05/01/2020
MAY TEACHER SPOTLIGHT - ASHLEY SHRADER
Q&A:
Where have you lived?
"We moved here from Washington DC 7 months ago. I lived there for 10 years and prior to that I lived in Florida for 26 years. I spent 6 months volunteering abroad in Lima, Peru in 2009 to help integrate sustainability measures in the Amazon."
Describe a major life moment:
"In 2013, I was hit by a car while riding my bike in Washington DC and ended up in the emergency room. Inspired by all of the healthcare providers I met that day and also forever changed by the vulnerability of being a patient, I subsequently looked into firefighting, paramedic, nursing, and medical school. That short experience was the catalyst to discovering my purpose as a nurse practitioner with an emphasis in functional medicine."
Serious question: What's the weirdest food in your house?
"Well, we eat mostly vegan, but we have about 15 pounds of meat in our fridge/freezer... we recently started our dog on a raw diet."
Finally, who is your dog who's now on a raw diet?
Our rescue GSP, Tabor!
Full bio:
In 2010, I began my yoga journey when a friend recommended Yoga to the People podcasts as a way to exercise while I was volunteering in Lima, Peru. As a former gymnast, I was naturally hooked on the physical practice. When I returned to Washington, D.C. in 2011, I fortuitously discovered Yoga District where my teachers Marie Belle and Mike Graglia inspired me to grow my practice to strengthen and expand my body and mind through asana, pranayama, and meditation. In 2012, after receiving a Yoga Activist Outreach certification, I started to volunteer teach chair yoga at a D.C. women's shelter. When I saw the impact that yoga had on the physical and mental state of these women, I knew it was time to shift my professional endeavors towards a career in health and wellness. In early 2014, I left my job in renewable energy, completed my 200-hour teacher training at Yoga District, and started my nursing education. I have since become a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner and now get to work with patients to improve physical, mental, and spiritual health at a local functional medicine clinic.
My core philosophy is centered on creating balance between the sympathetic (fight/flight) and parasympathetic (rest/digest) nervous systems. Evidence shows we are empowered to reprogram our brains and alter the body's stress response in a healthier way through yoga. My classes are designed to reflect this notion. Classes integrate meditation on movement, sensation, breath, and mind. Deep core work is incorporated through warming standing sequences and optional inversions. Pauses for stillness to observe shifts in the nervous system are offered throughout class. Pranayama (breath work) is frequently included to further harness the power of our parasympathetic response.