To Love and Let Go: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Gratitude
- Downloads：3112
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-19 05:18:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rachel Brathen
- ISBN：1982117141
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
“Rachel beautifully illustrates that loving fiercely and grieving deeply are often two halves of the same whole。 Her story will break you down and lift you up。” —Glennon Doyle， author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Love Warrior and founder of Together Rising
While on her way to teach a yoga retreat in March 2014， Rachel Brathen collapses at an airport， brought to her knees by excruciating stomach pains。 She is rushed to the hospital on the tiny island of Bonaire， and hours later forced to undergo surgery。 When she wakes up from anesthesia， her boyfriend is weeping at her bedside。 While Rachel was struck down with seemingly mysterious pain， her best friend， Andrea， sustained fatal injuries as a result of a car accident。 Rachel and Andrea had a magical friendship。 Though they looked nothing alike—one girl tall， blond， and Swedish， the other short， brunette， and Colombian—everyone called them gemelas: twins。
Over the three years following Andrea’s death， at what might appear from the outside to be the happiest time—with her engagement to the man she loves and a blossoming career that takes her all over the world—Rachel faces a series of trials that have the potential to define her life。 Unresolved grief and trauma from her childhood make the weight of her sadness unbearable。 At each turn， she is confronted again and again with a choice: Will she lose it all， succumb to grief， and grasp for control that’s beyond her reach？ Or can she move through the loss and let go？
When Rachel and her husband conceive a child， pregnancy becomes a time to heal and an opportunity to be reborn herself。 As she recounts this transformative period， Rachel shares her hard-won wisdom about life and death， love and fear， what it means to be a mother and a daughter， and how to become someone who walks through the fire of adversity with the never-ending practice of loving hard and letting go。
While on her way to teach a yoga retreat in March 2014， Rachel Brathen collapses at an airport， brought to her knees by excruciating stomach pains。 She is rushed to the hospital on the tiny island of Bonaire， and hours later forced to undergo surgery。 When she wakes up from anesthesia， her boyfriend is weeping at her bedside。 While Rachel was struck down with seemingly mysterious pain， her best friend， Andrea， sustained fatal injuries as a result of a car accident。 Rachel and Andrea had a magical friendship。 Though they looked nothing alike—one girl tall， blond， and Swedish， the other short， brunette， and Colombian—everyone called them gemelas: twins。
Over the three years following Andrea’s death， at what might appear from the outside to be the happiest time—with her engagement to the man she loves and a blossoming career that takes her all over the world—Rachel faces a series of trials that have the potential to define her life。 Unresolved grief and trauma from her childhood make the weight of her sadness unbearable。 At each turn， she is confronted again and again with a choice: Will she lose it all， succumb to grief， and grasp for control that’s beyond her reach？ Or can she move through the loss and let go？
When Rachel and her husband conceive a child， pregnancy becomes a time to heal and an opportunity to be reborn herself。 As she recounts this transformative period， Rachel shares her hard-won wisdom about life and death， love and fear， what it means to be a mother and a daughter， and how to become someone who walks through the fire of adversity with the never-ending practice of loving hard and letting go。
Reviews
Sarx
，
Beautiful， moving， personal and very inspiring
Laryssa Shaffer
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I loved listening to this book。 It gave me a lot to think about。 At times， I felt like the authors voice didn't do the book justice （and that is strange to say since its a memoir）。 I cried so much！ For Rachael， for her bestfriend/soulmate， for Pepper， for all the struggles and moments of enlightenment。 It was a quick listen。 I loved listening to this book。 It gave me a lot to think about。 At times， I felt like the authors voice didn't do the book justice （and that is strange to say since its a memoir）。 I cried so much！ For Rachael， for her bestfriend/soulmate， for Pepper， for all the struggles and moments of enlightenment。 It was a quick listen。 。。。more
Macey North
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been following Yoga Girl on Instagram for yearssssss。 Love love love her and love love love this book！ pretty sure it had me crying by page 3。
Andréanne D。 Couture
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I laughed and I cried reading this book and hoped it would never end！ I’ve been following Rachel for years （instagram and then podcasts） and this book made it all come together。 Absolutely beautiful。 Thank you for the authenticity as always， I needed to read this。
Louise Miller
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Sometimes a tough read if you are working through or rather you haven’t worked through grief。 Enjoyed it 。
Brittany （bees。horror。haunts）
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I loved this book。 It was beautifully written and I really couldn’t have picked a better time to read it。 I felt a lot of what she was saying in my heart。 And it helped me to come to some realizations about myself。 This is one book I’ll revisit。
Alexanne
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The books is amazing。 From someone who read her first book and follow her on social media I can say that this was eye opening。 I know the feeling of loosing a love one and this book made me cry a few times。 So much love ❤️❤️
