Spiritual Spotlight Series
Discover a world of healing, holistic, and spiritual modalities with the Spiritual Spotlight Series podcast. Every week, we introduce you to diverse spiritual practitioners, including psychics, energy healers, life coaches, spiritual thought leaders, and witches. Each episode offers inspiration and enlightenment through the unique journeys, experiences, and divine abilities of our guests. Perfect for those on a path to spiritual awakening, this podcast blends science and mysticism to expand your understanding of spirituality. Our mission is to open your eyes to the world around you, making complex concepts accessible and enlightening for anyone seeking spiritual growth. Whether you're new to spirituality or looking to deepen your knowledge, the Spiritual Spotlight Series is your go-to resource for awakening and transformation.
Spiritual Spotlight Series
Tools for Thriving: Yoga, Herbalism, and Human Design with Rachel Levine
Join us as we explore the transformative journey of Rachel Levine, a remarkable herbalist, human design guide, and yoga therapist.
Her story is a testament to the power of authenticity and the courage it takes to overcome societal pressures.
Rachel shares her deeply personal struggles with mental health and the facade of perfection, revealing how her experiences led her to create Intuitively Wild, a lifestyle brand dedicated to helping others connect with their true selves.
You'll hear about her path to self-discovery and how aligning with one's core values can break the chains of perfectionism.
The conversation shifts into the rhythms of nature and the benefits of seasonal living for mental well-being.
Rachel recounts her shift from avoiding winter in Hawaii to embracing the seasons in New York, offering practical tips for finding joy in nature's cycles.
She introduces Intuitively Wild's array of resources—podcasts, mentorship, and an online apothecary—geared towards fostering deeper connections with ourselves and the world around us.
This episode serves as a guide to intentional living, encouraging listeners to integrate mindfulness into everyday life for personal growth and fulfillment.
We also venture into the realm of spiritual hygiene and the importance of personal rituals.
Rachel discusses her adaptable morning routine, emphasizing the accessibility of yoga for everyone and its power to release emotional blockages.
Throughout her work as an intuitive mentor, she addresses common struggles such as perfectionism and the quest for purpose, guiding individuals to embrace their unique qualities.
This conversation is an empowering call to break free from societal conditioning and shine authentically, leaving listeners inspired to embrace their individuality and form genuine connections.
We hope you found the episode to be enlightening and insightful. Our goal is to create content that not only entertains but also helps you grow spiritually and connect with your inner self.
If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to like, subscribe, and write a review. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us and helps us to improve the quality of our content and reach a wider audience.
We believe that by sharing knowledge and insights about spirituality, we can help to inspire positive change and personal growth. So, if you find our podcast to be meaningful and informative, we encourage you to share it with your friends and family.
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Hello everyone, welcome to our Spiritual Spotlight Series. Today I'm joined by Rachel Levine. She is an herbalist, a human design guide, yoga therapist and the founder of her lifestyle brand Intuitively Wild. Rachel, thank you so much for coming on the Spiritual Spotlight Series. I'm so happy you're here.
Speaker 2:I am so happy to be here.
Speaker 1:So, with your skill set and your abilities being an herbalist, being a human design guy, yoga, a yoga therapist and the founder of this lifestyle brand like where did your path start with this to where you are today? It's like that's a broad range of a skill set, an amazing skill set. But how does one become an herbalist and a human design guide and also a yoga therapist? So tell me all about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's definitely been a long and winding path. I would say for me it all started with yoga. Yoga was my first love, I always say, and I fell in love with it at a pretty young age and it was my whole life, for a very long time.
