Rachel Brathen, Instagram photo, Good morning and happy podcast | Latest Rachel Brathen’s Instagram Picture

#RachelBrathen
Good morning and happy podcast day!!!! Today's episode is all about SLEEP🤗🏼 I talk about how I managed to function during the most sleep deprived weeks of my life (I didn't), why sleep is more important than anything and – i share every single thing we did to get Luna to sleep through the night (almost). During our worst weeks of not sleeping I read 8 books on sleep and this podcast is a compilation of everything that worked for us🏼 We have gone from her waking up every hour and never napping in the day to taking three scheduled naps of 90 minutes to 2 hours in the daytime and sleeping 7pm-6.30am at night with one feeding only. ITS THE BEST THING EVER!!!!! Listening to it now I sound kind of like a crazy person…. Well. Not sleeping makes you cray-cray!😬 And I'm slightly sleep obsessed now
It might sound like a lot but applying these things really, really saved us. We are back to having or evenings to ourselves, sleeping super well at night and with a solid routine that makes life oh-so much easier. LISTEN IN!!! Especially if you are sleep deprived. Link in my bio to listen (or search Yoga Girl on iTunes)! TAG SOMEONE WHO NEEDS SLEEP BELOW🏼🏼 #sleepislife #sleep #yogagirlpodcast

Rachel Brathen, Instagram photo, Good morning and happy podcast | Latest Rachel Brathen’s Instagram Picture

#RachelBrathen
Good morning and happy podcast day!!!! Today's episode is all about SLEEP🤗🏼 I talk about how I managed to function during the most sleep deprived weeks of my life (I didn't), why sleep is more important than anything and – i share every single thing we did to get Luna to sleep through the night (almost). During our worst weeks of not sleeping I read 8 books on sleep and this podcast is a compilation of everything that worked for us🏼 We have gone from her waking up every hour and never napping in the day to taking three scheduled naps of 90 minutes to 2 hours in the daytime and sleeping 7pm-6.30am at night with one feeding only. ITS THE BEST THING EVER!!!!! Listening to it now I sound kind of like a crazy person…. Well. Not sleeping makes you cray-cray!😬 And I'm slightly sleep obsessed now
It might sound like a lot but applying these things really, really saved us. We are back to having or evenings to ourselves, sleeping super well at night and with a solid routine that makes life oh-so much easier. LISTEN IN!!! Especially if you are sleep deprived. Link in my bio to listen (or search Yoga Girl on iTunes)! TAG SOMEONE WHO NEEDS SLEEP BELOW🏼🏼 #sleepislife #sleep #yogagirlpodcast

Rachel Brathen, Instagram photo, @dennisfromsalad you surprise me all | Latest Rachel Brathen’s Instagram Picture

#RachelBrathen
@dennisfromsalad you surprise me all the time.
It's my birthday today and it's full moon and it's a harvest moon. Harvest Moon by Neil Young was our wedding song. I remember when I told the DJ before the wedding which song we would be dancing to and I was worried; would it be awkward? Having 200+ people staring at you while dancing as newlyweds wasn't something I could envision without feeling nervous so I asked him; "at the end, could you transition to something super fun, maybe soca? So our friends can crash the dance floor and we start the party all together?" I asked. "Sure", he said. "Wedding dance, then party. Got it." The wedding weekend came and it was a whirlwind of anticipation and laughter and tears and more love than I've ever felt in my entire life. @ahlaluna had just passed away and everything we did was infused with an urgency to squeeze every drop out of life. We all felt so much.
We got married. I don't remember all of it but the sun didn't come out but it didn't rain and the arch wasn't steady so your sister and brother had to stand at the top of the aisle by the lake to hold it down. I remember feeling like we were in a Wes Anderson movie; a bit awkward but so beautiful and everything made sense. I said I do and you cried big, real tears.
After the dinner and all the speeches it was time to dance. Everyone was drunk with magic and the vibe was electric and I'd taken my heels off long ago. Harvest Moon started playing and everything else faded. We danced and it wasn't awkward. Not at all. I could have danced a thousand dances there, with you. Barefoot on a sticky floor.
The end of the song came and it was much to soon. Suddenly all our friends were there and the music became too loud and the moment was lost. I think about that dance a lot. Looking into your eyes, wondering why I ever thought it would be anything but wonderful to take the first steps to the tune that would carry us for the rest of our lives.

