~My Bio~

Hello. My name is Skye Ashley. I am originally from New York City, currently residing in the Bay Area in Northern California.

I first became impassioned about pregnancy and birth after reading Ina May Gaskin’s classic book, “Spiritual Midwifery”. It profoundly changed the way I look at birth, most especially the way in which we view birth as a culture.

In 1993, I attended The Boulder College of Massage Therapy, and while there created a program providing massage therapy, infant massage, and lessons around healing touch to pregnant and postpartum teens. After completing 1200 hours in a variety of modalities I graduated with honors as a Certified Massage Therapist.

I created a successful massage practice encompassing renowned clients and spas in New York City, Seattle, and San Francisco. During this time I massaged hundreds of women through the stages of their pregnancies and have taught Mother’s Massage, Infant Massage, and Prenatal Partner Yoga/Massage Workshops to expectant couples and new parents.

I became a Certified Yoga Teacher in 1996, after completing a 250+ hour training at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre/Ashram in Montreal. In 2004 I completed a six-month apprenticeship in prenatal yoga at 8Limbs Yoga Center and have taught prenatal yoga classes at 8Limbs Yoga Center and Lotus Yoga, both in Seattle, Washington, and at The Yoga and Movement Center in Walnut Creek, California.

I became a DONA Certified Birth Doula after studying at Seattle Midwifery School, while pregnant with my first child in 2002, as a way to better understand the process and magic of birth. I later taught childbirth preparation classes at Big Belly Services for several years, after completing a Level I training and a one-year apprenticeship with a certified mentor. I am currently working toward my mentor certification in Birthing From Within.

I hold a B.F.A. from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, and after a career in the theatre, I pursued Graduate Studies in Somatic Psychology at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. I currently hold a teaching credential in Parent Education from the State of California.

I was a student-in-residence at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California where I further enriched my group facilitation skills. I have traveled extensively throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific Rim.

I founded LOTUS birth services in 2004 as a way to synthesize my experiences in support of my vision, a prayer that someday all women will feel transformed and empowered by their journeys into birth and motherhood. I believe that entering the world in a way that is held as powerful and sacred greatly informs how we later choose to walk the earth.

My most profound life’s work is as a wife to Christopher and mother to my two children, Amitiel Roan and Tara Kali Sian.