Speaker 2:And I went to school for yoga therapy and just like, really immersed myself in that world. And then I started to become aware that I wanted to bring other modalities into my life, and that's how I found herbalism. I just became, honestly, all of these modalities found me. Really, I just found myself becoming immersed in them and obsessed and just wanting to learn more and more. And then all of a sudden I was like I guess I'm going to get trained in this and although they might seem not connected and very different and they are they're very different Me. They're all just tools that I use to help people connect with themselves. So when I'm working with people, I'm not just working with people as a human design guide or as a yoga therapist. Those are the tools I use to help people find that connection within themselves and really tap into who they are and what their path is in this life.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So one of the things that you do is you like, let me ask you this why is connecting to nature, yourself and others? Why is that the best way to tool, the tool to live in alignment and to thrive? Cause I'm somebody who I live in a I live in the country sort of, but I find myself it's hard to feel reconnected back to nature Like, and I and I do feel out of alignment when that does happen. So why is that so important for us as individuals?
Speaker 2:Well, nature we are meant to live in tune with nature. That's how we were created and that's our rhythm is in alignment with nature. And then our current day society kind of brings us out of that and so bring ourselves into balance can be facilitated by connecting. Yeah, and you know when you ask about in your first question, like my personal path was a journey of disconnecting and then using these tools to reconnect.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I really feel like the pillars of self-connection, nature connection, community connection. You need all three to really live a truly well and full life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you personally experienced struggles with mental health and maybe a toxic lifestyle. Like, how did you overcome or maybe coming to terms with, you know, having a positive mental health mindset? Cause I do feel like mental health ebbs and flows and we all maybe cycle into struggles with mental health. Like, how did you, how did you find yourself like hitting that wall of being like I need to do something else with my life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's really interesting because when I was at my most mentally unwell, you could look at me and think I was thriving.
Speaker 2:I and everyone. That was the feedback I was getting. People always praise me for my discipline and my diet and my exercise regime and how structured I was, and that just fed into it for me more and more. And I think the surface very few people knew I was struggling and I think the surface very few people knew I was struggling but I was very unwell and my rock bottom happened in a place where externally I looked very healthy, and so I think folks can be deceiving, which is, I think, very important for everyone to remember. And I hit that wall and I knew things had to change. When I was just waking up over and over, not knowing how I was going to get through the day and not wanting to live like that anymore, I was very anxious. I had an eating disorder and I didn't even have the full awareness of at the time, I just knew that I couldn't. I couldn't keep going. How it?
Speaker 1:was Right. Right, I find that interesting how you kind of talked about. You know, looks can be deceiving and I do feel like we have such a fixation on how we should look, how we should present, how we should be, and it's interesting that only a little, some people only knew about your true struggles. And do you find that now with your clients that maybe you know that they're also maybe experiencing the same kind of? You know it sounds like a little bit of perfectionism and you know how you want to outwardly present. Do you do you find that with your clients and how do you work with that kind of? I have this presentation of how I want to be, but yet it's not working for me anymore.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. So many of my clients deal with perfectionism and people pleasing and trying to stick to the status quo or expectations, and a lot of the work I do is about aligning people with their true values and help them live in alignment with that and understanding what is getting in the way of us doing that, because it's not just about knowing what our values are, it's also about being able to actually embody them, and knowing might stop us from doing that, and so it's a multi-layered process and I think a lot of it comes down to intentionality. It's not necessarily what we're doing, it's why and how we're doing it, and understanding that piece is really important.
Speaker 1:I find that interesting how you brought up like what are your true values? Do you find that and this is, I guess, the reason why I want to like kind of shift to this is that I'm wondering. I'm like I wonder if my true values aren't really maybe like at the core. Maybe they're, maybe I think they are, but maybe they're not. Have you ever found that, maybe with yourself or maybe with some of your clients, that you're like um, that's not your true values. Like? Have you ever experienced?
Speaker 2:that, oh my God, all the time, all the time. I think that we can think we've our value is something, but that's just based on conditioning, or what we've been told should be and, or what like what we see other people doing or have told us to told it should be, and or what like what we see other people doing or have told us to it should be. Or we think that our value is something, but then, when we dig a little deeper, that's not actually what it is. So, for example, say, you think that luxury travel is a value of yours, but really you don't care if it's luxurious, you just want the freedom to be able to travel whenever you want, and so for you it's more freedom. Right, and so it's. It's again getting to the root of it all, and knowing yourself is so important.