It hasn't been easy, transitioning from two to three. Everything is different now. But we're still us. We're still dancing. Tonight's Harvest Moon is full and little moon sleeps.

And I love you now
just like I did then.

Rachel Brathen, Instagram photo, @dennisfromsalad you surprise me all | Latest Rachel Brathen’s Instagram Picture

#RachelBrathen
@dennisfromsalad you surprise me all the time.
It's my birthday today and it's full moon and it's a harvest moon. Harvest Moon by Neil Young was our wedding song. I remember when I told the DJ before the wedding which song we would be dancing to and I was worried; would it be awkward? Having 200+ people staring at you while dancing as newlyweds wasn't something I could envision without feeling nervous so I asked him; "at the end, could you transition to something super fun, maybe soca? So our friends can crash the dance floor and we start the party all together?" I asked. "Sure", he said. "Wedding dance, then party. Got it." The wedding weekend came and it was a whirlwind of anticipation and laughter and tears and more love than I've ever felt in my entire life. @ahlaluna had just passed away and everything we did was infused with an urgency to squeeze every drop out of life. We all felt so much.
We got married. I don't remember all of it but the sun didn't come out but it didn't rain and the arch wasn't steady so your sister and brother had to stand at the top of the aisle by the lake to hold it down. I remember feeling like we were in a Wes Anderson movie; a bit awkward but so beautiful and everything made sense. I said I do and you cried big, real tears.
After the dinner and all the speeches it was time to dance. Everyone was drunk with magic and the vibe was electric and I'd taken my heels off long ago. Harvest Moon started playing and everything else faded. We danced and it wasn't awkward. Not at all. I could have danced a thousand dances there, with you. Barefoot on a sticky floor.
The end of the song came and it was much to soon. Suddenly all our friends were there and the music became too loud and the moment was lost. I think about that dance a lot. Looking into your eyes, wondering why I ever thought it would be anything but wonderful to take the first steps to the tune that would carry us for the rest of our lives.

It hasn't been easy, transitioning from two to three. Everything is different now. But we're still us. We're still dancing. Tonight's Harvest Moon is full and little moon sleeps.

And I love you now
just like I did then.

Rachel Brathen, Instagram photo, ITS MY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW | Latest Rachel Brathen’s Instagram Picture

#RachelBrathen
ITS MY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW! Normally I feed totally wild and crazy about it for an entire month and spend a ton of time arranging parties and planning (and set really high expectations for the hubs) but this year I almost forgot about it completely. This little hippie girl is all I need! (ok and @dennisfromsalad and @ringo_thegringo and @penny_thegoat and Quila and Laika and Lucy) – I guess to sum it up… Family. Just family.
28 has been really, really, really good. Let's see what 29 has to bring! #almostbirthday #family #celebration #lealuna #hippie #love

Rachel Brathen, Instagram photo, #YOGAEVERYDAMNDAY Deciding the winners of | Latest Rachel Brathen’s Instagram Picture

#RachelBrathen
#YOGAEVERYDAMNDAY
Deciding the winners of this challenge was NOT an easy decision! So many amazingly dedicated people joined the #yogaeverydamnday challenge, practiced yoga every day and opened their hearts by sharing authentically. I have chosen a winner (after help from the team to filter through thousands of posts) – sooo without further ado… @katekay86 SEE YOU IN ARUBA!!! You are free to pick any 2018 retreat dates at @island.yoga that fit you best🏼 I loved your honest reflections and beautiful dedication to self love.
The following peeps win three free months of online yoga practice with @oneoeight.tv ! Congrats @bart_vyvey @shannondellstevens @maryw415 @Projectprana @Sannajohansson92 @emeraldcarly @Victoria_Lynn92 @Jesscoromel @Catiebrown @kelsunflower 🏼 (if you are already a oneOeight tribe member you are free to gift this membership to a loved one that could benefit from practicing yoga at home!)🏼 Email experience@islandyoga.com to retrieve your prizes Aight. We're having a fajita fiesta at the house and there are veggie tacos calling my name🌮 Love you! Proud of everyone who participated. This is not the last #yogaeverydamnday challenge that I promise! x

Rachel Brathen, Instagram photo, Sometimes I can’t believe I | Latest Rachel Brathen’s Instagram Picture

