Rachel Brathen has 1.2 million friends.
Well, maybe we exaggerate. But
1.2 million followers on Instagram follow her every sun soaked, coconut-drinking move. As “Yoga Girl”, Rachel’s transplanted life from Sweden to Aruba is captured in stunning images and poetic words.
Rachel took some time off her hands (because Yoga Girl can seriously rock a one-armed handstand) to talk to us about
her new book coming out. As we spoke, six dogs barked in the background, three of which she rescued and were awaiting adoption. She laughed, “welcome to the doggie hostel.”
We think it’s more “Welcome to paradise,” Rachel.
How long have you been living the life in Aruba?
For five years.
So do you miss Sweden?
No, not at all. It is very nice. I don’t love the cold and the darkness so much. I am happy to be here.
Did you move to Aruba prepared to be a yoga sensation?
I was already teaching, but not full time. It was something I did on the side. When I came to Aruba, there was almost no
yoga community. This was the place to start and make it something real. It worked.
How did it turn into social media fame?
That came gradually. I started Instagram as a personal account where I could share yoga on the beach. One day, I had a rough day and I decided to share my deeper emotions publically. I got this tremendous response. I shared something bigger and it started growing from there. People really want and crave
something genuine, especially with social media which can be so much on the surface.
It’s true. Everyone looks so happy on social media.
Everyone’s life is perfect on Instagram! Mine is pretty good, but I try to keep it real.
Who is your photographer?
And now you’re a writer!
That is something I thought I would do with my life – write! All of the sudden I had all of these people listening to me. That was a massive advantage to social media, knowing that people are interested in what you have to say.
Was it intimidating to take such a big project into your hands?
It is a huge undertaking but it came pretty easily to me. My publishing house is in Sweden, but English is my better language. I speak four languages. I wrote the book in English and I had to rewrite the book in Swedish to fit with the publisher. It turned into an entirely different book. Once we had the Swedish book ready, I had to retranslate it back into English! That was a lot of work. I am kind of happy I am done with that part.
Can you give us a sneak peak into what to expect?
It’s a journey towards
finding a yoga practice. A lot of it is about my past and the obstacles I faced and my own life lessons. Every chapter ties in with a yoga sequence and some healthy recipes. It’s a big book of inspiration for happy living. It’s a little bit like my Instagram feed put into the pages of a book.
We need to know…how do we work our way up to one-armed handstands?
I mean, you have to practice! That’s the only way. When I started, I couldn’t touch my toes. I suffered from
a lot of back pain and I was terrified of exercise and things that would risk aggravating the pain. My first years of practice were very restorative, calm and breath oriented. It took me awhile to build that strength. Once I did, I felt better and better. I was lacking the core strength to support my lower back, but then I was scared that I would mess up my lower back if I did any core exercises. It was a viscous circle. My upper body strength is very solid, but backbending – that’s my work. We all have our own homework in the practice.
Does your super human strength come alongside a super human diet?
I’m a healthy eater, but I don’t overdo it. I don’t deny myself the good things in life for the sake of looking a certain way. I eat a lot of dessert and I drink a lot of wine! But I’m vegetarian and I eat a lot of greens and I try to eat as organic as I can.
You need your fuel for your travel schedule.
I normally do about ten retreats a year. It’s a lot! This year there is a lot of touring for the book. Two months in the States and we are going to the 16 countries where the book is being released. We are cutting down the retreats this year. For me, growing up, staying in one place was always harder than moving. I’ve always been kind of a wanderer. That
makes the travel easier. But I so appreciate being home and sitting on my couch and doing nothing. It’s underrated.
We have to ask: does the social media fame take some getting used to?
It’s super odd! Of course. I meet people every day. Whether it’s at the airport or the grocery store, people know what I did that day. Most of the time, it’s really beautiful. People give me these long hugs. It’s strange to have a world knowing you without you knowing them. I’m getting used to it more and more.
We have a feeling that after the launch of her book, she’ll have a few more random hugs.
Get your eager yogi hands on Rachel’s new Book, Yoga Girl, here.
