One of the UK’s leading yoga teachers, Anna has been studying and practicing yoga for over 30 years and teaching for over 20. As a senior teacher and trainer in the UK, she holds the highest level of certification with Yoga Alliance Professionals in the UK (SYT) and the Yoga Alliance in the U.S. (E-RYT-500 + YACEP). She also holds a B.A. (hons) in Modern Dance from Mills College in California (1991).

Her interpretation of yoga has been influenced by her study of dance, training within modern yoga styles focusing on precision and alignment, and immersion in yoga practice and teachings while living in an ashram for 12 years in upstate New York during the 1990’s.

Intention and Style

Anna curates a practice that respects the yoga tradition while innovating to meet the times. An experienced teacher and trainer, her manner is friendly, non-dogmatic and instructive. She endeavours to support a process of deepening self-knowledge through embodied practice and enquiry.

Weaving together a variety of yoga and movement practices, a class may include detailed instruction, slow flowing movement, use of props, chanting and various stillness practices including breath, Restorative and meditation - all of which express the essence of yoga as awareness. 

Drawing inspiration from the texts of the tradition as well as modern thinkers, she choreographs purposeful sequences that enables a process of release and joyful presence.

Specialisation + Publications

Anna specialises in Restorative Yoga, a modern style that supports nervous system health through the healing effects of deep relaxation, breath and present moment awareness. 

Supported by bolsters and blankets with poses held for longer, the interiority and stillness embodied by this style shift the nervous system out of ‘fight or flight’ into the relaxation response.

This type of physiological shift addresses the imbalance caused by stress and modern living, while encouraging insight and subtlety of experience.

Her book, Restorative Yoga: Power Presence Practice for Teachers and Trainees, released in March 2022, has become the ‘go to’ book for teachers and practitioners serving as an in depth guide for those interested in the Restorative arts. It elucidates and celebrates this practice spotlighting rest, stillness and space as necessary elements for cultivating balance and deepening spiritual endeavour.

Offerings

Anna leads workshops, trainings and retreats around the UK and abroad. Contact lauren@annaashby.com to enquire about her offerings and availability. 

She also teaches a weekly in-person class at the Yoga Loft in Leicestershire where she lives, as well as a number of online classes from her own platform.