Our Teachers & Staff
Our teaching family is small, and we like it that way! It means we can get to know you and support your practice on a friendlier and more personal level. We love hearing how we can craft classes that serve you better so come and have a chat with us. We often host other guest teachers at the Barn too.
Ashley MacDonald
Ashley is the Founder of YATB. Her yoga practice has been evolving for more than 20 years. She’s explored a confetti of styles over the decades, and is passionate about all forms of movement. Her training has ranged from Restorative and Pregnancy Yoga to a more specialised focus on Trauma Sensitive Yoga with the Centre for Trauma and Embodiment at the Justice Resource Institute. Ashley is a yoga teacher trainer for Barefoot Body Training and has nearly completed her diploma as a somatic movement therapist/educator.
Georgie Barnes
Georgie has practised yoga for over 14 years after initially seeking something to ease persistent back pain, and it absolutely worked! She was hooked on the physical ease a regular yoga practice gave her along with both the buzz and calm she felt from each class.
Melanie Thompson
Melanie has been practising Pilates for over twenty years. Although she started postnatally, her practice has continued to support her through post-run niggles and lower back pain. She loves how Pilates can be tailored to suit anybody and gets great satisfaction from seeing people improve in fitness and strength and being able to alleviate pain and discomfort.
Katherine McKenzie-Baxter
Katherine has been facilitating accessible community-based yoga classes and bespoke 1-2-1’s since Sept 2018 and completed a 3 year Diploma with the British Wheel of Yoga after initial training in London 2013. Her ongoing 23 year long yoga journey started with vrkasana (tree) age 12, but was drawn to the physical practice as a teenager to deal with crippling anxiety.
Tara Blackaby
Tara has been teaching Fitness and practicing Pilates and Fitness Pilates in her local community for over 8 years. Tara’s passion is to make Pilates accessible to all. Her classes are run in a supportive environment encouraging students to improve their everyday functional movement, strength and mobility, and boosting their confidence in an enjoyable way.
Emma Fryer
Emma formalised her love of yoga by training as a teacher with Barefoot Body. She has been covering classes for Ashley since 2020 and started her own ‘Reset’ classes in 2021 after qualifying in yoga nidra. Emma found yoga such a huge benefit to her struggles with anxiety and depression she is keen to give back and perhaps help others who may also benefit.
She also dabbles with essential oils and making mala bracelets.
Willow - Virtual Assistant
Willow runs Satori HQ: A virtual provider offering online business management / virtual assistant services remotely. Her background is in Information Management: She has a love of all things data (yes, really!), 3D visualisation, creating standards, methods and procedures for processes and machine learning/AI. She enjoy reading, nature and spending time with loved ones and even rolls out her yoga mat from time to time
