Is Rachel Cieslewicz a certified yoga therapist?
Yes. Rachel is a C-IAYT, certified by the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She sees yoga therapy clients one to one at her shala in East Millcreek, Salt Lake City.
Rachel Cieslewicz is the lead teacher and co-founder of YogaSoul, a yoga school in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is a C-IAYT certified yoga therapist and a World Yoga Federation Grandmaster, and she leads YogaSoul’s 200-Hour and 300-Hour teacher trainings, its yoga therapy practice and its retreats.
Her practice began at age five. Her lineage runs through Manju Jois and Srivatsa Ramaswami to Sri T. Krishnamacharya.
Credentials
The credentials Rachel holds, and where each one comes from.
| Credential | From | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| C-IAYT, Certified Yoga Therapist | International Association of Yoga Therapists | Certified to work one to one as a yoga therapist, and listed in the IAYT directory |
| World Yoga Federation Grandmaster | World Yoga Federation | A senior title for experienced teachers. Rachel is also World Yoga Federation 500-Hour certified |
| Ashtanga authorization | Through Manju Jois | Authorized to teach Ashtanga primary and second series |
| Vinyasa Krama | Srivatsa Ramaswami | Studied directly with Ramaswami, a student of Krishnamacharya for more than thirty years |
| B.S. Exercise and Sport Science | University of Utah | The anatomy and physiology underneath her therapy and coaching work |
| M.A. Integral Health | In progress | A master’s with a concentration in yoga therapy |
Lineage
Rachel’s teaching traces to Sri T. Krishnamacharya through two of the lines that came from him.
Ashtanga, through Manju Jois. Manju Jois is the son of K. Pattabhi Jois, who studied with Krishnamacharya. Rachel is authorized to teach Ashtanga primary and second series through him. Eric Martin, YogaSoul’s co-founder, holds the same authorization.
Vinyasa Krama, through Srivatsa Ramaswami. Ramaswami studied with Krishnamacharya in Chennai for more than thirty years. Rachel and Eric both studied Vinyasa Krama with him, and in September and October 2025 YogaSoul hosted his Vinyasa Krama intensive in Salt Lake City.
The same lineage shapes the 200-Hour and 300-Hour trainings she designed.
Years of practice
Rachel began practicing as a child and has taught and studied formally for more than twenty-eight years. She was a professional cyclist and trail runner until 2019, which is where her endurance coaching began.
She and Eric Martin founded YogaSoul in 2013, when its teacher training began. In 2017 they bought Centered City Yoga (CCY) in Salt Lake City and ran YogaSoul’s trainings there, and when they sold CCY in 2025 the trainings came with them. More than 300 teachers have trained with YogaSoul. Today Rachel teaches in person at her shala in East Millcreek, Salt Lake City.
What she teaches
At YogaSoul, Rachel designed the teacher training curricula and leads every training alongside a few guest teachers. She also works one to one and hosts retreats with Eric.
Two in-person trainings in Salt Lake City, both starting February 5, 2027, both certified through the World Yoga Federation.
One-to-one sessions at the shala in East Millcreek, built around your history and your body.
Online endurance and movement coaching for runners, cyclists and athletes, wherever you live.
Small-group retreats hosted with Eric. Meteora and Koufonisia, Greece, in May 2027.
Online consulting for yoga studio owners, with Eric, drawn from running a studio themselves.
Plain guides for people choosing a teacher training.
Study with her
Rachel reads every email herself. Tell her where you are in your practice, or what you are hoping for, and she will tell you honestly which of these fits, or whether this is your season at all.
Small-group classes also run at her shala in East Millcreek. See shala classes for how to join.
About Rachel
Yes. Rachel is a C-IAYT, certified by the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She sees yoga therapy clients one to one at her shala in East Millcreek, Salt Lake City.
Her lineage runs through Manju Jois, through whom she is authorized to teach Ashtanga primary and second series, and Srivatsa Ramaswami, with whom she studied Vinyasa Krama. Both lines trace to Sri T. Krishnamacharya.
Yes. She designed the 200-Hour and 300-Hour curricula and leads the trainings, with a few guest teachers adding workshops in their own specialties.
By email. Write to Rachel and she will read it herself. People write about trainings, yoga therapy, coaching and retreats.
If none of it fits yet, write anyway. Rachel will point you somewhere useful.