Rachel Ashley | Namchak Facilitator

Rachel has been engaged with Buddhism for most of her adult life. Her exposure to this tradition began as a teenager with her mother, who would continually invite her to attend Buddhist retreats. Rachel finally attended her first Loving Kindness retreat in the  Theravada tradition in Taos, NM. From there forward, Rachel continued to practice and study the Dharma and attend yearly retreats, mostly focused on the Four Immeasurables.

In 2016, she was introduced to Namchak through a dear friend and began diving into Vajrayana Buddhism. She began serving on Namchak’s Community Advisory Board, and a few years later, began working for Namchak full-time as the Community Steward. Before her work with Namchak, she served as an educator in various settings for over 15 years with elementary through college-aged students, teaching English, Language Arts, dance, mindfulness, and meditation. She holds both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education, as well as certification and training in various mindfulness, dance, yoga, and meditation forms.

Since her involvement with Namchak, she has been studying and practicing under the direct guidance of Lama Tsomo, Namchak Khen Rinpoche, Jetsunma Jamyang Yeshe Palmo, and other Nyingma teachers, predominantly Yeshe Dawa (Amita Lhamo). With the request and blessings of Lama Tsomo, Rachel now helps to develop, support, and facilitate some of Namchak’s entry-level courses, programs, and retreats. Rachel is  devoted to the Vajrayana path and loves to share the Dharma with others.