Born in 1955 in London England, Ally studied art at Saint Martins School of Art and Sir John Cass School of Art, ultimately graduating with a BA honors degree in Film, Television, and Photography. She is distinctly a Gannet concerning visual arts disciplines having practiced theatre design, sculpture, and fashion photography in Paris, followed by working as a documentary photographer for the British Exploration Society.

Despite a life ostensibly immersed in visual arts, movement has always been her passion. Broken feet at an early age forced Ally to forego the dancing that made and still makes, her heart sing. She fenced and acquired a youth black belt in Kyshindo judo amongst a myriad of other movement disciplines. Following that there were 45 years where 'life was exercise’, with a brief and miraculous exception—she walked into Barbara Benagh's studio on Joy Street Boston more than a quarter of a century ago and discovered the unmitigated bliss of yoga under the tutelage of Barbara Benagh. Unfathomably, in retrospect, she walked away one day, and without intent, never returned. She had her two sons, Galileo and Zeus, late in life and spent her 50's immersed in motherhood, education, soccer coaching, stilt walking, and children's theatre until her sons outgrew the need for a constant maternal presence. And so it was that she found herself on the spur of the moment being invited by her best friend of 60 years to go to India to take a yoga 200 hour teacher training. Impulsively, and distinctly ill-prepared, she said yes, and thus it was that she walked through the doors of Down Under. Walking through those doors changed her life with its rich fecundity of teachers and diverse schools of yoga. Down Under offered an unparalleled opportunity for learning, community, passion, and purpose. Down Under, quite simply, is where she was born and bred as a Yogi. Following her return from India, she completed the beautiful Art of Assisting under the tutelage of the gracious Masaaki and with the generous support of so many kind Down Under Yogis. Then she studied for her Pre‑Natal certification, her 300 Hundred Hour Teacher Training, and her Post‑Natal and Baby and Me training with Bec Conant of Om Births. As with the visual arts, so it is with movement. Ally has a voracious appetite for yoga—drawn to and appreciative of multiple yoga disciplines and a plethora of teachers. Ultimately her heart beats to the drum of flow. Influenced by Barbara Benagh and Angela Farmer, encouraged by Ann Curtis, inspired by Michael Ponte, nurtured by Hannah Adams, challenged by Kate Robinson, and mentored by Marina Traub, her teaching style is expressive, lyrical, humorous, and non‑conformist from a purist perspective. She believes yoga is poetry in motion. For her, yoga is a moving meditation where she encourages students to find what moves them and to discover their cadence and voice. She intends to create a space in which students can practice hard things without becoming hard people. This past year she took up rock climbing and bouldering, facing her fear of heights and, of late, a slackline went up in her garden, allowing her to face her balancing challenges. If her journey thus far has taught her anything, it is that it is never too late to begin. The exhilaration, hope, and heart of this belief infuses, fuels, and motivates her classes. In regards to Prenatal, her personal experience of birthing her sons at home and late in her reproductive life was empowering beyond description. Had she begun earlier she might have been the mother of 5. Since that was not realistic, she is the mother of 2 sons and 5 dogs instead. She counts her blessings that she has the opportunity to teach Prenatal Yoga. There is no more personal class, where community, trust, and connection are palpable.