ABOUT ALYSON
Alyson Shade (she/her) has roots in the beautiful fields, rivers and valleys of Central PA. In 2008 she relocated to Washington, DC and supported contracts with the Navy and the Department of Defense while pursuing her yoga teacher certification program. She transitioned from strategy work into becoming a full-time yoga instructor, founding Realignment Studio as a haven for stressed-out DC professionals, activists, students and families.
For the first 5 years, Alyson taught an average of 20 classes per week at various spaces around the city: studios, churches, workplaces, gyms and federal buildings, to include the US Supreme Court. In 2017 she opened a brick-and-mortar yoga studio in the heart of Capitol Hill. During 2020 in the midst of the global pandemic, Alyson decided to end the lease on her studio space. Never one to abandon a vision, she continues to teach special events and host retreats throughout the year.
As a registered teacher, Alyson is 200- & 500-hr certified in Vinyasa (Rolf Gates) and Hatha yogas (Yoga District), as well as trauma-informed yoga for veterans (Veterans Yoga Project). She studied meditation techniques from senior students of Sri Dharma Mittra and Ashtanga techniques from Marie Belle Perez Rivera. Alyson is certified in intuitive energy work (Christina Ambubuyog), completed coursework for executive coaching (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching) and extensively studied Marshall Rosenberg’s work on nonviolent communication. She served as faculty on Capitol Hill Yoga’s certification program and later developed and led her own Yoga Alliance-approved 200-hr curriculum at Realignment Studio. Prior to owning her own studio, Alyson was Director of the Mind/Body Department at Results The Gym in Washington, DC. She has been interviewed for The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Washingtonian Magazine and Hill Rag.
Alyson’s classes integrate effort and ease and have a meditative theme, encouraging students to keep their awareness within and explore intuitive connection through the body and breath.
A former bundle of anxiety and chaos, Alyson eventually developed a daily rhythm to support her self-care needs and has never felt better. Now she travels the country sharing her yoga, meditation and self-care strategy with students who are tired of being burnt out and are ready to find balance.
In addition to her work with Realignment Studio, Alyson runs a small business consulting firm that focuses on operational strategy, logistics management and workplace wellness.
ABOUT REALIGNMENT STUDIO
Realignment Studio was founded in 2012 by Alyson Shade during a time when she was tired, burnt out and looking for a new way to show up to her life. She began noticing the push/pull between when she needed to gather strength and move forward, versus the need to slow down and recover.
The studio was inspired by the dynamic between endurance + transformation, between steadiness and growth. These concepts are represented in our logo - the mountain and the lotus. Often you’ll hear yoga described as “a balance of effort and ease”. The name “realignment” refers to those peaceful moments when body, breath and mind synch with each other, and you feel fully alive. This is what the practice of yoga can teach us - to always realign ourselves back into presence.
For the first 5 years Alyson referred to herself as a “mobile yoga studio”, teaching anywhere and everywhere that she could. In 2017 she began craving a physical home for her students and wanted to plant roots in Capitol Hill. She invited Betsy Poos to join Realignment Studio and they signed a lease on Pennsylvania Avenue, just 6 blocks from the Capitol Building and across the street from the historic Eastern Market. Together with Betsy and an amazing, supportive team of teachers and staff, a heart-centered community quickly grew.
During 2020 in the midst of the global pandemic, Alyson decided to release the studio space and return to operating as an individual teacher, initially on a virtual platform. Realignment Studio is once again a “mobile yoga studio”, traveling across the country hosting workshops and retreats. Follow along @_realignmentstudio and join our adventures!
Photography by Penjari Photography, John Murray, Yann Dufour.
