Rachel Zinman – Yantra, Mantra, Mudra and Tantric Ritual

Presenter Bio:

Rachel has been practicing yoga for over 20 years and has taught for 16. Prior to her initial yoga education Rachel trained as a professional dancer and choreographer in the USA and in Australia. Discovering yoga she originally trained in the Iyengar and Ashtanga methods and first began teaching in her role as Head of Dance at the Northern Rivers Conservatorium where she introduced yoga to the curriculum. Her teaching style continues to reflect her deep engagement with the arts – dynamic and precise with an emphasis on mindfulness. While again living in New York from 2000–2004 Rachel met Yoga Works and ISHTA yoga founder Alan Finger teaching in his BeYoga studios for four years. There she co-created and coordinated the Be Yoga Teacher Training Program, becoming a senior facilitator and mentor.

Rachel returned to Australia to teach in the Yoga Arts Teacher Training, and since 2005 has created and facilitated her own teacher trainings and workshops in the ISHTA System in Australia, India, Bali, Japan, New York and in many major cities in Europe. In 2006 she began practicing Bhakti Yoga and has incorporated Yantra, Mantra, Mudra and Tantric rituals into her workshops and trainings.   Rachel¹s deep personal experience and investigation of meditation allows her to be both intuitive and creative in her work and she feels grateful to be able to share her passion with others.

Rachel also co-created and produced a popular Australian Yoga Video series and a Kid's Yoga Video. She is an award-winning musician for her album of chanting and devotional song, Sita Ram, and is published poet.

Workshop Descriptions:

1. Mudra - the art and science of gesture


a workshop series with International yoga teacher Rachel Zinman

The word mudra means seal or gesture and in ancient spiritual traditions mudras were used for both meditation and ritual to enable  practitioners to connect with the stillness and peace within themselves. Mudras have been around for thousands of years in India, China and Japan. Even western traditions use mudras like the prayer position or a gesture of benediction by a priest.


On a scientific level mudras engage the motor cortex and are used to bring about emotional balance, to connect to our own intuition and also to assist healing in the physical body. They purge the negativities of both the physical and the subtle body.

A mudra practice involves more than just hand gestures. It is a yogic practice which brings together mind, intention and energy and invokes a feeling of stillness and contentment.

In this series of workshops you will experience  the power of mudra through learning a flowing mudra sequence relating to a specific deity in the tantric tradition.



Each class includes: 


Informative talk on mudras and the myth of the deity the sequence is based on

2. Sacred Yantra Creations

An ongoing workshop running throughout the festival to promote peace and healing and build bridges between cultures and communities facilitated by International yoga teacher and facilitator Rachel Zinman

In many cultures the formation of Yantras and Mandalas are an integral part of spiritual tradition. A Mandala or Yantra can be used as an aid to meditation, drawn as a symbol of welcome or celebration, or displayed as a work of sacred art. In some of the eastern spiritual traditions Yantras were used as tools for the worship and embodiment of various deities. The Yantra was thought to be the physical body of a deity while its mantra was the mind. It was believed that by internally visualising the yantra the devotee would become the deity and embody its attributes. No matter what their purpose Yantras are potent tools for transformation and liberation and connect us with who we naturally are: an energetic web of beauty and light, which is formed from a single point spiralling outwards.

When we recognise each other as powerful and unique patterns moving both out into the world in creative joy and returning home with passion and longing we are able to transcend boundaries of culture and religion.

My vision for the Bali Spirit Festival is to bring people together to experience the beauty of making yantras in a joyful community environment. Each session will include a purification ceremony, mantra chanting from different spiritual traditions, the creation of a yantra with flowers and rice, accompanied by musicians and closing with a simple ceremony which includes pranayama, mudra mantra and personal prayers and offerings specific to the energy of the day. The final yantra making session will be offered to the entire festival community as a way to integrate all the experiences of the festival and will include a special Arati light ceremony and bhakti celebration.

A breakdown of each daily session- 2.5 – 3 hrs