Carey
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Ugh， couldn’t finish this book。 I’m so annoyed at the author。 I keep rolling my eyes。 The very first story about how she was in agonizing pain but refused to get medical care before boarding a plane is so selfish and stupid I just couldn’t recover from it。 The final straw was her talking about everything is divine and nothing random ever happens in this world。 Whaaaaaaat？ I’m done。 Next。
Frau Honig liest
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Für mich leider absolut kein Vergleich zu „Yoga Girl“ viel （beinahe alles？） wurde wiederholt und ich konnte kaum hilfreiches für mich daraus mitnehmen。 Sehr schade， weil ich eigentlich ein großer Rachel Fan bin。
Cait
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As a big fan of Rachel's podcasts， listening to this as an audiobook was wonderful。 As a big fan of Rachel's podcasts， listening to this as an audiobook was wonderful。 。。。more
Angie Klebe
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A journey through trauma & healing。 She isn’t afraid of vulnerability despite her internet fame。 She is so transparent with her ebbs and flows of grief。 Even if I don’t relate to her story I can understand how she feels and this has helped me see how my loved ones have journeyed through their grief。
Khloé
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3，75/5 ⭐️ ✍🏽
Anh
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Oh， my heart。 Her autobiography made me cry several times。 This is the third book I discovered and read from one of my favorite podcasts， Kombucha and Colour。 I vaguely knew about Yoga Girl before reading this， but didn't follow her， listen to her podcast， or indulge in any of her content。 Therefore， I didn't know what set her apart from other Instagram Yogis until reading this。There are lessons to learn and remember for Rachel's story。 We all experience trauma， and some of it can come from our Oh， my heart。 Her autobiography made me cry several times。 This is the third book I discovered and read from one of my favorite podcasts， Kombucha and Colour。 I vaguely knew about Yoga Girl before reading this， but didn't follow her， listen to her podcast， or indulge in any of her content。 Therefore， I didn't know what set her apart from other Instagram Yogis until reading this。There are lessons to learn and remember for Rachel's story。 We all experience trauma， and some of it can come from our first/ primary caretakers。 The important thing is to be aware of it to not transmute it to future generations。 We are not responsible for saving and rescuing others。 Our trauma follows us， and it's okay to feel。 The out-of-body experiences that she describes are not so esoteric， that one cannot follow。 If you have done spiritual exploration， you would be amazed at how the experiences and revelations manifest themselves。 Rachel articulates her stories in a way that shows how certain components in her life connect with spirituality。 I cannot say with high spirits that this book is for everyone。 Most of her grief revolves around death and suicide。 Some people might not relate to her sadness due to the abundance she has in her life （career success， supportive husband， ability to travel）。 If you read this， be aware that every experience is individual and cannot be compared to another。 。。。more
Tanya
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I especially enjoyed the last 50+ pages！
Nikki
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It took me a long time to read this book。 As in， it took over a year to finish this book。 I have listened to Rachel's podcast since 2018 and one of the best things about her is her capacity to be vulnerable and lay it all bare for the world to know。 However， there were times where the story took long tangents and it was difficult for me to focus on it。I give this book four stars because even though I enjoyed it， it did not keep me hooked， and to finish it I had to put it on a to-do list and basi It took me a long time to read this book。 As in， it took over a year to finish this book。 I have listened to Rachel's podcast since 2018 and one of the best things about her is her capacity to be vulnerable and lay it all bare for the world to know。 However， there were times where the story took long tangents and it was difficult for me to focus on it。I give this book four stars because even though I enjoyed it， it did not keep me hooked， and to finish it I had to put it on a to-do list and basically force myself to finish it。 If you are a person who has listened and enjoyed Rachel's podcast I would recommend to just get the audiobook。 I listened to the sample and it's very easy to listen to， narrated by her， and seems like it would feel like an extended version of her podcast。 。。。more
Sarah McMann
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I have been following Rachel （Yoga Girl） for years now， so I already know quite a bit of her struggles。 However， getting to experience her story in full and in book form was both humbling and inspiring。 This woman is a force to be reckoned with， and she writes so beautifully。 I laughed， I cried， I related， I took notes。 I loved every second of this book and could not put it down。
Tay
