Anne O'Brien

Ann O’Brien is a yoga teacher, educator, event creator, speaker, consultant, writer, and non-profit director whose work is rooted in one simple belief: yoga is not just something people do on a mat, it is something that can bring them back to themselves. For anyone wondering who Ann O’Brien is, her story begins in a very human place. She first walked into a yoga studio not searching for enlightenment, but looking to stretch. Her body was sore from working out, and her life was in a tender transition after separating from her marriage. Like many people who arrive at yoga during a difficult chapter, Ann was looking for something healthier, steadier, and maybe a little more hopeful. Her first hot yoga class was, honestly, not great. She didn’t want to go back. But with the encouragement of a friend, she gave it another chance. That second class became a turning point. The teacher’s presence, the energy in the room, and the clarity Ann felt afterward changed something in her. She left feeling lighter, happier, and more awake to her own life. That feeling of inner clarity became the spark that eventually led her to teach.

From life transition to teaching yoga

Before becoming a yoga teacher, Ann worked as an insurance adjuster and was single for the first time in ten years. She has spoken openly about feeling uncertain and sad about where life was heading. Yoga gave her a foundation when everything else felt unclear. It helped her build a stronger relationship with herself and showed her that healing can happen through breath, movement, community, and self-trust. After discovering Baron Baptiste’s work and the energy of the PYC community, Ann knew she had found a home. She enrolled in teacher training and began what she often describes as an amazing, and kind of wild, journey. What once felt like the scariest decision became one of the clearest ones she had ever made.

Training, experience, and teaching philosophy

Ann completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training in 2018 through now:yoga at Pure Yoga Pilates Studio. She is also described as a certified yoga instructor with over 300 hours of intensive training, registered with Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT, and has more than 3,000 hours of teaching experience. Her background includes study and practice in Vinyasa Yoga, Yin Yoga, Ashtanga, Iyengar, and other movement-based and meditative traditions. Her teaching is influenced by functional movement, mindfulness, breathwork, Reiki, and the inward-focused healing approach associated with Kripalu. Ann’s style invites students to work with the body, rather than against it. She teaches that resilience is not built by forcing, but by listening, adapting, and staying present.

A practice built on breath, strength, and heart

Ann believes yoga is for everyone, regardless of age, background, fitness level, or physical ability. For her, breath is the bridge back to center. When breath, body, and mind begin to move in harmony, students can experience more joy, love, peace, and possibility in daily life. Her approach blends strength and softness. She has described this balance through the idea of “Lion Heart Yoga”: the lion representing courage, flexibility, and physical strength, and the heart representing the spiritual, emotional, and mindful side of the practice.

Why Ann O’Brien’s work matters

Ann’s work is valuable because it feels real. She does not teach yoga as a perfect person standing above others, but as someone who has moved through heartbreak, uncertainty, reinvention, and growth herself. That lived experience gives her teaching depth, compassion, and trustworthiness. Today, Ann continues to inspire students, teachers, and communities through yoga education, events, consulting, writing, and non-profit leadership. Her message is practical and deeply inspiring: yoga can change a life, not by making it flawless, but by helping people meet themselves with more honesty, courage, and love.