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 performing in Blanche Brown's Tribute Show, SF, 2015
Rachael Shishido yoga teacher, astrologer, taketina teacher, dancer/choreographer, bodywork practitioner, curious explorer, seeker of truth, and student of life YOGA Rachael began practicing yoga in 1989. Her first teacher training was in 1991 with Rod Styker and Erich Schiffman. From 1992-94 she studied and completed the many modules of study in Gary Kraftsow’s Viniyoga teacher training. She was deeply moved by the vedic chanting practice taught in the Krishmacharya lineage and continued chanting and vedic text studies with Lisa Goodwin from 1993-96. Her passion for studying yoga continued over the years with senior Iyengar teachers as well as teachers in Pattabi Jois tradition. She is currently a teacher in the Adaptive Yoga Project, a program that serves students with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, and other clients with particular special needs. Along with the founder, Annica Rose, she helps conduct teacher trainings for yoga teachers interested in working therapeutically. Rachael started teaching yoga in 1993. She first began diving deep into yoga due to chronic neck and back pain in her early 20's. Yoga has been instrumental to her healing process and she is grateful to share her love of the practice. ASTROLOGY Rachael began doing astrological readings in 1998. In her 20's, astrology played a large part of her transformation and struggles to understand personal and collective suffering. In the mid 90's she studied evolutionary astrology with Jeffrey Green, which inspired inquiry into the roots of her personal challenges and opened her up to spiritual perspectives of karma, dharma, and past life influences. Over the years she has given astrological consultations to clients internationally as well as enjoyed teaching astrology classes to adults and teenagers. Astrology holds a vast array of depth that still inspires her interest. In 2013 Rachael began studying Pole Star Astrology with Liu Ming. Chinese Pole Star Astrology continues to inspire her studies of this vast wisdom tradition that encourages deep reflection of the qi and fate patterns in an individual's chart. the ARTS..... Rachael has been studying many forms of dance and percussion over the years. She has had the opportunity to choreograph drum and dance performances for cultural educational performances, and community shows and events. She has a passion for sharing her love of the creative arts as a vehicle to inspire opening to each of our own inherent creative expression. She is a certified Taketina Rhythm teacher. Her dance studies include afro-haitian dance, congolese, west african, hula, and south indian dance. The percussion instruments she plays include the surdo, berimbau,and west african dun duns. In 1998 she went to India and Nepal on a month retreat with Prema Dasara, creator of the dharma dance "the 21 Praises of Tara". They were invited by the Dalai Lama to offer and perform the dance at the Tibetan Children's Village (for refugees) in Dharamsala and share time with the children singing dharma songs. They had the amazing opportunity to have a private audience with the Dalai Lama and take teachings from him, definitley life inspiring event for Rachael. Rachael has travelled extensively throughout Europe, North Africa, Asia, and South America to explore sacred sites, experience other cultures, study, and teach. Highlights of her travels and meditation studies: 1995: Thalheim, Germany, meditation retreat with Mother Meera 1996: Greece and Turkey with Barbara Marciniak 1997: Egypt with Amorah Quan Yin 2008: Morroco with Barbara Marciniak Bodywork and energy work... She is also a practitioner of craniosacral body work and chi nei tsang. Her training with craniosacral therapy was with the Upledger Institute. She has taken courses on chi nei tsang with Mantak Chia and Lee Holden. In 2012 she completed a 3 year course of study of Taoist Alchemy with Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson which included studying medical qi gong and the martial art of bagua zhang . When time permits she still studies and practices bagua and capoeira. In 2016 she began studying with Bob Cooley, after experiencing getting stretched by a colleague. Resistance Flexibility Strength Training is an amazing system using the body's natural resistance to eliminate accumulated dense fascia and scar tissue. RFST incorporates the knowledge of chinese meridians. RFST greatly improved Rachael's mobility, flexibility, stability, and strength. She has been surprised that her access to advanced yoga poses greatly changed after doing RFST. September 2016: Level 1 RFST training April 2017: Level 2 RFST training May 2017: Level 3 RFST training September 2017: Level 4 RFST training Biogeometry In March of 2021 she took the foundation course training in Biogeometry with Doreya and Laila Karim. And in Septemeber of 2021 she completed the advanced training in Biogeometry with Dr. Robert Gilbert . It was of great inspiration to study in person at the Biogeometry Special Topics Course with the founder, Dr. Ibrahim Karim, in September of 2024. Rachael continues to deepen her meditation practices with Tibetan buddhist studies in the Nyingma tradition with Lama Lar Short (lineage holder with Dilgo Khyenste Rinpoche and Rudrananda). This work is providing a stable ground for her commitment to evolving with greater compassion, clarity, joy and awareness in embracing our natural design of exploring, discovering, learning, growing, and creating. ~~~~~~~~~~ As the dance of life continues.... may we all walk and be with greater love, awareness, sustainability, health and joy with self, other, and world. Namaste! Ashe! ~Rachael |
