Rachel Ishiguro Yoga

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Rachel Ishiguro Yoga Rachel (she/her) is a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) in San Diego. She teaches people with chroni

I'm a C-IAYT certified yoga therapist who supports people with chronic pain and other health conditions to reduce symptoms and thrive. My work focuses on improving movement patterns, building mindful awareness and a loving (re)connection to the body, and nurturing rest. I support my clients to:
- Reduce chronic pain and tension
- Become more responsive and resilient under stress
- Recover from or adapt to illness or injury
- Get more restful sleep
- Return to activities that are important to them
- Improve their strength, stability, and ease of movement
- Improve their energy and wellbeing

For more information, visit rachelishiguroyoga.com or book your free online consultation at rachelishiguroyoga.as.me/FREEconsultation.

It's been a while since I introduced myself. Hi, I'm Rachel (she/ her). I'm a certified yoga therapist working in Pacifi...
10/13/2026

It's been a while since I introduced myself. Hi, I'm Rachel (she/ her). I'm a certified yoga therapist working in Pacific Beach (San Diego, CA) and online.

What is a yoga therapist? I see myself as a guide for people who want to use yoga in their journey towards wellness. I work primarily one-on-one because everyone's needs are unique, and this allows me to really hear your story and share the practices that are most likely to be supportive. I love sharing yoga because I see it give hope, agency, and worth to people who are struggling.

Some of my favorite work these days is:
💜 Showing people with chronic pain ways to enjoy moving their bodies again
💜 Teaching people how to improve their sleep
💜 Using yoga to help people thrive as they age
💜 Complementary mental health care using the whole yoga toolkit: poses, breath, meditation, philosophy, Ayurveda, and more

If I had to pick one yoga practice and only one to do for the rest of my life, it would be Yoga NIdra meditation. No question.

Luckily life doesn't work like that though, because I sure would miss the rest of it!

A few additional things about me:
💚 I grew up in British Columbia. I've lived in San Diego for almost 23 years, but the Pacific Northwest has my heart, and my spirit.
💚 I'm a parent to a wonderful 12-year-old girl.
💚 I love the outdoors. It's even better if it's raining.
💚 I've been running since I was 10. Perimenopause has made training a little tough this year, but I'm still at it.
💚 I love animals. Sadly, I have none at the moment, although we do feed a couple of neighborhood cats.
💚 I am very left wing politically. You don't have to agree with me, but if this is an issue for you, you might not like it here. 🤷🏻‍♀️

If you have questions about yoga therapy, please ask me in the comments! I'm glad you're here.

10/09/2026

Is your low back working harder than it needs to?

When your hips and low back feel tight or stiff, other parts of your body often jump in to "help." Lying on the floor takes gravity out of the picture, so the muscles that usually hold you up can let go. That makes it easier to feel what's really moving.

In this practice, we isolate small movements of the pelvis and low back and let everything else stay quiet. It's a simple way to build awareness and ease in an area that tends to hold a lot.

The full practice is on my YouTube channel, and the link is in my bio. If you'd like support that's tailored to your body, send me a DM about private yoga therapy sessions.

This is for general education only and isn't meant to treat any medical condition. If you have symptoms, please check with your medical provider first.

I find it helps my clients to know a little bit about their spine so they can understand what they're feeling during yog...
10/07/2026

I find it helps my clients to know a little bit about their spine so they can understand what they're feeling during yoga practice or daily life.

Let's start in the middle of the spine: the thoracic spine. These 12 vertebrae form the portion of the spine that runs along the back of the rib cage. If you look at a spinal model up close, you'll see that the vertebrae in this area generally have sturdy "bodies" and long, downward sloping spinous processes in the back.

Movement in the thoracic spine is inherently limited, particularly in extension/ backbending. This is helpful because it protects the integrity of the space within the rib cage, where our heart & lungs reside. The thoracic spine doesn't do a ton of movement in the backwards direction, due to the presence of the ribcage & those spinous processes mentioned earlier. You might only get a couple of degrees of extension out of each joint!

I would argue that this is a reason to work on mobilizing this part of the spine in backbends. Using the movement we have helps distribute the work of a backbend more evenly and can give a break to the parts of the spine that are more mobile. (Side note: the joint at the base of the rib cage differs in that it has about twice as much extension as the rest of the thoracic joints. If you look at a picture of someone in a deep backbend, you may be able to spot this area where the curve changes.)

