Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley St. John.
Hi Ashley, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi, I’m Ashley St. John! I am the owner and founder of Lūm Yoga Academy, yoga-abuse advocate, and I teach yoga for inclusivity and empowerment.
I would like to say that the journey to where I am today is sprinkled with all the goodness you may hear about yoga: self-love, physical flexibility, and “good vibes only”. But really, I am exactly where I am today, because after years of reaping all the good, juicy benefits that yoga offered me, I found myself in a scary situation in my yoga community. The owner and leader of a studio I loved and worked for was grooming and abusing young female students. This put things into perspective, and like yoga was created to do, lifted some curtains to shed light on some painful truths in our yoga world. I almost quit. After almost 8 years of teaching yoga I took 6 months to myself thinking I would never return. How could I be a part of a community rigged to hurt vulnerable people? Instead, after a lot of digging into why I love yoga, I decided to do my part by creating change and helping others do the same.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The bumpiest part of the road to loving yoga again and choosing to continue and create change has been the realization that so many people come to yoga seeking something (healing, self-compassion, etc.) yet there are so many yoga teachers who don’t understand the power they hold, or who do know the power they hold and use that against others’ vulnerabilities. On top of it all, there is no tangible way to hold them accountable. That’s a pretty big speed bump in the path towards striving for change. But I definitely feel it in my bones that I have to try byboffering a safe space myself, so other teachers can and will do the same.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Since yoga helped move me into a space of self-healing, awareness, and acceptance, I want to offer the same to others. My friends and students tell me that my yoga classes are filled with words that feel like they were written just for them. But I like to admit that though I would love to be a psychic (still trying to add that to my repertoire), I bring themes to my yoga classes that I have once written for a struggle or experience I have had myself. Each yoga class and meditation I guide is thoughtfully curated by using lessons and words I have once needed in my life and they are weaved with movement and music (hence the name “Lūm” Yoga Academy). It’s incredible how by simply sharing words that once helped me in a past moment will feel sorely needed to someone else in this moment.
My yoga classes are for everybody. I strive to help others feel included and empowered every time they step into and out of my yoga classes. In turn, my yoga school (Lūm Yoga Academy) and the yoga teacher trainings we lead there are doing the same work; helping others find their own self-worthiness and acceptance in order to feel empowered to help others to do the same. It’s all just one big cycle that I am so happy and excited to be a part of!
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Coming from someone who once was as shy as can be, I am the first one to recognize that sometimes simply showing up, putting yourself out there, and speaking up can feel like the biggest risk there is. However, I have uncovered the profound beauty and freedom of just diving in. The first risk I took related to my yoga practice and career was attending my first yoga teacher training. It was a 30-day immersive training (Shout out to Gina Caputo and Kathryn Budig who guided the Aim True YTT in Napa, CA!) 2 states away. I had 2 kids at the time, and my husband was left alone to fend for himself for 30 days. This felt like a risk steeped in selfishness, but it really set the tone for my whole yoga career and propelled me into the feeling of just diving in! This is something I want my kids to feel too, so why not practice doing the things that feel risky and maybe a bit crazy? Because of that initial risk, I now dive into ideas that fill my soul. I offer events and yoga classes, and projects. Do they always pan out how I imagined? No, and that’s okay! The biggest thing I have learned about these risks I take and “dive into” is that they are really just stepping stones to get me to where I’m supposed to be. If I trust that each risk is a step to something else, it helps me detach from ideas of “failure” or disappointment. Because to me, the only definition of “failure” is to not try at all.
Pricing:
- 200hr Yoga Teacher Training – $1799
- 300hr Yoga Teacher Training – $2599
- Apprenticeship Programs (for current yoga teachers) – $300 – $700
- Yoga Nidra Teacher Training – $550- $999
- Yoga Classes (in Davis & Salt Lake County) – $10-$18/class
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ashleystjohnyoga.com
- Instagram: @ashleystjohnyoga
- Facebook: Facebook.com/ashleystjohnyoga
Image Credits
Focus First Photography
