comment or message with any questions 🌻 Hope to see you & share the day together on Saturday.

Our Tuesday morning Chair Yoga 🪑 classes continue through April, if you or somebody you know would like to give it a go. It’s gentle, low impact and supports our overall wellbeing.

Join us on Tuesday, 10.15am - 11.00am, at Holy Trinity Church in Rainow, Macclesfield. Classes are £8 or pay what you can and you don’t need any experience or to bring anything... The practice is seated (on a chair). Wear comfy clothing & warm socks!

“What a great way to start a Tuesday with Rachel’s lovely class . She makes you so welcome and adapts to suit everyone’s ability”. (Thank you to one of our participants for their kind words)

If you would like to join us, send me a Facebook message or email [email protected]

🧘🏼‍♂️🧘🏽‍♀️🪑☕️🍪

Standing with trees 🌲 Encouraging curiosity, child-like wonder and compassionate action. I recently read a definition of a tree hugger as “someone who is regarded as foolish or annoying because of being too concerned about protecting trees, animals, and other parts of the natural world from pollution and other threats”. I mean, what do I even say to that? Too concerned 😅 with caring about the environment, the living world, that which we are part of. Our home. Other living beings homes. I’ve said before how sometimes, when I’m guiding practices in woodlands, folks will avoid getting too close, joking about not wanting to be a tree hugger… it demonstrates the power of language and shame that’s been cultivated in our society. Hug the trees. Hug one another! This age of disconnect and name-calling and branding people as being too sensitive & overly emotional, it’s time for a different story to unfold. One of remembering, whilst acknowledging our impact and our responsibility now as guardians (note: we chose that role, the trees would be just fine without us). Living in a way that nurtures our relationships 🌎 rather than utilising nature as a resource or trying to bypass it entirely.

I’m two months into a (six month) continuing education training & mentoring programme for yoga teachers. It’s creaking my experience of this practice open wider each week, with curiosity and confusion and play and deepening presence. Connection. Awareness. This dance, which is at times slow, and sometimes sultry, and occasionally like being back in the mosh pit of my teenage years! The dance with existence. Studying ancient philosophy and more modern texts in a way that invites us to experience it in body as well as mind. Embodying philosophy in our asana & pranayama & chanting practices and beyond, in life off the mat, in the forest and cafes and conversations and moments of stillness and stress and sat in traffic. Noticing life moving through. Cultivating creativity and diving into the psychology of teaching. Feeling really thankful to be here with a bunch of souls joining from all over Europe studying, making sense, getting lost & finding our way. The journey continues with this beautiful training container (and life), a classroom without walls… Earthing, undoing, being and belonging. Thank you (and , who guided me to this place) for sharing your teachings.

What’s the point of practicing? When you go to a class, what are you doing? Are you present or making shapes based on looking at what your teacher is demonstrating? What are you learning? With what are you uniting?

The other day I went to what was called PiYo… a Pilates-Yoga class. I should have known better. It wasn’t Yoga and it wasn’t Pilates. It was a fitness class, moving quickly and following the instructor with very little time to really experience what was going on other than trying to catch my breath. As somebody with hyper-mobility, my limbs were flailing everywhere and I felt so out of sync. A creeping thought of “I’m not good enough” tried to make its way in. The instructor was lovely and it was a great workout for some of the people there. But yoga isn’t a work out. It’s more of a work-in-and-then-beyond. It’s a remembering, a spiritual practice. We don’t need PiYo, we don’t need calorie burning Power Yoga, or any of the other gimmicks and we certainly don’t need “Goat Yoga” (yep it’s a thing and no, just no).

More than ever we need heart-led and earth-felt practices, ones that ripple out and remind people what we’re doing here. That requires a regular practice and taking what we experience on the mat, off the mat and into our lives. And let’s be clear, you don’t really even need a mat. In spring, get out on the grass and into the sand and stand upon stone. Stand with stone. Yoga can change our lives. Deepening our relationship with nature will change our lives. If there’s no connection between the parts of you and the parts of life that remind us that we are whole and one and everything and nothing. What’s the point? It’s time to come home to what deep deep down we already know. Yoga asana is one part of yoga, just as going for a walk is one element of connecting with nature. They’re a vehicle. But where is it taking you? Honour a practice that works like a map, to guide you and support you, to lift you up and ground you down and to find your way when you get lost. The layers are infinite. You are infinite 🌀

*edit* We’re now fully booked for 24 March. To join the waitlist please message me 🙏🏼🤍

Would you like to join me for a nourishing Sunday morning workshop in March? Explore ways to find ease in the body, peace for the mind & a deeper connection to our inner nature…

Sunday 24 March
10am - 1pm
Macclesfield

Find out more and book here 🤍
https://www.riseandwild.com/workshops

Not long now until I return to Hassall Green Nature Reserve to guide these much loved every other week yoga classes with nature 🌿 They’re free to attend, always involve a brew and a natter, and opportunity to connect with our bodymind, local people and an incredible wild space.

We invite you to join our FREE Wild Yoga workshops down at Hassall Green Nature Reserve on Thursday 21st March 2024 from 2-4pm with Rachel from Rise and Wild . We incorporate gentle, nature-based yoga practices which will allow you to....

🌲Explore mindful, accessible movement, helping the body to release tension, calm the mind and reconnect with our breathing

🌲Grounding yoga postures encourage us to cultivate inner strength, balance and relaxation

🌲Teachings include philosophy and nature-based wisdom to support our day-to-day welbeing

All the practices are based outdoors and are FREE and aimed at anyone 18+. All equipment provided.

No previous experience required and booking is essential. Contact [email protected] for more info

Walking along the Middlewood Way and the reflections of the trees & the sky playing with the surface and the depths of plants in the water stopped me in my tracks. I stood for a while, watching. Nature has a knack for that, doesn’t she… The way she invites us back to her. To notice the beauty and the not so, the nonuniform and the way that they play with our senses. The colour, the stillness, the way that the light falls and illuminates. The invitation to pause and wonder and remember how incredibly crazy & beautiful and unique it is to be here, to exist as part of all this.