The Heroine’s Journey with Rachel Greenfield

The Heroine’s Journey: a five-week series of reclamation 

“Women find their way back to themselves not by moving up and out into the light like men, but by moving down into the depths of the ground of their being.” -Maureen Murdock 

Christians call it the “dark night of the soul,” astrologists call it “Saturn returns,” others may call it a mid-life crisis. All of these terms describe a painful, bewildering part of life when perhaps the roles of life no longer fit or come to an end-a loss of a job, of a marriage or person we cared deeply for, a belief system, a role such as motherhood, a family ideology, religion…there are too many stories to list here. What can feel like an end can also be an invitation to what the Yogis call Svadhyaya (self-study). 

In my own Heroine’s Journey what has helped me find meaning is turning to ancient stories, embodied practices and rituals, yoga, and sharing my stories in safe community with other women to find integration and healing. 

Using mythology as our guide, we will move through what Maureen Murdock calls, “The Heroine’s Journey,” a cyclical path of development, growth, and learning. Truly, it is a labyrinthine descent into the depths of who we truly are. 

WHAT TO EXPECT:

—A group of women in their own journeys coming together to be known and healing in a safe place. 

—Expect mythological story-telling, journaling prompts, embodied practices and/or ritual, sacred sharing, and a few (fun..I swear) homework prompts to take you to the next week. 

WHEN:

September 3,10,17,24 and October 1 

Tuesdays 5:30-7:00pm 

INVESTMENT:

$120 (early bird 99 if you sign up before august 1) 

Sliding scale available- I don’t want money to be a barrier to this series 

**limited to 10 students**

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

—An open and courageous heart and mind for the journey 

—journal/pen

—yoga mat (the studio has lots to borrow if you forget yours) 

—comfortable clothes for movement 

REQUIRED READING:

The Heroine’s Journey by Maureen Murdock 

SCHEDULE:

1. 9/3 ATHENA- separating from the feminine, identifying with the masculine. 

2. 9/10 ARIADNE- trials, success, and facing the Minotaur within. 

3. 9/17 INANNA- death and descent. 

4. 9/24 DEMETER AND PERSEPHONE- reconnecting with the feminine, healing mother/daughter split. 

5. 10/1 HERA- integration. 

ABOUT THE TEACHER:

A recovering perfectionist and achiever, Rachel believes yoga invites us to rest in the beauty of who we truly are. After experiencing a “quarter life crisis,” Rachel deconstructed old beliefs, stories, and patterns with the help of yoga, the enneagram, sangha, therapy, shadow and embodiment work. Rachel believes yoga is more than just asana, the physical practice, it’s a spiritual path back to MotherGod and to our True Self- to remember who we truly are before the world told us who to be. Rachel was first introduced to yoga by her college roommates in 2010 but did not begin practicing seriously until 2014 as a way to combat stress in Physician Assistant school. Yoga has been with her since then--always calling her back to her mat. It wasn’t until she moved to South Carolina and began studying with Jamie and Dustin Martell that Rachel began feeling the calling to take her practice to a deeper spiritual level. Rachel is a Registered Yoga Teacher at the 200 hour level. She completed her training with Our Sacred Space School of Yoga in November 2020. She completed Yoga Nidra certification and training under Cheryl Oliver of Authentic Yoga in Scottsdale, AZ. A lover of stories, Rachel weaves Jungian themes, mythology, and anecdotes from everyday life into her classes to invite students to know themselves, and the world, a little bit better. Rachel is a Board-certified Physician Assistant and has a Masters in Medical Science. She currently practices Orthopedic Medicine in Hartsville, SC.