Melanie Adkison, teaches Gentle Flow and Yin yoga classes at ABHY, has been a yoga instructor since 2015. “Years of struggling with depressions and unmanaged stress had left me broken,” Melanie says. ” Through the study and practice of Yoga, Mindfulness and Buddhist philosophy, I have been able to move into a space of wholeness and reconnect to the essence of life.” A native of Mobile, Melanie has worked for the Mobile County Public School System for 26 years. She’s currently the school library media specialist at Phillips Preparatory School. Melanie loves teaching and working with kids, as well as reading and listening to music. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time outside in nature, cycling and walking her dog, Luna. 

Her greatest accomplishment, she says, is raising her daughter, Sophie, a nurse and artist who lives in California. Melanie has a keen interest in Eastern philosophies and the practice of mindfulness. In 2015, she received RYT 200 yoga certification from the Shanti Warrior School of Living Yoga, a Yoga Alliance-registered school, under the guidance of Tracey Narayani Glover, and continued studying for another year of teacher training after receiving certification. Recently, she received 50 hours of training in Yin Yoga with Divya Erin at Breathe Yoga and Wellness Center. “I am so grateful to be on this journey,” she says, “and especially grateful for the guidance of my teacher, Tracey, and for the compassion, wisdom and teachings of the Zen Buddhist Master and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hahn.”