Hello. I am Rachel, a 49 year old full time gypsy adventurer, a citizen of the world, meditator, cyclist, trekker, chef, scuba diver, yogi, mother, blogger and vlogger.
Through blogs, vlogs, and public speaking, I hope to motivate, inspire, and possibly assist others to pursue their own adventures.
My passion is the journey to self discovery through meditation and adventure. Three years ago I gave away nearly all of my belongings (except a bicycle and two small boxes) to live a nomadic lifestyle. It has been a magical, spontaneous, beautiful journey that has taken me around the world.
Through cycling, trekking, and hitchhiking, I am able to go off the beaten path. Delving into the unknown is not always comfortable—but it is incredibly rewarding.
This spring I finished the first part of a world bicycle tour that originated in Bangkok, through Myanmar, southern Thailand, and Malaysia and Indonesia. In July (2019) I reunited with my bicycle and am currently cycling through Java.
Some of my journeys over the past 3 years include:
Walking the Camino de Santiago, three routes, three different times—over 2,000km.
Cycling on a tandem from Denmark to Croatia through Germany, the Swiss Alps, and Italy—over 4,000km—on and off road.
Scuba diving in Thailand, British Virgin Islands, Mexico, and Guadalupe.
Backpacking the southern portion of the Arizona Trail—three of the days alone.
Exploring the jungle, local villages, and Machu Picchu in Peru.
Spending time at an Ashram in upstate New York.
21 days of silent Vipassana meditation
Walk 24 hours straight through the night on 3 separate occasions—105 km.
Certified yoga instructor, Thailand
Three times a year I travel with my 12 year old son—we have been on a reforestation project in Haiti, Peru, cycling in Denmark, learning Spanish in Guatemala and hiking volcanoes, scuba diving in the British Virgin Islands, walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and exploring Berlin, Germany on bicycle. We also multi- day backpack in the mountains near Tucson, Arizona in the U.S. In March 2019 we walked 25 miles through the night —from 7pm to 7am in a loop through 2 canyons in the remote Catalina desert. In June 2019 Wexler and I hiked the entire Oregon Coast Trail, 400 miles.
I am now a full time adventurer with no address or home. Before this, I spent most of my adult life in Tucson, Arizona where I was a certified yoga instructor, certified Egoscue posture therapist, and chef (previous restaurant owner, personal chef, and cooking educator.)
Some of my favorite activities are walking through the night, hitchhiking, swimming in natural bodies of water, wild camping, and cooking/eating outside in nature. I am always looking for an adventure and a challenge through biking, backpacking, hitchhiking.......
Global Cyclist, Nomad, and Mother—Rachel Yaseen
(Interview by Olivia Round)
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FAVORITE BOOKS & PODCASTS:
Books:
Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Rowing the Atlantic: Lessons Learned on the Open Ocean, Roz Savage
Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long Distance Swimmer, Lynne Cox
Zen Mind, Beginners Mind, Shinryu Suzuki
Podcasts:
Tough Girls Podcast
The Adult Chair
Live Awake, Sara Blondin
Insight Timer
CONTACT ME FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES, PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS, PUBLIC SPEAKING OR IF YOU WANT TO SHARE YOUR OWN STORY.