Speaker 1:Right, I really like how you just put that too, because I'm somebody who wants to travel. I don't care how I travel, but I love the idea of freedom and I like that. You, kind of like you, you unveiled that layer of well, you might want to stay at a five-star hotel, but really is it because you just want freedom?
Speaker 2:That's really interesting, exactly, exactly, because having the freedom to spend our money how we want, that's an important value. And I think words are so powerful, right, the wording we use, especially when we're kind of creating these pillars for our values, can impact how we frame ourselves in our mind and then how we then go off and create our life.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love that so much. So, being an herbalist, I love the fact that you help people work with the seasons, so like herbs, flowers and plants to support you through each cycle. We're going into winter right now. As we're doing this recording what would be some recommendations that you would have for your clients right now.
Speaker 2:Well, I am just launching two new products for the winter season.
Speaker 1:Tell us all about it.
Speaker 2:You can go to my online apothecary to check those out. I'm really excited about those, and one is a fire cider and one is a tea. Oh, my goodness.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry to cut you off, but I have been desperately wanting to find somebody that sells fire cider and I am not even kidding you, I am so excited. But please tell me more.
Speaker 2:I am obsessed with this fire cider. I love fire cider. For those who don't know, it's an elixir. It's made with apple cider vinegar and cinnamon and there's many different recipes. I have really honed in on one that I love, that I think is really powerful and potent and also tastes really good, and it has honey and rosemary and onion and garlic. It's my fire cider is my number one recommendation when it comes to the seasonal shifts in into because it strengthens our immune system, it strengthens our nervous system, it is, it's so nourishing and it has so many benefits. You can, you can and you can cook with it. You can add it to your teas, to even just warm water shoes, all the things. So I'm really passionate about this fire cider. I'm'm so excited, I really am. And then I have a tea, also for the winter season, called soft strength, and for me, this tea. Actually it might be getting that Now I'm nervous, I'm getting the names confused, but we're just very excited about your products.
Speaker 1:It's okay, we'll, we'll, we'll make sure to link your apothecary to this, this episode. I think that's so cool. Well, did you said soft strength is the name of the tea.
Speaker 2:I'm pretty sure, cause the tea is all about grounding into the softness that this winter season can bring, yes, and nourishing ourselves through that. I think so much. So many of us can get really caught up in the holidays and in the busyness and the go, go, go, the activity. But winter is a time to slow down and a time to soften into ourselves and reflect, and this tea is hopefully a ritual you can add to your day to create that space for yourself.
Speaker 1:I have to say I love that name soft strength going into, like the winter, when we should be reflective and we should be turning inward and we should be gentle with oneself. Like it sounds like a very powerful but yet soothing tea, like I just think that's so cool. Now let me ask you this for where we are we're in New York and a lot of we it's very dark here. You know all the time what will be soon. We get very sad and depressed in the winter months. Do you? Is there anything like that you would recommend, with your skillset, or maybe being an herbalist, that you would recommend for the listeners to maybe help ease the feeling of our seasonal affective disorder that we all have?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. I think that staying connected to nature during this time and really shift things, because I growing up I hated winter. I was very impacted by it. I avoided it all as soon as I could. I moved to Hawaii and was just like avoided summer. And now I'm back living in New York and this is one reason I'm so passionate about seasonal living, because it really has supported my mental health and my connection to the ever-evolving seasons.
Speaker 2:And now I love the seasons. And one way I embrace that is by embracing, leaning into the shift in weather. So making sure to still go outside, making sure to, you know, take in anything I can like. When it's getting darker, I use that to light my candles and step outside and look at the stars and just walking around in nature, observing the trees, the leaves falling off the trees, like really being present. Right seasons are shifting around us and noticing what is happening in nature, because it's also happening within ourselves. You know, going into hibernation, and so are we and that's a part of the process and embracing that and finding the magic in that. So my biggest suggestion is to keep going outside, especially first thing in the morning and in the evening, as you're kind of transitioning to resting after your busy day. Having those moments in nature to pause and connect to that stillness and that softness and just look around you and be present can help you stay. See the positives and the magic in this in the darker times.
