Our Mission
To empower our community to live well and transform from the inside out through accessible, integrative yoga therapy practices. We inspire people to create balance within their bodies and minds, cultivate nourishing relationships with all aspects of life, resulting in positive change, resilience, and a more joyful, purposeful existence.
Our Story
We, (Allison and Katie) have been sharing the life-enriching wisdom of Yoga as a therapeutic healing modality since 2007, when we first met working together at a gorgeous and soulful 6500 sqft wellness center in Tustin, Soul at Home.
Yoga has changed both of our lives so profoundly, that we immediately bonded over the shared mission of making yoga accessible and sharing the totality of yoga practices (asana, pranayama, meditation, mantra, lifestyle practices) in a universal way, as the highest form of personal empowerment and self-care.
We begain leading teacher training programs in 2010 and soon knew that we wanted to open our own studio. After years of dreaming and hard work, we co-founded Be The Change Yoga in 2013 with a clear intention: to create a nourishing community space that uplifts the individual and collective.
It’s been a remarkable journey to watch Be The Change Yoga grow and evolve into Orange County’s center for higher education for Yoga Therapy, Natural Health, and Integrative Wellness.
Since we specialize in therapeutic yoga, we felt called to develop OC’s first Yoga Therapy Training Program in 2016. In a full circle moment, our training currently cross-lists our courses with Loyola Marymount University’s Masters in Yogic Studies Program; which is a great honor since Katie completed her training at LMU in 2009.
We have also developed strategic partnerships with institutions such as Argosy University, CHOC, Hoag, UCI | SSIHI, and UCI Medical School, developing and implementing clinical yoga therapy programs and research initiatives.
We are extremely passionate about brining yoga therapy out of the studio and into the larger community. Since 2016, we’ve been providing weekly yoga therapy + health education programs at the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living in both English and Spanish. We have also collaborated with multiple Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHC’s) throughout Orange County to bring accessible care to underserved populations.
After a decade in our beautiful Orchard Hills location, we decided to relocate Be The Change Yoga to Old Town Irvine in 2023.
After 17 years of providing yoga services to our OC community, it was beyond exciting to design our dream location! In the larger Old Town Irvine location, we were able to build hybrid classrooms, as well as bring to life our long-time dream of a Community Tea House! At the same time we also launched our nonprofit, the AlcheMē Natural Health Institute.
Together, all of these spaces, programs, and initiatives reflect Be The Change Yoga’s mission to cultivate community, connection, empowerment-based education to promote human flourishing for all.
If you’d like to learn more about our personal journey, you can check out our story in the international best-selling book, Ignite Joy.
Vision
We envision a world where yoga is embraced as a way of life and a path to well-being — accessible to all, grounded in tradition, and applied as lifestyle medicine. Through education, community, and the art of mindful living, we inspire positive change within individuals and throughout our community, one small step at a time.
Our Philosophy
SAFE – CREATIVE – LIFE-ENHANCING
SAFE
We believe that Yoga is for every BODY! Our classes are in non-heated studios. Most of our instructors are Yoga Therapists. Before every class, our teachers always ask if there are any injuries, needs, or special conditions, so they can meet with students privately to assess their needs, and then offer appropriate modifications throughout the class.
We believe that ANYONE can benefit from the healing aspects of a sustained and appropriate yoga practice, regardless of age, condition, or ability.
Creative
Our group classes are not only safe but enveloped by fluid, breath-centered movement that shifts the mind into a state of FLOW, clarity, or higher consciousness.
Our classes revolve around a key theme or teaching that is weaved throughout the sequencing of postures or kriyas, carried through in the breathwork, meditation, mantra, and / or musical choices.
Rather than a workout or one-size fits all class, our classes are designed to harmonize all layers of being, so our students can experience the totality of the yogic teachings.
Life-enhancing
Yoga is not an escape from life. It’s an opportunity to slow down, look within, and pay attention to what is happening internally.
From this practice of self-reflection and self-study, we learn how to utilize the appropriate tools to balance the body, harmonize the human systems, while creating a calm and stable mind, as the highest form of self-refinement.
This state of consciousness is known as Yoga; which is then carried off the mat and the real practice is bringing this awareness and clarify into all of your relationships.
Our teachers bring forth tools to create positive change at all layers of being, while offering practical self-care tools to enrich your relationships off the mat as well.