Meet the Team
RACHEL
Rae has always had a deep connection to nature and spirit. She is a trauma informed yoga and meditation teacher, Usui Reiki Master, channel, singer, sound healer, coach and transformational energy worker. She also has a Bachelor's degree in community and human services.
Rae started to practice Yoga in 1997 to ease anxiety. Yoga and conscious breath brought her to a place of peace and shifted her mindset. Yoga was a gateway for her into other healing modalities throughout the years. The continual practice of yoga and its benefits motivated her to commit to Yoga teacher training and she graduated with 200 RYT in 2014. During this teacher training she experienced a trauma that changed her life. It sent her into a healing crisis where she had to put all she learned into practice. In 2016 Rae started working with plant medicine to intentionally heal deeper trauma. After working with yoga, breath work and plant medicine she had a spiritual awakening that started in 2017: a transformational rebirth for her on a lot of levels. This inspired and motivated her to explore more healing modalities and teach others what has worked for her.
Rae has deepened her studies in the last ten years so that she can offer the same space of healing and tools to others. Rae graduated from Reiki Master training in 2020. She has been studying Chinese medicine, Qi gong, the 5 elements, consciousness work, and shamanic healing with a master teacher since 2020. Rae studied channeling for three years and completed a year long apprenticeship program to fine tune her channeling in 2023. Rae holds a sacred and safe place for people to do deeper work on themselves. She sees the benefit from her life experiences to bring light and healing into the darkest places. Rae loves teaching others to connect with their true nature, inner wisdom and tools to empower and heal themselves.
THERESE
Therese is a Usui Reiki Master Teacher in practice for more than 20 years, offering treatments, certified instruction & attunement in all levels of Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki system of natural healing as well as Karuna Ki Reiki, an advanced, & deeply compassionate system of natural healing offered for interested Reiki Masters.
All Reiki certifications are given under the umbrella of her business name Mother Touch Reiki. She is well versed in a wide range of metaphysical subjects where her education & practice have spanned a half century. She offers a variety of divination systems in readings & classes, ranging from Astrology & Tarot to I Ching & Pendulum Dowsing, is certified in Energy Healing with Color & Art, Meditation, Hand Mudras & ESP Development, is an Angelic Healing Practitioner, a life-long student of A Course in Miracles & an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church. She is a writer & poet, whose work has appeared in various magazines, newsletters & webpages since the 1970's, and has brought her a personal understanding of the power of the written word as a therapeutic healing tool.
Therese is also an avid devotee of chant, mantra & vibrational healing with sound, crystals & essential oils. Her daily mantra is "Let Love Lead." She is a member of RHA, The Reiki Healing Association, as well as IAOTH, The International Association of Therapists, & is fully insured by the Beauty & Bodywork policies of the Great American Alliance Insurance Group.
SHAYNA
Shayna moved to the Hudson Valley in 2018 from Long Island - where she was working in a corporate job for over 10 years - to homeschool her two daughters and teach Yoga. She enjoys being outdoors and hiking with her family and dog.
Shayna is a Shamanic Reiki master. She is also trained in Kundalini Yoga and Yin yoga. She is very passionate about holistic living and nutrition.
She was introduced to the healing powers of sound and cacao right before quitting her corporate job and it shifted a lot of things in her life. She connected with the medicine for about 4 years before she began facilitating cacao ceremonies for others. She is very passionate about sharing her practice with cacao, free-form dance, breathwork and sound energy healing with others. Creating a sacred and safe space for community and connection.
NICOLE
Nicole is a longtime student and teacher of yoga. She is a 500-hour certified yoga instructor, completing her certification under Daniel Orlansky in Arlington, MA in 2013. She is trained in various styles of yoga: hatha, vinyasa, restorative, Meridian yoga, yin, etc. She is also trained in Thai Yoga Massage and qi gong. She is Usui Reiki Level 1 and 2 certified and is currently deepening that practice with a Shamanic Reiki training at The Sanctuary in Callicoon, NY. Alongside the healing modalities of movement, energy and bodywork, she is currently pursuing her Masters of Traditional East Asian Medicine, specializing in acupuncture and herbal medicine, which she is on track to complete in 2023.
Nicole’s unique style is a blend of her studies and embodied practices. She is a passionate student, first and foremost, and as a teacher, loves to work with others who are eager to learn. She believes movement is medicine and is deeply committed to facilitating her students’ curiosity and understanding of themselves- from a body, mind and soul perspective. Nicole’s favorite things are her piles of books, three beautiful children (dogs), sweet husband and taking in the rhythms of nature on their land in the Hudson Valley.
MELISSA
MARGARET
Margaret has a Bachelors Degree in Art from Pace University and a Masters Degree in Humanistic Multicultural Education from SUNY New Paltz. She has been working as an artist and a teacher for over 40 years in many settings. She currently works as an activity therapist on the psychiatric unit at Garnet Health Medical Center. She finds great joy in helping others to use art as a healing meditation and a form of self- expression.
Margaret’s philosophy is choosing love over fear and offering kindness and compassion to all living beings. This comes from being a lifelong student of A Course in Miracles and a strong belief in Unitarian Universalist principles.
In addition, Margaret has survived her own serious health challenges and understands that the power of healing comes in many forms. She believes that we are all on a path of continued learning and embraces many ongoing opportunities to learn. She has recently been trained & attuned as a Usui Reiki Master Teacher and has started practicing yoga. Her other passions include supporting animal rescue groups and spending time in nature with her human and furry loved ones. She is very excited to begin teaching art workshops in the intimate setting of Wild Hearts Healing Arts.