Speaker 1:I love those. I love that. I love those suggestions. I really do. I'm somebody who I'm not the biggest fan of winter, so it's like cause, I'm like oh, but I'm going to, I'm going to implement these ideas and I'm going to be a lover of all seasons. I think that's amazing. I like the idea of lighting the candles, like in the evening. I like that. That's that sounds like again like softening and making things you know when you get out of your hustle and bustle, which I think a lot of us get stuck in, that you know mode and then maybe going home and doing like a rest and relax. I like, I really liked that idea. It's really good, practical advice. So you have this amazing brand, intuitively wild. Um, can you tell us about this? And like how can we learn more and tell us more about it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so intuitively wild is a lifestyle brand that helps you reconnect to yourself, nature and others, and really the intention is connection. All our products and services are rooted into that and we have many different offerings, from free offerings such as a podcast, youtube, substack, and also I have a mentorship, I have the online apothecary and very soon I'll have in-person events and many different things in person as well, if you're in upstate New York, but I am oh, that's exciting.
Speaker 1:I guess it depends on what our definition of upstate New York is.
Speaker 2:That's very true. But yeah, for me I really did live so much of my life I mean up until a certain age very disconnected, and the way that I found myself, the way that I found my path, this vitality is by is through connection, and I my whole purpose in life, what I live for now, is to help others find that sense of connection, and so that's all. I hope that all my offerings bring through Intuitively Wild.
Speaker 1:I love that so much. Tell us a little bit more about your podcast.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so my podcast every. So twice a month we have solo conversations, which what? The first episode of the month is an reflection of the month that passed and intention setting episode for the month to come, and the other, solo, is a ritual for the month and that's really dependent on what's happening that month. It might be for the solstice or the full moon or the equinox that you know, it depends. And then the other two podcasts are conversations with guests like yourself, and we go deep. I really my intention with that is to have people on to share conversations that previously maybe were harder to talk about and get vulnerable. I think it's really important to shed light on conversations that we're told to feel shame around or not talk about, because that eradicates the shame and shows us that we're all moving through life together and deeper into connections. So that's my, my podcast. It's also everything's under the name intuitively wild, and starting that podcast was a huge transition for me into using my voice and showing up more authentically. So I I love the podcast so much.
Speaker 1:I love that so much and I love the fact that you're you're giving practical tools. You know, in the solo episodes you're you've brought up a couple times like intentions, intentional living. That seems like a very strong point in your life. Could you tell us a little bit more why that's important to you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, reflections, intentions and rituals are key pillars in my life, and that's for a lot of reasons. I think that they are actionable and tangible tools that can bring that spiritual realm down into embodiment and really feel approachable for all of us. And I think that only through reflecting can we understand who we are and understand who we want to be moving forward, and then setting those intentions allows us to actually create the steps to do so, to actually embody that, to actually bring that into our day-to-day life. And the rituals are the practice of that. That's what it was. It's the reminder and the constant reconnection to who we are and who we want to be and bringing that into our life, because it's not just about having those mindfulness practices or having those you know wellness practices as one-offs. It's actually embodying that daily and letting that soak into who we are.
Speaker 1:Right. So one of the things that I feel is important and I would imagine this is something that's very important to you is spiritual hygiene. So, like, do you have any, maybe daily rituals or any daily practices that you do to make sure that you feel connected, true to yourself, authentic, that you would feel comfortable sharing with the audience?
Speaker 2:true to yourself, authentic, that you would feel comfortable sharing with the audience.
