Ann Margaret Ellis ERYT 500

I was introduced to yoga when my adult son was in elementary school and attended kids’ yoga. Years later, a health care provider recommended that I give it a try in an effort to help me move on from past trauma. Like many brand new practitioners I didn’t understand where to begin. A sprinter by nature, I had been running for years, often out of a need for an escape but never facing what I was running from. A career move for my husband brought us to NM where I met another runner whom eventually introduced me to a magical little yoga community in a gym known for heavy weight lifting. Hooked, I began to thirst for more and began attending classes, sometimes twice a day, and every time we travelled, to gain exposure to different types of teachers. The same year that I found my first yoga teacher, I began a career as an adaptive ski coach. What initially drew me to yoga was the magical, safe, mind/body connection environment that my first teacher creates so well. I began to incorporate the breath and mantras with adaptive clients and over time my practice grew beyond the asana and evolved to include a variety of self-healing methods of growth.

I completed my 200hr YTT and an additional 200hrs with Wanderlust in Austin, TX. A few years later, under the mentorship of Shiva Reinhardt, I graduated from the Sri Yantra 300 YTT with a focus on Trauma Informed Yoga and Yoga Philosophy, and also from Yoga Oasis Hatha Yoga 300 YTT with Darren Rhodes, Sam Rice, and Brigette Finley. In an ever evolving practice I strive to intertwine it with many of my daily activities. My meditation practice consists largely of riding my horses solo, in silence, where no one else goes. I also love to take solo runs on the slopes, early in the morning, before my client for the day arrives. I still run, but I’m no longer running from the past. I try my best to see others with compassion, through a lens of grace. Sometimes I fail, but I’m always trying.

Having shifted from a long career teaching science to becoming an adaptive ski instructor and then a yoga instructor has given me the opportunity to continue teaching in a way that encourages challenge by choice. My greatest joy has always been facilitating growth in students using inquiry based learning and helping them tap into strength within. Through careful sequencing, curated playlists, mantras, and meditation I strive to create an inclusive environment where students feel brave enough to go deep inside and enjoy a personal journey of awareness and awakening. The ultimate goal is that they leave feeling challenged, accomplished and a little more ready to live and love!

Ann teaches Asana Techniques, Trauma Informed, Sequencing, Teaching Techniques, Restorative, Meditation and Social Justice