Ashley McKeachie

After being diagnosed with Graves’ Disease, a thyroid disorder, in 2006, Ashley went through two sessions of radioactive iodine to reduce the size of her overactive thyroid. The radiation left her feeling lethargic, weak, unmotivated, and desperate for better overall health. Yoga completely changed Ashley's body, mind, and spirit, strengthening her physical, mental, and emotional self. After graduating from her 200-hour yoga teacher training at Core Power Yoga in 2011, Ashley began her yoga therapy training at Loyola Marymount University with a passion for mental and emotional health. For six years, Ashley worked as a yoga therapist in an integrative health setting at a chronic pain facility, where she treated patients who had been hurt on the job and used the tools of yoga to decrease the symptoms associated with anxiety and depression. She continued to pursue the study of yoga in higher education and received her Master’s in Yoga Studies from Loyola Marymount University in 2017. Ashley used her thesis at LMU as an opportunity to create a comprehensive and affordable yoga teacher training program at a community college. Her training was implemented at Orange Coast College in 2017, where she is currently the lead trainer for the 200-hour Yoga Instructor Training Program. In 2022, Ashley was hired as a seasonal staff instructor at the world-renowned Rancho La Puerta resort and spa in Tecate, Mexico, where she leads hikes and teaches classes that range from meditation to aerial yoga, and from ballet to chair fitness. In 2023, she completed the Susan Samueli Academic Integrative Medicine certificate program and is now a board-certified health and wellness coach. Ashley is thrilled to be a recent faculty hire with the Saddleback College Emeritus program, where she teaches health and wellness classes to active aging adults who range from 55 to 94 years old! In her classes, workshops, trainings, and retreats, Ashley focuses on positivity, visualization, and goal setting, and presents inspiring themes that are designed to provoke thoughtful introspection on and off the yoga mat. She welcomes all students who are interested in using yoga as a mind-body technology that empowers individuals to increase their quality of life.