Speaker 2:Yeah, of course, I think that this is so personal and everyone is so different. Yes, so true, yeah, and that's a big thing for me as well, and that's one reason why I love working one-on-one with people is figuring out the rituals that work for you. If you're asking for me personally, I'm a morning person through and through, and I am devoted to my morning practice, my morning ritual. It's everything to me. So I wake up and I get on my meditation cushion, I sit with my dog in my lap and I meditate, I breathe, I journal and I light all my candles, and then I move into some yoga, and that is a key foundation of my life. That is how I stay connected to myself every day.
Speaker 1:I love that and I really I love the fact that if anyone's not listening or watching the video as she's saying, that, you could tell she just lights up with joy. Listening or watching the video as she's saying that, you could tell she just lights up with joy. Like it must. It must bring you so much like peace within, like for struggling, but go ahead.
Speaker 2:It really does, and I am a structured person. I do like schedules and routines, and that's not always possible.
Speaker 2:And so not in my routine. My anxiety can heighten, but this ritual I can bring with me everywhere and no matter what, I can wake up I mean, I naturally wake up earlier than everyone but even so, even five minutes by myself in the morning, I can just sit with myself and know that that's going to bring me the peace I need throughout the rest of my day, even when my anxiety is heightened, and that really, that practice has saved me so many times. I love that so much.
Speaker 1:So one of the things that I I respect yoga so much, but as somebody who is not very flexible, do you have any like? I mean, I'm sure that that's, that's okay, but I mean, do you have any like? Do you meet resistance with people that are like, oh, I can't do yoga? Like, how do you help overcome that and help people realize that it's, it's a possibility for you. You just have to change your mindset.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I get this all the time and that was a common sentiment and that does not matter at all. Yoga is not for people who are flexible, it's for everybody, because it's like saying I can't walk fast, so I shouldn't walk.
Speaker 1:Oh, I love that. That's a good analogy. I like that. Oh, I love that.
Speaker 2:That's a good analogy. I like that Because, first of all, yoga has so many different pillars and the physical asana is only one of them, so you can shape, shift into a certain form. They're meant to serve your body, so it doesn't matter if you can touch your toes, it just matters that you're getting the benefits from the stretch to serve your body, and so you just have to find the postures that your body needs in this moment, and I take some digging, or I might take finding the right teacher, working one on one with someone. Yeah, but yoga is here to serve everyone. It's here to fit you.
Speaker 1:Do you find that when people are, you know, with doing your yoga practices and with your yoga therapy, that they're releasing? Because I do feel like it goes in line with somatics that they're releasing like energy that's stuck to them, and that's one of the reasons why yoga is so important.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely. We store so many emotions in our body. Pain, trauma, energy it's all held in our body and it's like the. I don't know if you've heard of the book the body keeps the score body, and it's like the.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you've heard of the book the Body Keeps the Score, the Emotion Code the Body Keeps the Score. Like all of those amazing books, it's so true.
Speaker 2:It's so, it's so true. And then, when I first started practicing yoga, I would do hip openers and just start bawling, and this is when I was like 15.
Speaker 2:I had no awareness around any of it. I'm like why am I crying? But I know that I need to be crying and that is an experience that so many people have that I work with, and I think we can't disconnect from our bodies. We can't just push our bodies to the brink either. We have to be really working with them and connecting to them, and yoga is a physical practice that helps us do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. And being an intuitive mentor, like what do you tap in for your clients, cause it's you've said that it's individualized and it sounds very personal. Do you have, like, maybe some common themes that you're finding with some of your clients, or are you just intuitively guided to where you need to go with that person?
Speaker 2:Definitely both. There's uniqueness in everything. I would say. Some common themes are kind of like what we talked about before the people using the perfectionism, the overwhelm and the disconnection. A lot of people who are feeling like they're just living on autopilot mode and they don't know what their purpose is, or they feel like they're just going along with what everyone else is doing, but they don't want to be. They want to know who they are and what their purpose is.
Speaker 2:So those are some common themes, but underneath that there's always personal layers around why that's showing up for that person and what their block is to move through that.
