How Rachael Coopes Made Peace With Single Parenting - and the Spiritual Practices That Sustain Her

A whole generation knows Rachael Coopes as the vivacious, engaging Play School host. Their parents may remember her as an actor in shows like McLeod’s Daughters, All Saints, and her work as a celebrated playwright. But for the spiritually inclined, Rachael is best known as a yogi and an author, writing books that distill complex spiritual teachings into relatable, modern wisdom - including Find Your Strength and The Art of Forgiveness. Rachael credits her years of spiritual practice with preparing her for the role of her life: raising her young son as a single mother. It wasn’t the life she once imagined for herself - but it’s a path she has grown to embrace with grace and surrender.

In this episode of My Spiritual Side Rachael shares:

* Why drinking coffee, and small daily rituals, can be a spiritual practice

* The power of yoga to shift our state and what inspired her to become a yogi

* Why we can all meditate, even if we think we can’t.

* The formative week she spent with her grandfather as a teenager which opened her world

* The psychiatrist who prescribed spiritual books instead of medication - and changed the course of her life

* How she made peace with becoming a single parent, and the spiritual tools that helped her embrace

* How an injury reframed a dream trip to Paris with her son, and revealed a deeper lesson

* The art, and science-backed benefits, of forgiveness

* Why learning to forgive herself has been the most profound practice of all

Key Mantras: “Let go and let God” - Pade Pade: step-by-step - Swaha: I offer it up to something sacred - What would love do?

Rachael’s books: The Art of Forgiveness, Find Your Strength, Paris for Beginners

Books Rachael mentions: Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Buddhism Without Beliefs by Stephen Batchelor, When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron

More Information about Rachael: Head to her website or Instagram.

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