Rachel Zinman

Hi, my name is Rachel, I 'm a type 1 diabetic with over 30 years experience in yoga and I'm creating a beautiful coffee table book to motivate people living with diabetes to incorporate yoga into their daily diabetes management plan. I would be so grateful if you could support me in making my dream a reality by helping me help others who need it the most. Even a small donation will make a difference. 



WHY DID I WRITE THE BOOK
My idea for the book came after nearly 6 years of living in denial about my condition. I didn't always have diabetes. For most of my life I have practiced and taught yoga nationally and internationally and lived a healthy lifestyle. I never thought for a minute that it could happen to me. In the book I share my personal story of how I got sick, what happened and how I came to terms with my diagnosis and how yoga helped me to do it. The book is also a how to guide, how to follow the steps that I did to achieve better blood glucose levels, less stress and radiant health and wellbeing. 

Things like:
How to easily adapt a yoga practice to suit your constitution and individual needs
How to use breathing and meditation techniques to reduce stress in minutes
How to find the perfect time to practice so you don't have to worry about unstable glucose levels
How ayurveda, the sister science of yoga can support you on and off the mat
How simple it is to get motivated with yoga when you know the why, what and how



WRITTEN FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH DIABETES BY A PERSON WHO HAS DIABETES
This is the first yoga book written by a yoga teacher living with diabetes for people who have diabetes. The book is beautiful to look at, inspiring, and gives solid tools for reducing stress, managing blood sugar levels and increasing insulin sensitivity.

WHAT IS MY BOOK ALL ABOUT?
The book features:
My personal story from diagnosis to acceptance and all the ups and downs in between
Lots of interesting information about ayurveda, the sister science to yoga and how ayurveda has been helping people to manage diabetes for thousands of years
An in depth ayurvedic questionnaire to help you discover your ayurvedic type.
Detailed descriptions of each ayurvedic constitution, so you can choose the perfect practice no matter what type of diabetes you have
Three 20 minute yoga sequences, with gorgeous photos to motivate and inspire you to practice
Information on how insulin and exercise work together so you can avoid the lows and highs
Breathing and meditation practices that are simple and effective and can easily fit into your busy day
Food for thought on how the mind works, how to manage stress and why yoga gets results!
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
(a mock up of one of the pages for our yoga sequences in the book )


WHY YOGA FOR DIABETES?
When I was diagnosed I never realised that over 400 million people today are diagnosed with diabetes, Out of that number 20% have type 1, which is an autoimmune disease with no known cure. Today modern medical science is busy researching and looking for ways to cure this condition. I believe a cure is immanent. But while we wait it's important to have practical tools to support people with diabetes to live the healthiest and longest life possible.

HELP ME HELP OTHERS!
I really hope you can help me make my dream a reality. I can’t do it alone as to really bring it up to a professional standard I need to work with experts in their fields. (You can read all about my team below.) Show your support by preordering the book or if you're not into yoga there's a special "off the mat" reward featuring three audio downloads of my award winning CD's of devotional music.
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

“A really good blend of practical, theory and personal. Easy to read. A world first and something that will make such a positive difference in the world.- Lisa Fitzpatrick, Sacred Womens Business and Best Selling Author

“What a wonderful idea and concept. Rachel is just the right person, in the right place, at the right time!” Dr. Bob Lodge .



“Rachel truly has been a guiding light for me navigating my recent diagnosis! I am looking forward to reading her book when it's in print! "- Carolyn Miller

"I've started reading and so far - It's great. I love how personal it is." Jacinta McEwan

“May your dreams be blessed and serve many. Your work is so needed in the world” Natalie Macneil,  Author and founder of She Takes on the World
...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
WHY YOGA WORKS
My book is a motivational guide to inspire anyone with any type of diabetes to learn simple, effective techniques to get their blood sugar under control. I absolutely believe that yoga can help anyone. I love dispelling the myth that yoga is just for flexible people or people who are spiritual. If you can breathe you can do yoga. That's the plain truth!



WHY SELF PUBLISH
I wanted to self publish because I didn't want to compromise any of the details. This book is the distillation of everything I have learned over the last 30 years, a guide that truly makes a difference to people who struggle with the daily challenges of this unpredictable disease. It's hard to imagine how difficult it is, when the general public is led to believe that as long as you take insulin everything will be okay.



YOGA AND DIABETES THE PERFECT MATCH
Yoga, in my experience is the perfect compliment to the triage of diet, exercise and medication. Yoga relieves stress, boosts the immune system, calms and focuses the mind and is an all-round mood enhancer. It's also addictive! Once you get into it you can't stop. You might like to head to my blog to find out more about Yoga's profound benefits.

I am absolutely convinced that it’s because of my own commitment to my yoga practice that I am able to manage my condition so well. I wake up every day with a positive attitude and the desire to help as many people as I can. This book is the start.
You can find out more about my personal journey with diabetes in the video below

The funds will be used to pay everyone involved in helping me create the book.  I wanted to make the design, photography and editing a priority as it's a coffee table style book. A lot of Yoga books are merely instructional. To get people to want to practice they have to get inspired.  I have chosen some amazing artists to collaborate with.

Our photographer, David Young was trained in England and has worked as a commercial photographer for many years. You can read his Bio here


Our graphic designer Maraya Rodostianos is an artist and graphic designer who is also passionate about yoga and health and wellbeing. You can find Maraya here on facebook



Our editor is the fabulous writer Kris Emery. I love Kris's fresh and modern approach to editing. She's edited a heap of bestselling books over the years. Check out Kris's website here



A breakdown of costs:

$6000 Photography- 4 location shoots, pre and post production , stock photos
$6000 Graphic Design- layout of book, newsletter header and logo design
$3500 Editing - the book is 40,000 words, this includes an edit for content and copywriting
$4500 for printing, ISBN number and miscellaneous costs i.e promotion and marketing
$2000 in bank and crowdfunding fees
Total = 22,000

I will also be donating a percentage of the sale of the books to diabetes charities.

If we go beyond the funding target I'll begin work on the yoga for diabetes website. My aim is to make the website a hub for all things yoga and diabetes. I'll be creating e-courses which expand on the themes in the book as well as collaborating with experts in the field to bring up to date information on how to help people living with diabetes, feel their very best.

The first draft of the book is complete then it will be up to the graphic designer and editor to make it shine. Everyone is already hard at work on the project.

Besides the fact that without your support I won't be able to pay everyone involved, the biggest challenge will be meeting my goal of having the book printed and published by my 50th birthday which is in the beginning of April

Another challenge could be sending out the orders on time as I'll be travelling for 3 months just after the book launch.  The sooner I can raise the funds, complete the project and book the  printer the sooner I can send it out to you.