The thoracic spine does do a decent job of twisting & side bending. Since these movements can sometimes be lacking in modern life, this is another area where it can be really helpful to work on intentional movement.

Limited thoracic mobility can cause other parts of your body to help out: your neck, shoulders, and low back are common areas that come to the rescue, as well as that mobile thoracolumbar joint I mentioned earlier. This can be fine, but thoracic mobility can be helpful if you have troublesome pain or tension in these areas.

October brings shorter days, cooler mornings, and the first stretch of holiday planning. Gentle Yoga offers a dedicated ...
09/30/2026

October brings shorter days, cooler mornings, and the first stretch of holiday planning. Gentle Yoga offers a dedicated hour each week to slow down, reconnect, and care for yourself.

Join me on Wednesdays for a nourishing practice that combines meditation, gentle movement, breath awareness, and restorative poses to support your body and mind.

🗓 Wednesdays in October
⏰ 10:00–11:00am PT on Zoom
✨ Recordings included

Whether you're feeling energized by the season or ready to rest a little more, you're welcome exactly as you are.

👉 Registration link in bio.

Have you ever gone to bed later than usual, gotten the normal number of hours of sleep, but still felt exhausted the nex...
09/28/2026

Have you ever gone to bed later than usual, gotten the normal number of hours of sleep, but still felt exhausted the next day?

For many of us, the TIME we actually go to bed matters.

➖

REGULAR BEDTIMES

If you go to bed at a similar time every day, it sets your circadian rhythm, or "body clock". Your body will release the right hormones at the right times: melatonin to support sleep, and cortisol for morning alertness.

Research suggests that regular bedtimes also support overall health.

If your schedule allows, keeping to a consistent bedtime & wake time can be one of the most helpful things you can do to promote quality sleep.

➖

WHEN TO GO TO SLEEP

The Ayurvedic clock suggests that for most people, going to bed before 10pm is best. Between 6 & 10, Kapha Dosha lends us its heavy, grounding energy, which promotes sleep. After 10, we shift into the Pitta part of the night, which is stimulating and can lead to racing thoughts (or a late-night work session) that can be hard to come down from. If you already have Pitta qualities, you may find that this is important for you.

Another consideration is your natural chronotype, or body clock. It's true that we might favor a later bedtime at certain times of life (adolescence, famously), and that "night owls" really do exist. If we're trying to keep to a schedule that doesn't match what our bodies want to do, this can have a negative impact on sleep & health.

But remember that our habits also affect our body clocks, so you may be a night owl because that's your underlying type, or because your habits have led you to feel this way.

Most people do best with moderate bedtimes & wake times, if their schedule allows.

If you're struggling with sleep, you might try shifting your bedtime slightly for a while & see if that makes a difference. Some people find that half an hour changes everything.

09/26/2026

Your body has been holding a lot today.

This new bedtime gentle yoga practice is an invitation to put some of it down. Gentle stretches, slow movement, and breath, all designed to tell your nervous system that the day is over and it's safe to soften.

Everything here is seated or lying down. Use the floor, your couch, your bed, whatever your body says yes to tonight. No pushing, no perfecting. Just a slow landing at the end of the day.

New video is up on YouTube now. Link in bio 🤍

Happy Fall Equinox! It's the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere today, and day and night are approximately equ...
09/23/2026

Happy Fall Equinox! It's the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere today, and day and night are approximately equal.

Fall in Ayurveda is Vata season. (See recent posts for more about Vata.) It's a good time for a steady, grounding, and warming practice (and every day self-care practices along these lines, too).

I also love the symbolism of fall as the part of the yearly cycle when we are reducing and letting go. The bounty of spring and summer fade, the leaves fall from the trees, and the days are getting shorter.

Sometimes we feel sadness or grief over what we're losing, and we can also choose to honor the energy of letting go and making space at this time of year. This season is necessary to allow spring to come.

What are you letting go of this fall? How are you making space for what is to come? Are you able to feel the hope inherent in releasing what has been, or is this a season of grieving for you?

Whatever you're feeling is OK.

I'd love if you'd share your thoughts in the comments. And please enjoy this exquisite poem from Carolyn Locke about the fall season.

