I, along with many other aspiring yogis, first came across Rachel Brathen on Instagram. One of a growing number of Yoga ‘celebrities’ since first starting her Instagram account three years ago, she’s amassed a whopping 1.4 million followers thanks to her honest writing and, no doubt, the picturesque backdrops that accompany many of her yoga poses.

Prior to starting yoga however, Brathen was a self-confessed rebellious teen living in Sweden; a regular smoker and frequent drinker her life could have taken a very different path had her mother not sent her off to a meditation retreat. Unbeknown to Brathen at the time, the meditation retreat was to be a turning point in her life; one that would stop the abusive relationship she had developed with alcohol and steer her towards a more holistic way of life. Following on from the mediation retreat she spent a number of years living and teaching yoga in Costa Rica, before settling in Aruba with her now-husband Dennis. Now an international yoga teacher and one of the first people to have taken her practise from a mat to a paddle-board, Brathen is a huge success story thanks, in part, to the power of social media.

Part memoir, part guide, Yoga Girl is a brilliant read for anyone interested in how to use yoga to best benefit them – whether to de-stress, find inner peace or live a more healthy life. With a series of breath-taking pictures, some of her favourite recipes and an honest account of what life was like before she found yoga, Yoga Girl is an inspiring and though-provoking read that will no doubt motivate a legion of readers to try their hand at this 5000 year old practise.

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