#RachelBrathen
Sometimes I can't believe I get to have all of this. There were so many times in my life where I doubted if I was in the right place. And there were dark moments, heavy times where I lost faith in absolutely everything. My best friend died and then my grandmother and then my dog and then my mom tried to commit suicide. All in one year. I remember a moment when I was walking the dogs and felt this overwhelming longing to step out into the ocean and never come back. I was on the north shore and it's all cliffs and the sea was dark and rough. I remember the feeling of wanting to disappear so well because it was a brand new one. For the first moment in my life I wasn't sure I wanted to continue doing this… This life. I was so sad and in it so deep I just couldn't see how I would ever climb my way out. I was just so sad, every day.
I took my shoes off and put my feet in the cold water. Then Ringo barked and I realized, well, I can't die now. Where would the dogs go? There would be no one to bring them back home. So I walked back to the car and drove away. I came back home and told Dennis "I just contemplating walking out into the ocean. I think I need help now". The panic I saw in his eyes is something I never want to invoke in another human being ever again.
So. I got help. Within five minutes my friend Rose was there and we laid on the floor in a pile, her Dennis and I. Rose told me over and over; "it's just a wave. It's a wave of grief. We will ride it out together. It will pass soon." So we stayed there, like that. I wailed and they just held me. Eventually the pain diminished enough for me to take a breath and realize; I don't want to die. Not at all. I want to live. I just have to learn how to cope with these waves as they come. I need to learn how to surf.
Well. It's been a few years and the waves still come. I had one a moment ago, just before writing this. I'm sitting here with another bestie. She took this picture. I have a Lea Luna in my life and it makes everything that came before feel purposeful. It still hurts like hell but without it… I wouldn't be here. With my feet in the sand. Holding a love so big I don't know how I ever lived without it

Rachel Brathen, Instagram photo, Sometimes I can’t believe I | Latest Rachel Brathen’s Instagram Picture

#RachelBrathen
Sometimes I can't believe I get to have all of this. There were so many times in my life where I doubted if I was in the right place. And there were dark moments, heavy times where I lost faith in absolutely everything. My best friend died and then my grandmother and then my dog and then my mom tried to commit suicide. All in one year. I remember a moment when I was walking the dogs and felt this overwhelming longing to step out into the ocean and never come back. I was on the north shore and it's all cliffs and the sea was dark and rough. I remember the feeling of wanting to disappear so well because it was a brand new one. For the first moment in my life I wasn't sure I wanted to continue doing this… This life. I was so sad and in it so deep I just couldn't see how I would ever climb my way out. I was just so sad, every day.
I took my shoes off and put my feet in the cold water. Then Ringo barked and I realized, well, I can't die now. Where would the dogs go? There would be no one to bring them back home. So I walked back to the car and drove away. I came back home and told Dennis "I just contemplating walking out into the ocean. I think I need help now". The panic I saw in his eyes is something I never want to invoke in another human being ever again.
So. I got help. Within five minutes my friend Rose was there and we laid on the floor in a pile, her Dennis and I. Rose told me over and over; "it's just a wave. It's a wave of grief. We will ride it out together. It will pass soon." So we stayed there, like that. I wailed and they just held me. Eventually the pain diminished enough for me to take a breath and realize; I don't want to die. Not at all. I want to live. I just have to learn how to cope with these waves as they come. I need to learn how to surf.
Well. It's been a few years and the waves still come. I had one a moment ago, just before writing this. I'm sitting here with another bestie. She took this picture. I have a Lea Luna in my life and it makes everything that came before feel purposeful. It still hurts like hell but without it… I wouldn't be here. With my feet in the sand. Holding a love so big I don't know how I ever lived without it

Rachel Brathen, Instagram photo, Good morning | Latest Rachel Brathen’s Instagram Picture

#RachelBrathen
Good morning! #monday #youbastard #happynewweek #workworkworkwotkworkwork

Rachel Brathen, Instagram photo, HELP US SAVE ALL THE | Latest Rachel Brathen’s Instagram Picture

#RachelBrathen
HELP US SAVE ALL THE PUPPIESSSS!!! We are $28,000 away from having everything we need to acquire a property to open an animal shelter!!! With a real shelter we can maximize our animal rescue efforts with @sgtpeppersfriends and save countless four-legged babies🏼 Help us make Sgt Pepper's Home a reality!!! CLICK THE LINK IN MY BIO TO DONATE🏼🏼🏼 Every dollar counts! (for PayPal donations go to http://www.sgtpeppersfriends.com!)🦊🦁 #animalrescue #savealife #adoptdontshop #seva #love