About Me
Rachael grew up in the bush of Daisy Hill (Queensland, Australia), between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, playing and learning amongst tree ferns and grass trees at the start of a gully, sharing the land with koalas, wallabies, kookaburras, you name it.
Connection with nature is a deep and lasting part of her way of being in the world.
This continues to influence many of her life choices, such as composting, finding second-hand items for use wherever possible, not owning a car and instead cycling for transport.
Rachael's parents still live on that property in Daisy Hill, although much has changed around it, and she loves going home to visit and feel the stability of that long connection with family and the land.
Tree climbing and cartwheeling were favourite childhood pastimes, leading to a stint of non-competitive gymnastics from ages 8-10.
Yoga first entered the mix when Rachael was a fresh and curious 19 year old, studying a Bachelor of Science (Cognitive Science) at the University of Queensland (UQ). The combination of breath awareness with movement, followed by a period of relaxed but attentive stillness, had a deep impact, helping Rachael to sleep better, to feel less social anxiety, and to relax into herself as a budding adult. These are gifts that she continues to enjoy, and that she loves to share now as a teacher herself.
At 23 Rachael found Circus. She was offered a spare ticket to a Vulcana Circus show, and life was changed forever! She knew this was her thing!! Layering in the creativity and playfulness of circus with the presence and compassion of yoga has brought Rachael much depth and joy on her journey through life.
After a few years of circus training, Rachael began performing, and this was her main career for 7 years, living in a series of caravans, travelling Australia and South East Asia for work, and generally living the Carnie life!
Pushing through a natural shyness to enter the world of performing was a great challenge, and one that lasted far longer than Rachael initially envisioned, with much learnt and many friendships built along the way.
In her mid-20s, Rachael was blessed to be introduced to Zen Buddhist Meditation, and her practice of regular sitting meditation began. Now with more than 20 years of exploring this discipline, mostly under the guidance of Gregg Howard from the Ordinary Mind Zen Brisbane group, she is so grateful for the way that it has helped her to see herself more clearly, and to soften her relationship with herself and others.
After finishing her Science degree Rachael spent a year working as the Environment Officer in the UQ Student Union, running the organic food co-op and getting involved in various campaigns to raise environmental awareness and improve practices on campus and in the wider community.
This led to a desire for more practical life skills, such as food growing, and Rachael spent 2001 WWOOFing up and down the east coast of Australia, exchanging labour for food and shelter, learning lots of Permaculture tricks from organic farmers, and even doing some DIY bush plumbing!
Several years went by filled with the delights of yoga, meditation, gardening, cycling, circus, circus and more circus! Heaven!!
But to feel really alive you must be actively growing, and eventually Rachael decided to go back to Uni and study a Post-Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education. The school system felt a bit too constraining, but she finished the degree, and then moved into Outdoor Education, spending 6 years part-time as an outdoor guide for teenagers on wilderness camps, exploring a back-to-basics approach to learning and growth through challenge.
Outdoor education was a rewarding but demanding job, both physically and energetically. And the on-again, off-again nature of part-time Outdoor Ed mixed with part-time circus training led to some sore joints, nerve pain and lots of physiotherapy. While challenging at the time, these experiences have deepened Rachael's understanding of the body, increased her awareness of the need for balance in all things, and really brought home the integrally connected nature of the body, mind and spirit. It is often the case that the things that challenge us the most are also where we have the most potential for growth. We just have to stay present and lean into the discomfort as best we can.
During this time her physio suggested some hanging inversions as therapy for her neck, and that's when Rachael found Aerial Yoga! The combination of circus aerials and yoga, two of her greatest loves, into this new discipline, just made so much sense. Rachael trained as a teacher in the Anti-Gravity aerial yoga method over several years with Renae Stevens, and began sharing the benefits of this adaptable, supportive system with the wider community.
In 2015 Rachael set her intention to becoming a floor-based yoga teacher, studying a year-long, 350 hour Teacher Training course with her main yoga teacher, Kate Pell, and has been teaching ever since to a growing fan base of students who appreciate her down-to-earth and joyful style. She teaches regular group classes in several yoga studios and corporate workplaces, and private classes too.
Those initial trainings in yoga and aerial yoga have since been supplemented with several other fabulous trainings to broaden and deepen Rachael's scope of offerings, including Yoga for Spinal Care with Donna Farhi, Yin Yoga and MFR with Jo Phee, Restorative Yoga with Kirsty Innes, Emotional Literacy for Yogis with Livia Cohen-Shapiro, Aerial Yoga Therapeutics with Renae Stevens and Mindfulness training with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.
In recent years Rachael is gradually transitioning from teaching lots of regular group classes, towards offering more: Private sessions – where she can really target the needs and growth of the individual; Workshops – where there is time for a deeper exploration of a particular aspect of yoga; and Retreats – which allow a fabulous, multi-day deep dive into a state of presence that can then be brought back to flavour our everyday lives.
Rachael loves wearing ridiculously bright and colourful clothes, and takes special delight in monochrome outfits, especially all jade or all fuscia. She makes her own passionfruit kombucha, dabbles in fibre arts when there is time, and is locally famous for her exuberant laugh!
She hopes that we are on the cusp of a global awakening, where all humans realise that all living beings are one. May we treat ourselves, each other, the Earth and the entire Universe with love and respect.
"The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What will you plant there?"
- Jack Kornfield
“Always great class. It’s awesome to attend on a Saturday morning- feels good to do something so beautiful and relaxing. Really works my body after a hard week.”
— Natasha Shaw
“An amazing and uplifting class as always!”
— Rachel Houghton