Ashley began her asana practice over a decade ago, but was born and raised in the Nichiren Buddhist tradition.  Spending most of her life in Richmond, Virginia, her upbringing centered around practicing for the betterment of herself, those around her, and the world as a whole.  This incredibly fortunate foundation, led her to seek further into the meaning of life.  Chanting mantra before she could form actual sentences, ignited wonder, and allowed her to witness the power of human prayer and intention from a very young age.  She devoutly practiced throughout college then began attending yoga upon experiencing a period of deep "dark night of the soul."   She discovered that yoga had a way of calming her mind and connecting her spirit to her body she had not previously experienced before.  Like most things she becomes passionate about, she dove straight in.  Around this time she also discovered rock climbing, which felt like yoga on a wall.  For her, these two went hand in hand, and yoga was how she calmed her mind and kept her body limber for her new passion.  

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After moving to Durango, Colorado in 2013 to follow her rock climbing dreams, her depth of yoga practice deepened with the influence of her teachers Sheryl McGourty and Deb Buck at YogaDurango.  After searching for 2 years for a teacher training that felt like a good fit, she attended and obtained her 200hr teacher certification from School Yoga Institute at the Mystical Yoga Farm in Guatemala in 2017 and then her 300hr certification from the same school in Costa Rica June/July 2022.  Her strong foundation in Eastern philosophy and asana practice helps her teach from deep understanding, and her teacher Janani helped her heart to melt and open fully to love and Source.  Her life has never been the same since. 

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Since attending teacher training, she has been a field guide for Open Sky Wilderness Therapy. It was in wilderness she learned the power of nature, the importance of ceremony and how to hold space, how to unconditionally love herself and others, how strong and capable she really was, and how to authentically communicate her feelings while teaching others to do the same.  She left this job to connect to and lay down roots in Crested Butte, Colorado where she currently lives with her partner, Chris.  She is currently teaching yoga at CB Power Yoga and Thrive Yoga CB and offering bodywork services to her community where she is learning how to help others heal themselves through touch as well as change their belief systems.  

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In her classes you can expect an emphasis on the 'why' and how asana can purify the body while teaching us great lessons if we listen. Her depth of knowledge in anatomy through her bodywork practice adds to her emphasis on alignment and energetics. You may also expect traditional devotional practices such as: sanscrit, pranayama, mantra, and meditation practice in her group classes.  She often closes her class with a devotional mantra or song from her heart.

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Her everyday life experience is the foundation for her teaching and how she relates to her students.  She believes her life's work is to help others remember their essence, their infinite greatness.  

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