About Me
I knew that working with children was something I was destined to do since I was young. I just wasn't sure what field I wanted to work in. I attended college for Nursing to venture into Pediatrics. Turned out that wasn't my path and I left school early. It wasn't until having your school-age child be labeled with anxiety, tentative ADHD, and Oppositional Defiance Disorder and the struggles that followed his first year in school that I realized my true purpose. Not only did I know that I needed to help him find ways to self-soothe and self-regulate, but that I needed to help myself as his mother. I started my own personal yoga practice back in 2010 and was introduced to mindfulness in 2012 shortly after my divorce. It has brought some very much needed balance, patience and strength to my world of motherhood. I wish to bring the same balance, patience and strength to other children in their struggles at home and at school.
I received my child and tween/teen yoga training certifications through ChildLight Yoga in Dover, NH and have completed the Mindfulness in Education Curriculum Training (k5-12) with Mindful Schools in Oakland, CA. I have also been trained in the foundations of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at Rooted in Mindfuless in Brookfield, WI. Since 2012 I have been on three Vipassana retreats and was a Kid's Group Leader at the
Illinois Vipassana Center (Dhamma Pakasa) in Pecantonica, IL. I have had the honor of attending lectures led by UW Madison's Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, Dr. Richard Davidson and UMASS Professor Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn. All of these experiences have greatly impacted me over the years.
Throughout my training and experience now with my own two children I've become well-versed in child & teen yoga-based movement, focused practices, community building exercises, relaxation and breathing techniques. I hope to share the gift of yoga, mindfulness and meditation with your child and the children in our community to encourage a healthy and balanced future.
Who am I in my free time? Well, I am a mother of two very bright children, a lover, a free-spirit, an adventure seeker, a hopeless romantic, a wonder junkie, an environmentalist, a barefoot wanderer, a simplicity geek, a student of life, a foodie, an Earthling, a psychology enthusiast, a vegetarian, an organic gardener, a tea drinker, an animal activist, a nature fiend, a giggler, a wannabe photographer, and a cheesehead at heart. I love to read, I thoroughly enjoy the hammock, and I can't get enough of the outdoors - hiking, biking, kayaking, camping. My children and I love to explore our beautiful country via road trips. I will show them the world someday.
Ashley
