Rachel Leshaw

Rachel is a Vinyasa teacher who has been practicing for 25 years. Her classes are challenging, playful and lighthearted. She loves watching her students become more comfortable in their bodies and gain confidence. Each student is encouraged to get to the next level while taking into account their particular anatomy, background, and goals.

Rachel completed her first Ashtanga Vinyasa teacher training with Larry Schultz at It’s Yoga in San Francisco in 2004. After a few years teaching yoga in Bay Area public high schools, she moved to Encinitas, California and started teaching adults. In 2009, she completed the Anusara teacher training with Michael Fukumura.

In 2010, she began practicing with Tim Miller. Rachel completed the Ashtanga Primary Series teacher training in 2014 and Second Series teacher training in 2016. She had the pleasure of assisting Tim in his weekly Intro to Ashtanga classes that included philosophy and discussion of Yoga Sutras.

Over the years, Rachel has taken groups of yoga students dogsledding, camping, whitewater rafting and to the Galápagos Islands. Just as she loves watching students become comfortable with new yoga poses and concepts, she loves watching people experience the bigger world with a sense of wonder, ease, and humor.

Outside of yoga, Rachel loves animals and works as a professional dog walker. Her travels tend to focus on animal rehabilitation centers, remote campsites, and canoe/kayak trips. She loves to dance (especially West African) because it's another way to be present in the body and silence the brain's chatter. Rachel has a lifelong dedication to learning Spanish and is back to running after a 20-year hiatus. She believes that adults should keep trying new things without attachment to the outcome.