by Marian Daniells, News Correspondent

Om Gal Rebecca Pacheco stays at peace, even when her days are full. The Boston guru of sorts spends her days teaching fellow yogis, writing her Om Gal blog, and working as the online wellness editor for Boston Magazine, and has even started to write a book.

The 32-year-old Falmouth native started practicing yoga when she was 16.

“It was a casual start,” she said. “I was intrigued by it and loved it.”

It wasn’t until college that the passion really caught on. There was a yoga studio right by the University of Richmond, where Pacheco studied English. She also studied various Eastern religions, including Buddhism and Hinduism, which she said allowed her to better understand the spiritual aspect of yoga.

“Yoga here in the states is very physical and focused on the poses,” she said. “But yoga is much broader and I think it’s nice to have a handle on that – for my students, for my readers, just to give them exposure to that yoga mind-body-spirit experience.”

When Pacheco spent a semester at sea during college, she had the opportunity to visit India briefly, which was part of the reason she studied abroad.

“It gave me exposure to this culture that I was curious about,” she said.

After graduating in 2001, Pacheco worked as a teacher and in marketing by day. But by night, she taught in various yoga studios and health clubs.

“For the past 12 years my teaching has taken many forms,” she said.

Pacheco formerly worked at the Baptiste Power Yoga Institute in Brookline as a master-level teacher, and now leads other classes and workshops around Boston, including Friday classes at Sadhana Yoga Studio, owned by Glenn Cunningham, located at 15 Worcester St.

“The great thing about yoga is it’s a mindful practice that’s also physical. It breaks people down and makes them more receptive to whatever message or story their teacher is sharing,” said Cunningham. “All of the teachers at Sadhana, Rebecca included, understand and appreciate that.”

In 2007, Pacheco started toying with the idea of starting a blog. After making a New Year’s resolution, she published her first post in January 2008 as the anonymous Boston yogi, Om Gal.

“In the beginning, I had no interest in being the personality or name,” Pacheco said. “I wanted to be the voice.”

But she quickly learned two things: If you’re going to be giving people technical input on something, they want to know you’re legitimate. And, she said, people just really like the personal stories and anecdotes.

Laura Nelson, who graduated from Northeastern in December with a degree in journalism and writes Yoga in Boston, has spoken with Pacheco for her blog.

“I think she’s a great role model for women,” Nelson said. “Her dedication to her own yoga and running practice and her commitment to health and wellness is contagious and sparks a desire in others to pursue the same positive practices.”

OmGal.com became successful very quickly. The URL was passed along to Mallika Chopra, daughter of Deepak Chopra, one of the foremost doctors and thinkers in alternative medicine, Pacheco said.

Mallika Chopra was founding a new website, Intent.com, which helps people set health and wellness goals for themselves and others can support and join in on the goals as well. Chopra asked Pacheco to be a contributor, and the site drew open-minded and health-conscious people who were especially interested in Pacheco’s message. So much so that Om Gal was named best in yoga and fitness in the first-ever Intent.com web awards in 2010.

Pacheco still works with Intent.com, but is now the online wellness editor for Boston Magazine. She teaches group classes at studios and health clinics throughout Boston and Newton, and speaks at events, including the Boston Marathon expo – Pacheco completed the marathon in 2009. She is also Master of Ceremonies for May’s Boston Yogathon at Gillette Stadium.

“My primary function is that of a yoga teacher,” Pacheco said. “But now I’m merging all my interest and passions. I’m teaching yoga, I’m writing, I’m working on a book.”

Pacheco’s book is in its infancy phase, and there’s no set publication date yet, but she says it’s modeled after the Om Gal blog.

“It’s certainly not a memoir,” she said. “The voice is mine, but a bit more geared toward being a guide for the modern yogi.”

Moving forward, Pacheco says she has both short- and long-term goals. She wants to maintain the blog, and is working on completing her book.

Evelyn Harbison, a middler marketing major, takes hip hop yoga classes at Back Bay Yoga studio on Boylston Street, and reads the Om Gal blog.

“[Pacheco] helps to bring the idea that yoga isn’t just for those who want to eat granola,” she said.