26 Apr Raechel Morrow: Helping Others Find Their Inner Strength
When we meet real tragedy in life, we can react in two ways —
either by losing hope and falling into destructive habits, or by using the challenge to find our inner strength.
-Dalai Lama
In 2015, I was diagnosed with Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stemming from several health issues in a short amount of time. Soon after this diagnosis, I found myself at the Collaborative Wellness Center, working with a wonderful therapist, trying to process everything in a proper way. About two months into counseling, my therapist, Andrea, referred me to her colleague, Raechel Morrow, for yoga therapy. Having never done yoga before in my life, I was a bit cynical at how this type of therapy could “fix” me. How could something that involved things like “downward facing dog” possibly help me out of a depressed and anxious state of mind?
Then I met Raechel Morrow, and practicing yoga with her has changed my life. It was in her studio that I found a safe space where I could work towards recovery, and since beginning my work with her I have grown stronger in body, mind, and spirit.
About Raechel
Raechel Morrow was born in Grandville, Michigan and while she and her family moved to Oklahoma for a short stint, she has spent much of her life right here in West Michigan. When she was 16 years old, Raechel lost her mother in a tragic accident. Following that loss, she lived with her grandparents. She calls her grandfather, Marvin Adams, the most influential person in her life. He consistently drove home that life is “not about money, it’s not about your job, it’s about the impact you have on the world around you.” She describes him as “funny, full of life, and true to his word.”
A graduate of Grandville High School, she went on to get a degree in psychology at Cornerstone University. She spent her high school and early college years working at D&W and after college spent time working for Lutheran Social Services as a Social Worker, working with seniors in an independent living center before transitioning into her career as a yoga therapist.
Raechel describes herself as, “authentic, alive, and relational.” She defines happiness as those simple, “aha” moments when you are “so close to your truth.” She is inspired by music, by growing things, and when she sees that her clients are “getting it” and moving toward their recovery. She loves seeing the uniqueness in each person who comes to her yoga studio and watching them grow at their own pace.
Today, Raechel is married to the love of her life, Chad Morrow, whom she says also inspires her because he is the most honest person she knows, and is the mother of five-year-old twins Charlie and Grace and three-year-old Joey. She is the president and founder of Grand Rapids Center for Healing Yoga. Her journey has not been easy, but it has been one that led her to her authentic self. And I am honored to share it with you.
Raechel’s Story of Healing
In 2006, Raechel found herself relapsing into an eating disorder that she had first been treated for nearly ten years prior. She admitted herself into an inpatient treatment program, and on the third day, a social worker came and told her they would like to move her from the eating disorder unit to the trauma treatment program. Through the help of the trauma treatment, which included yoga practice, she began to see who she really was and began experiencing her authentic self. Throughout this process she developed new awareness and thought patterns, and began living authentically.
How does yoga therapy work? Morrow explains, “Our bodies can hold onto experiences, and while a therapist works with thoughts and emotions, Somatic Yoga Therapy connects the mind to the body and allows the body to reveal what our conscious mind tries to hide and acknowledges it as a crucial aspect of our healing and self-discovery. It places attention on how the body feels in the present moment. As we connect our thoughts and emotions to what we feel in our bodies, we open communication between the conscious and unconscious parts of ourselves and begin to feel more whole and connected, discovering aspects of the Self that have been lost or hidden and make way for the discovery of new, better ways of connecting to and living with our body and emotions.”
After finishing her treatment, Raechel returned to work at Lutheran Social Services, and continued practicing yoga. As she continued in her yoga practice, she realized that she wanted to take it a step further and learn to help others through yoga therapy. In 2008, she started the Yoga Therapy for Mental Health Professionals program at Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapies, and began sprinkling what she was learning into her classes that she was teaching at Cascade Yoga. She furthered her education at Blue Heron Academy, studying nutrition and energy, and later began working with Fertility Yoga Specialist Sue Demais in Canada, who taught her about yoga for fertility as she and her husband were trying to have children.
In 2010, after she and her husband welcomed twins Charlie and Grace into the world, Raechel chose to leave her position at Lutheran Social Services and focus on her family and further develop her yoga practice and training. In 2013, some in her yoga classes began asking her to work with them in a one-on-one setting. As she customized these sessions to each individual’s need, she saw a need for more training for herself, this time in working with trauma patients. For this, she turned to Dr. Bessel A. vanderKolk’s Trauma Center, studying with Dr. vanderKolk’s yoga therapist, David Emerson, to learn about Trauma-Sensitive Yoga.
Today, Raechel is seeing the results of her hard work and training as the founder and president of the Grand Rapids Center for Healing Yoga, where she treats clients who are suffering from trauma, anxiety, and depression; women who are having difficulty conceiving children; and individuals who are suffering from addiction. Morrow’s therapy is a unique offering in West Michigan. She also leads classes for children who need help with emotional regulation. She sees her clients in private and group settings, and knows they are coming to her because they know what trauma is and they are ready to do the work necessary to recover. Raechel wants to help people live better lives—in mind, body, and spirit— because she knows it is possible.
If you or someone you know may benefit from yoga therapy, please call the Grand Rapids Center for Healing Yoga at (616) 202-4077 or visit them online. You can also check them out on Facebook and Instagram.