Speaker 1:I love that. Can you tell us a little bit more about your mentorship?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so a lot of what we talked about is woven into it and, like I said, the human design, the yoga therapy, the herbalism those are all tools that I use to then help people connect with themselves and, specifically, when we're talking about intuition, connect with this inner guidance, this inner wisdom within them. And it shows up differently for everyone and we kind of get to the root of how it's showing up for you. And similarly, with the values, there's different layers to that. It's understanding how your intuition speaks to you and then strengthening that muscle so that you can connect to it more easily, and then knowing why you might have resistance to listening to it and then actually trusting your intuition, following it and using that to guide your life, and so those are kind of the different steps we move through.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's so perfect, that's so perfect. And if anyone is interested in learning more about you I know you have the pocket theory, you have the podcast. She has a website. Where's the best place for them to go to?
Speaker 2:Um, I would say it's all on the website. So maybe the website, yeah, but also you can come find me on Instagram and DM me and we can chat there and you can ask me any questions you have and I can guide you.
Speaker 1:I love it. And for our final question, I guess let me see if I can figure out a good question for your final question. If somebody is, maybe, you know, maybe they're stuck in this perfectionist model and they're feeling like they're going going, going going, but they know that it's not working for them anymore and maybe they've hit that wall and they're struggling within. What is one piece of advice that you can give to them to maybe have them pause on this journey and realize that they're not alone? Yeah, have them pause on this journey and realize that they're not alone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's coming up for me is don't be afraid to do things differently. And you know, change is really scary for all of us, and not only do we get so used to who we are, but other people around us do. And when we start to make changes or connect more to our authenticity, other people might respond negatively to that or have reactions or responses to that or have reactions or responses to that. And we have to really have the confidence within ourselves to stay true to ourselves.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I would say prioritize your sense of connection above all else and be willing to show up differently, be willing to be the different person.
Speaker 1:I love that, I love that answer and I love the being okay with being connected with your true self and being able being okay with that and I think we do struggle as a society to be okay with who I am as a person and I would imagine that your mentorship and everything that you offered people really helped them to reconnect to their true, authentic beings.
Speaker 2:Yes, Authenticity is one of the biggest things I work with people on and you know it makes me really frustrated, because it should be easy for us to show up authentically in the world, but it's actually one of the scariest things. It's actually one of the most challenging things.
Speaker 1:It is so true. And I'm going to pivot to another thing. Because it's so true, like even today, I was meeting with two people and we were talking about how we didn't feel comfortable to eat in front of certain people. And I know, that's such a simple thing eating like eating and you know, being exposed. But it's so fascinating because it's and I was even like to myself. I'm like I cannot believe that the three of us share this concern and it's like, wow, that's not being tapped to my intuitive, authentic self, you know.
Speaker 2:And yeah, no, and I think that that's so important to share, because that's also another testament to talking about the things that we feel shame about, because now you see that all three of you are having this similar situation, experiencing like, oh, maybe it is okay, maybe I can show up this way, maybe it isn't so serious or I don't have to feel ashamed of it or hide it.
Speaker 1:Yes, thank you. Thank you. I am not going to feel shamed. I'm not. It's, it's, and I feel like, as a woman and I feel like you probably have experienced this too Like we go, we are conditioned to feel shame and it's like unwrapping that is. I love the fact that everything that you're doing is helping people to unwrap that and peel that layer off, to really truly be their authentic, beautiful selves.
Speaker 2:Yes, the reason. Often I've noticed that what makes us us, what makes us our most authentic beings, what makes us most special and unique, is what makes us different and is what we have the most shame around and have to work through the shame and let ourselves be different to be our most authentic selves and be willing to shine bright and willing to stand out. And that is terrifying for a lot of us.
Speaker 1:that is terrifying and I will say, with that answer, I now have chills. I want to thank you, rachel, so much for coming to the Spiritual Spotlight Series. It has truly been amazing to connect with you today.
Speaker 2:Yes, Thank you so much. This was so much fun. I love your energy and I'm really grateful to be here. I'm really grateful you're here too.