➖

What Else by Carolyn Locke

The way the trees empty themselves of leaves,
let drop their ponderous fruit,
the way the turtle abandons the sun-warmed log,
the way even the late-blooming aster
succumbs to the power of frost—

this is not a new story.
Still, on this morning, the hollowness
of the season startles, filling
the rooms of your house, filling the world
with impossible light, improbable hope.

And so, what else can you do
but let yourself be broken
and emptied? What else is there
but waiting in the autumn sun?

If you've ever tried meditation and decided you're bad at it, this one is different.Yoga Nidra is fully guided from star...
09/21/2026

If you've ever tried meditation and decided you're bad at it, this one is different.

Yoga Nidra is fully guided from start to finish, so there's no sitting still trying to empty your mind. You lie down, get comfortable, and follow along. Bed, couch, chair, floor, whatever works. Nidra means "sleep" in Sanskrit, and the practice explores a sleep-like state that's restful and rejuvenating, and often brings a surprising amount of clarity with it.

In this 4-week series we'll practice together every session, explore different Yoga Nidra techniques, and talk about ojas, the vital essence in Ayurveda that supports our resilience and immunity. There's time for questions and discussion each week too.

🗓 Sundays, October 4 to 25
⏰ 3:00 to 4:00pm PT on Zoom
✨ Recordings included

👉 Registration link in bio.

09/18/2026

Do your thoughts start racing when you lie down to try and go to sleep? Do you lie awake in the night worrying about all the things?

This is such a common issue, and while we often need a multi-pronged approach to this kind of insomnia, here's a good place to start.

Don't lie in bed worrying; try this instead. If you find your mind racing after 15 minutes or so, get up and sit somewhere else. It might be a chair in your bedroom or in another room. Keep the lights off and make it super boring.

When you start to feel tired, go back to bed and try again.

WHY?

When we lie in bed worrying for an extended period of time, the anxiety makes it hard to sleep AND our brains can start to create an association that bed is the right place to be anxious. Getting out of bed can provide a reset of sorts and start to rewire the brain to associate the bed with sleep.

It can seem counterintuitive, but getting up instead of lying there worrying can sometimes help you get to sleep faster!

BONUS - use your time to practice a nervous system regulation skill such as breathwork, affirmations, meditation, or gentle Yoga.

Remember: no approach works for everyone, and consistency over time may be needed to make a real difference.

Have you tried this approach? How did it work for you?

You may think the work of falling asleep starts when you get into bed. However, if you're having trouble with sleep, it ...
09/16/2026

You may think the work of falling asleep starts when you get into bed. However, if you're having trouble with sleep, it can help to think of the work as beginning at least a couple of hours earlier. Your evening routine won't magically make it possible to fall asleep & stay asleep, but it can still make a big difference.

Having a routine at all helps our bodies to fall into a regular rhythm where we're releasing melatonin to support sleep at the right time. It can also help our brains to form healthy associations around sleep.

While each individual has their own needs, here are some general things to consider when creating your evening routine.

Eat your last meal at least 2 hours before bed. Some people might benefit from a small protein-rich snack or warm drink before bed. Others really need that space to digest, or to stop drinking earlier in the evening in order to avoid disrupted sleep.

Avoid stimulants & stimulation before bed. This isn't just about caffeine or alcohol. Some people need a break from bright, overhead lights, screens, exercise, or stimulating conversations/ media content in order to settle towards sleep.

Create a calming environment dedicated to sleep. Don't work or watch TV in bed, and try not to lie & worry in bed for extended periods either. It's helpful to have a strong sleep association with your bedroom.

Use calming practices before bed. This might be a good time for gentle yoga and stretching, soothing breathwork, or a little meditation. You may find a warm drink calming, or engage in self-care practices. Some people like to take time to journal or get set up for the following day in order to let go of worries before sleep. Try to use the same general routine consistently.

Maintain consistent sleep & wake times. Ayurveda recommends going to bed by 10pm for most folks in order to get the best sleep.

What are your non-negotiables for your evening routine? What did I miss?

Address

3517 Del Rey Street, Suite 108
San Diego, CA
92109

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
5:30pm - 7pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
5:30pm - 7pm
Sunday 9am - 3pm

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