Yogashoot makes it’s debut at Bumbershoot this 2016 Labor Day Weekend. The 3-day festival brings artists from far and wide for a musical, theatrical and yogic journey! Seattle Yoga News reached out to Rachel Brathen, aka Yoga_Girl on Instagram, to ask her about the life she has manifested in the beautiful beaches of Aruba and beyond.

Are you where you want to be in life? what could you not be more thankful for? What are you lacking?

As a whole, I think the big pieces and big picture, like husband, dogs, career and following my passion. I could not be more thankful for the community that supports me globally and everything that I set out to create – which is so magical. I feel like I’m lacking a little bit of routine. Right now we’re creating a lot of big things and at the same time it’s a little bit erratic trying to keep track of everything. But I feel like we’re heading towards a place that’s more structured and will eventually become easy to manage.

What were some of the factors that helped you figure out this is where you are meant to be?

For me that’s really easy. I always just think of following happiness. If you’re not feeling happy or you’re not content, that’s a pretty good sign that maybe it’s time to move or shift or change something so whenever you feel at peace or full of happiness in my life, that’s how I know I’m on the right track. Following your happiness is always a really good thing.

What are some tips you can give someone who is at the edge of their vision, but need some motivation or guidance to turn it into a reality?

People ask me this all the time when I manifest what I’m dreaming of- can you give me some advice on how to really move forward and make my dream come true? The number one tip I can give is to get really really clear about what it is that you want to create. I find that many people are sometimes a bit discontent about life or they know they want to change something but they don’t know what it is, or they have a general feeling of not being in balance with where there they are in life. Getting really specific and figuring out in detail exactly what do I want? Is it a career change? What do I want to do? Do I want to start my own business or get a promotion? Do I want to quit my job and do my own thing? What is it that I’m dreaming of doing? It doesn’t have to be career related – it could be focused on a relationship, traveling or just creating something new. Getting really specific with what it is and writing it down is a big must.

Another tip is to try to focus more on the opportunities than the obstacles. So really envisioning how you can make it happen and see all the reasons to why it’s going to work. I think is super important. Of course it’s really important to factor in the risks and knowing what could go wrong so that you can prepare for that a little bit. I find that the more positive of an outlook we can keep, the more we can see the vision come to life and come to fruition, the easier it is to manifest. Try to not focus on the negatives and the fears. Get really oriented on the reasons why it IS going to work.

It’s good to find a really good balance between intention and action. Making sure that you have a good intention behind what you want to do. It’s more important than making a bunch of money, or the ideas of fame and success – something superficial. Have an intention that is close to your heart, so that when things get really tough or when you hit a big uphill battle or mountain to climb, you have that core intention to guide you forward. And then taking enough action to actually move. We can sit and dream and meditate on what we want, but we have to act on it. Getting really detailed with what you want to create and ask “what are five steps you can take today to start making your dream a reality?” Can I Skip my Starbucks latte and save $5 a day? Check back every week and see how much money you have by the end of year for more important projects and goals. Making connections in field with people who know how to help me move forward. Create action items so that you can actually move forward with your dreams.

What is your mantra/quote that helps to guide you? And why?

I always come back to the same one: “Trust that life will take you where you need to be.” I find especially in the moments when things aren’t going my way or not moving how I want them to or when I’m hitting a huge obstacle or when something bad happens, I tend to question what’s the fucking point or purpose. What have I done to deserve this? What could I have done to avoid this. Why is this here? So coming back to the fundamental sense of trust in the big picture that there is a learning or growth or love even in the heaviest of times.

What inspired you to create the non-profit and life that you’re currently living?

I run two non-profits. One is an animal rescue called Sgt. Pepper’s Friends. We rescue animals off the streets and find them homes all over the world.

109world is a global mission foundation. We link up with amazing social projects and use social media to raise funds, awareness, campaigns and peak with the mission’s trip. A big group of people travel and work with the project at hand. They are able to see where all the money goes and do hands on work to help change the world.

Both of these initiatives were inspired by the influence that social media has. It was 100% inspired thru social media. I found dog that was chained to a pole and literally shared on Instagram asking who could help the dog 300 people say I’ll adopt him or how can i help him? If we had 300 dogs that were available right now that we could send out for adoption, imagine the difference we could make with the one Instagram post. That’s how the animal rescue was born. Same with 109world. It was the longing to make a difference in the world and realizing what influence social media has.

Your popularity and career grew through social media. How has social media help you? How can it help others achieve their dreams/goals?

Comes back to the last question. Through social media we have a huge amount of influence. For me it’s also kind of a really good guidance to see how the community is flowing and what’s happening in the world and what are people putting their attention towards. It’s a good way to test what works and what doesn’t. When I launched one0eight.com, which is our online yoga platform, I did that solely through the influence of social media. We used crowdfunding to launch the company.

Social media is in the foundation of everything I do. If I did not have the huge community with all the support, I would still be manifesting but the process would be a lot slower.

I really love the idea of being this connected to so many people all over the world- knowing that when I feel something and I write about it that my words have the possibility of touching someone else’s heart just like that. Knowing that makes me feel connected to world and the planet as a whole.

I’d like to add for Seattle specifically – we’re with one0eight and we’re gonna be at Bumbershoot and I’ll be teaching a class there with my husband. I hope to attract a bunch of new people to one0eight and really integrate one0eight a more in the Seattle yoga community. Also, One0eight is actually based in Seattle, WA. Our corporate office is there so I’m looking forward to spreading some one0eight love to the Seattle yoga crowd. I hope to see as many people as possible at the festival. It’s super exciting!

Thank you Rachel Brathen, aka Yoga_Girl, for sharing your advice with us! We’re looking forward to making our dream lives come true!

YOGASHOOT, will offer classes led by Rachel Brathen & Liz Arch (an LA based yoga teacher). This will be Bumbershoot’s first year offering yoga classes at the festival.

Make sure you get your ticket and join us! See you at the event!

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