Ashley's story
Yoga gave me my life back.
I don't teach yoga because it's trendy. I teach it because it worked when nothing else did. This is the long version of why.
Where I started
I grew up a military brat — bases, moving boxes, and the quiet pride of a family that serves. Joining the Air Force felt like the most natural thing in the world. It was home before I ever wore the uniform.
The years that nearly broke me
My service also carried the hardest chapters of my life. I experienced sexual assault while serving. And when my health began to unravel, the medical care that was supposed to help me did the opposite — I was overdosed on steroids, and my body paid for it: Cushing's syndrome, IBS, fibromyalgia, endometriosis.
Doctors told me I wouldn't live past 36. They told me I would never have children.
A decade of coming back
Recovery wasn't a montage — it was over ten years. Hospital stays. Procedures to drain fluid from my spine. Days measured in small wins. I learned more about patience in those years than any class could ever teach.
Then, on a whim
I started joining Veteran Suicide Awareness hikes — walking for the ones we've lost, alongside people who understood without needing an explanation. Somewhere on those trails, I tried yoga. On a whim. No expectations.
It was the best thing that ever happened to my body — and just as much to my mind. Slow, steady Hatha practice, anything designed to help you relax and release: that's where I found the version of myself the doctors said wasn't possible.
“They told me I wouldn't live past 36 or ever have children. Today I'm thriving — with three of them.”
Today
I'm healthy. I'm a mom of three. I'm active in my community, and I'm on the mat — because yoga and staying moving are a real part of why I'm still here, and still thriving.
That's what At Ease Yoga is. Not performance, not perfect poses — a place to stand down, unclench, and breathe. If you served, if you're hurting, if you've been told what your body can't do: come exactly as you are. I've been where hard is. We'll start from there, together.
Come breathe with me
Group classes across Hampton Roads, or one-on-one time tailored to exactly where you are today.