A bit about me.

Hello, 

My name is Rachel Feddes. I live in southern Canada by the shores of Lake Huron on a dairy farm with my husband and 4 children. I am grateful to live close to the earth and wide open skies. My help on the farm these days is mostly in the office. I also work at my children’s elementary school as an Educational Assistant. I have been studying Yoga passionately for over 2 decades. I am a Yoga teacher and Yoga therapist in the Viniyoga Tradition. 

My journey with Yoga started indirectly in Asia. I was an ESL teacher and on my days off or holidays I would travel near and far to visit temples, auspicious sites or simply plant myself in beautiful garden sanctuaries for rest. It was on these occasions that I witnessed people practising ancient healing arts. Meditation, tai chi and yoga were very intriguing to me and like nothing I had experienced growing up in rural Ontario. I wanted to explore more and find out what this was all about but I was guided back to Toronto and took a corporate office job. In 1999 I attended my first yoga class and it only took the sound of the opening prayer to connect me to a place deep within myself where I sensed profound peace. Then, and there marked the beginning of a daily practice and to my surprise I was able to let go of obvious bad habits and begin to embrace healthier choices and lifestyle within weeks of this new discipline. However, my journey has not been straightforward and it took a few different schools of Yoga to find the “right fit”. I left the corporate world enrolled in a Yoga Teacher Training program and had “The Heart of Yoga” by TKV Desikachar drop into my hands. As I read through the pages I was so touched by the depth of this tradition. Desikachar was not talking fast answers or enlightenment in two days. He shared a substantive, in depth approach for the serious search I was on. It resonated deeply. After a stint of teaching several asana focused classes daily all across the city, I burnt out mentally and physically and suffered with depression. But, did I stop....No. 

I felt certain that Yoga could heal. I was just scratching the surface. So the obvious thing to do was hop on a plane back to India. This time spending a year doing another intense teacher training program and I immersed myself in the culture on the foothills of the Himalayas. I share all of this because as it would turn out during this time there was a Viniyoga teacher living only 10 minutes from where I grew up. I flew all over the world to come back to rural Ontario and find a humble teacher in the Viniyoga tradition. 2002 began the beginning of Viniyoga in my life. Inspired and deeply touched by “The Heart of Yoga”, I felt relieved that I was getting closer to my target. I had quite literally “come home”. I remember sensing the stable and firm foundation this tradition rests on in my initial consultation with my first mentor. Viniyoga is a thorough, holistic, multi- dimensional approach and left me feeling cared for, seen and heard. This was a huge contrast from the standardized “one size fits all “ styles that I had been doing. The personalized practises were a gift. I was able to manage anxiety and depression naturally and this allowed me to keep my head above water with many changes in my personal life. Having one to one support from a mentor, being introduced to vedic chanting, studying yoga sutra, I felt I was finally feeding that deep part in myself that had been so hungry. 

In 2005, I got married and immediately began a family. During all of my pregnancies my practise sustained, strengthened and prepared me for the arrival of my children. Born at home with no complications, I feel grateful and confident to say this is largely due to Viniyoga and the intelligent practises that prepared me mentally and physically for labour and delivery. In 2015, I got my wings back and travelled to meet Kausthub in Florida for an “Intro to Yoga” therapy workshop. Even though I spent much of the 3 days crying this was not a negative response, in fact, it was wonderful, uplifting and empowering. Kausthub became my primary mentor and Yoga teacher. With the blessings from my family I was able to commit to the 3 year Yoga Therapy training in Belgium, 2016-2019. This training was much more than a certification program. I connected with other earnest students in this tradition and we built a safe, supportive global network. At times, I wondered if I had consciously enrolled myself into some type of torture chamber? That I had willingly agreed to be ripped wide open. I confess, I was a complete control freak desperately trying to hold everything together. It was here, over the course of the three years that I began to venture deep within. The light went out and it got very dark. I was filled with fear, confusion, doubt and anger. I desperately sought pleasure. Anxiously I looked for something to ease the pain. I stuck with the practise, study and teaching. Slowly, through all the rubble I was able to make the connection to my heart and I began to sense that the heart IS where all answers reside. I had to believe in myself, let go of the patterns of the world and dig deep into my purpose here on earth or just die. Time to stop running and give permission to myself to BE. The journey to oneself is the road less travelled but, in my opinion, the one worth taking. After completion of Yoga Therapy training I knew I wanted to help others. As my children grow I am now able to create space in my life to share my passion for Yoga . In a time when so many people seem to be “tuning out” Yoga is a tool to “tune in”. This tradition has the potency to help society - body, mind and spirit. It is not a New Age, superficial club. I am committed to this and call it, Raven Wellness ~ The Healing Art of Yoga. 

Currently I use my yoga training in my role as EA in elementary school. I can be one to one, in a small group or an entire class. ALL situations benefit from Yoga. Simple movement and breath awareness calms the students' entire system and they can ground. This has become especially important during the pandemic. Everyone needs to ground, come out of their heads into their body and connect with their heart. 

Living in a rural, conservative community has not been easy for me. I guess I am highly sensitive, however, I have learned that this is not my weakness but my strength and a gift from the divine. It assists me to see and feel the individuals in front of me. For the past 6 years I have been teaching a weekly community class. This class has become sacred space because it is here the students check in and care for themselves. Mostly the focus is on asana and pranayama however, slowly they open to sound. I am also teaching at a local studio. I am offering Kids , Traditional and soon Prenatal. My goal is to reach all stages of life. I love group classes but my greatest joy is getting to work one to one with clients for Yoga therapy. Real heart to heart connections.

My longest student is Janeen. She is 92 years young. She has been coming to group classes for 15 years. When she started coming to yoga she was no stranger to physical movement. At the age of 76 she was still swimming 1 mile, front crawl, 3 times per week. She insisted on challenging herself physically but over time her practise has become a time to release and relax. It is a safe space to accept and also let go. Breath work and visualization continue to support her at this stage in her life. 

My favourite part of the Viniyoga tradition is the respect to the individual. It is a sensitive method. It does not prescribe one set of movements. It evolves over time and is multi dimensional so absolutely everybody can have a useful, potent, personalized practise. I feel this makes it accessible to all ages, abilities and stages of life.

Most people when asking me about coming to a yoga class still think they need to be flexible to join. I hope to help dismantle this huge misunderstanding of yoga. Yoga is not based on how flexible the body is. Yoga is about connection. Connection to one's own heart. My goal is to help those seeking care create an environment within themselves that is thriving, not merely surviving. 

Namaste.