Hi there!

My name is Rachel Gray, and I'm so glad you stopped by today!

I was educated at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, where I studied health science. It was there in a psychobiology class that I first fell in the love with the exploration of the mind brain connection. I graduated with honors and hold a Bachelors of Health Science in Pre-Physical Therapy. Shortly after graduation, I began practicing prenatal massage overseas on Incirlik Air Base, where I was living as a military dependent. When I became pregnant overseas I experienced first hand the consequences that a lack of prenatal resources has for moms and babies. As we moved and my children grew, I was active in local breastfeeding support groups and became a certified doula. Later, like most mama lions fiercely devoted to educating my cubs, I volunteered at their schools, putting my creative mind to work for everything from class plays to set construction and costumes to giant art murals; anything to spark the interest in the arts or imaginitive play.

I found early in motherhood that my children never fit tidily into the classroom environment as learners. Over the years, I found we ALL learned best when we incorporated more creativity and movement into lessons. I drew wisdom from Montessori and Waldorf methodogy to custom adapt curriculum to serve my neurodiverse learners, often following a more non-traditional educational pathway. My philosophy is that learning to do something 1% better is still valid, and ought be celebrated! Sometimes we have to begin with the "inch"-stones; milestones may come eventually, but the flow state of learning is truly the most important part.

As my family evolved, I spent time working in many fields. I helped design and operate a sensory farm for small livestock animals as part of an equine assisted learning program. I briefly worked for a high tech sensorial play space for special needs children. I held administrative positions at a law firm and later for a group of financial advisors. After being diagnosed on the autism spectrum in 2019, I leaned into my personal exploration of sensorial regulation, and began playing my first instrument, a set of singing bowls, well before I ever picked up a pair of drumsticks. When my children asked for music lessons in 2020, I felt the call from my fourteen year old self, the girl who was dying to play along on the back of the school bus seats with all the other marching band kids. I started my own lessons, eventually earning the nickname "Baby Drummer." I sometimes refer to my drumming practice as inspired ways to count to four. All of these pursuits and hobbies shared a common thread of nervous system regulation, e.g., how to "sit in the song."

In 2021 I discovered yoga. After one perfectly accessible class, I was instantly hooked. I found that linking breath to movement sparked the same MIND-BRAIN-BODY connection that I'd studied in school. I began practicing regularly. As I did so, I found myself more able to control the "freight train" brain, and to regulate through difficult moments. Yoga forced me to sit with uncomfortable truths about myself, and taught me to silence the inner critic. Now, those uncomfortable truths are simply information to support growth, changes I can make, paths I can choose or not choose.

Eight months of yoga mindfulness and training proved to be lifesaving. On July 25, 2022, I experienced a dissecting cerebral aneurysm and two subsequent strokes at the age of 38. Home alone with my sleeping child, I awoke to the thunderclap; the worst headache you can possibly imagine. I fell to the floor and spent nearly four hours breathing, counting rhythmically to four to stay awake, and moving one inch at a time to reach my phone and call paramedics. I underwent three major procedures to place a stent, and spent nearly a month in the neurological ICU in the weeks that followed. My recovery was dubbed miraculous, as I was eventually discharged without permanent neurological deficit.

I call 7/25 my "LIFE DAY" now. This is why I teach what I teach. Both of these primary practices prepared me to survive that experience, and then forced me to begin building the life I truly want to live. If you've ever felt that spark, the pull to try something new and different, give in, imagine where it might lead, work on the foundation, and then simply LET IT FLOW. Wonder what might happen if you stopped living inside your prescribed box (🧠 🧘 🏠 ) and began creating your own! I can help you make some SPACE for that.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my offerings!

I teach yoga, percussion, and organization to students across the spectrum of age and ability.

My business is built upon my personal passions, the practices that I feel most support well-being and growth. I teach what I know; and I try to do so in an embodied way that often suites neurodiverse learners who don't fit neatly inside the box. Being an entreprenuer allows me the freedom to teach anything I want within my sphere of expertise, with an individualized approach.