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This truly is the best book I have read in so long。 Oh my god the strength of Rachel。 The pain， the grief， the growing， and most of all the healing。 Just wow。 I can picture myself re-reading this book many of times， especially in the times of my life where I might feel stuck and sad。 I’m just sitting here speechless， feeling the feels， and most of all inspired。 I read this in about 2 days （with no prior knowledge of Rachel / Yoga Girl） and could not put it down。 A book has never made me feel lik This truly is the best book I have read in so long。 Oh my god the strength of Rachel。 The pain， the grief， the growing， and most of all the healing。 Just wow。 I can picture myself re-reading this book many of times， especially in the times of my life where I might feel stuck and sad。 I’m just sitting here speechless， feeling the feels， and most of all inspired。 I read this in about 2 days （with no prior knowledge of Rachel / Yoga Girl） and could not put it down。 A book has never made me feel like this。 Is it dramatic to say this book might’ve changed my life？ Idk lol！5/5 for provoking the emotions I felt throughout and after， & for the lessons I learned and inspiration I feel。 。。。more
Daniella Sole
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I’ve been following Rachel for years on social media and WOW。 This book is incredible。
Lily Fryer
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I have followed Rachel on Instagram for years， and have found that her captions feel more raw and authentic than this book， and her previous one。 Perhaps her editor alters her true writing style to fit with what publishing wants？ Also， hard to get through one or two chapters without thinking about white privilege and how narrow her worldview is - despite her saying otherwise。
Ana Lopes
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I´ve been following Rachel on Instagram for a long time and already knew a part of her story， but even so I was overcome with emotion with To Love and Let Go。 It's such a powerful testimony of love and grief， of redemption and hope。I found it a bit harsh on her family， especially her mother， and thought that at times all this honesty and openness was hurtful and unnecessary， but it's not my story， so the author went as far as she felt she needed to go。 I applaud her courage。I don't usually read I´ve been following Rachel on Instagram for a long time and already knew a part of her story， but even so I was overcome with emotion with To Love and Let Go。 It's such a powerful testimony of love and grief， of redemption and hope。I found it a bit harsh on her family， especially her mother， and thought that at times all this honesty and openness was hurtful and unnecessary， but it's not my story， so the author went as far as she felt she needed to go。 I applaud her courage。I don't usually read memoirs of living people on their 20s or 30s， but I've enjoyed this book and felt very touched by it。 It's a good book to help you find your humanity。Four stars， very well deserved！ 。。。more
Sian Lile-Pastore
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tbh this was a bit triggering for me and i cried through most of it。
Vallary Mituka
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❤️
Jordan
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Rachel tells a wonderful life/death story， from the heart， in colloquial language。 I learned and contemplated a lot。
Grace
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Rachel Brathen brings the same beautiful prose that fills her social media presence。 Her stories are profound without trying too hard- authentic and insightful。 The memoir is like a comforting hug with reassurance that everything will be ok， even if it doesn't feel that way。 This book is one to return to often throughout the trials and triumphs of life。 Rachel Brathen brings the same beautiful prose that fills her social media presence。 Her stories are profound without trying too hard- authentic and insightful。 The memoir is like a comforting hug with reassurance that everything will be ok， even if it doesn't feel that way。 This book is one to return to often throughout the trials and triumphs of life。 。。。more
Olivia Neas
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“Another lesson learned: Letting go means releasing the pain， not the love。 When someone we love passes away， they’re close enough to give us signs when we need them， but far enough away for new love to grow。 Love never dies。 Death is simply a wide， empty space to hold all the love left behind。 Love always stays。”What Rachel Brathen did so effortlessly was put into words how so many people， including myself， deal with grief and how grief can become all-consuming。 The sadness can be unbearable， b “Another lesson learned: Letting go means releasing the pain， not the love。 When someone we love passes away， they’re close enough to give us signs when we need them， but far enough away for new love to grow。 Love never dies。 Death is simply a wide， empty space to hold all the love left behind。 Love always stays。”What Rachel Brathen did so effortlessly was put into words how so many people， including myself， deal with grief and how grief can become all-consuming。 The sadness can be unbearable， but as Rachel recounts， you need to learn to be someone who “walks through the fire of adversity with the never-ending practice of loving hard and letting go。” 。。。more
Eleonora Rini
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I found it very self entitled and very often mean towards others。 The story itself is readable， but not to be taken lightly， otherwise one could get the message wrong。
Trish
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loved it。 raw， cathartic， loving， honest， fantastical
Leeah
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So many tears。 There’s so much pain and so much love in this book - a similar story that so many of us walk with。 Grief is heavy， it’s weird， it never goes away。
Marjanwar
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Rachel Brathen shares her heart so unabashedly in this book。 She does not shield us from the darkness it took for her to embrace her own light。 We feel it all right along with her， the grief and the joy and the confusion。 Letting go is a lifelong lesson， a daily lesson， and Rachel reminds us that big or small， it is our best chance at a full life to embrace that。
Zibby Owens
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