Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Spalding.
Hi Anna, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Yoga saved my life.
That may sound dramatic, but it’s the truth.
I discovered yoga many years ago, but if I’m being honest, I didn’t fully understand its power until life unraveled. It wasn’t until I walked through some of the most difficult seasons of my life–including the end of my marriage, losing the business I had poured my heart into, and a battle with Ewing sarcoma–that yoga became so much more than a physical practice. It became my refuge–the place where I learned how to breathe when I felt like I couldn’t, find peace in uncertainty, and trust myself even when I couldn’t see what was ahead.
I thought yoga was something I practiced. It wasn’t until life fell apart that I realized yoga was something I could live.
I grew up in Nebraska with a love for dance that eventually led me to earn my degree in Dance from UC San Diego. Movement had always been my first language, but it wasn’t until I truly experienced the transformative power of yoga that I found my life’s purpose. What started as a physical practice became a way of living and ultimately a calling to help others reconnect with themselves.
Over the past two decades, I’ve had the privilege of teaching the most incredible humans, leading yoga teacher trainings, building wellness programs, and opening my own studio, Evolve Yoga & Movement, in Encinitas. My greatest joy has never been just about teaching poses–it’s been witnessing people reconnect with their confidence, their resilience, and the parts of themselves they thought they’d lost.
Looking back, I honestly don’t know how I would have made it through those seasons without my loved ones and yoga. It gave me resilience when I wanted to give up, perspective when everything felt uncertain, and hope when I couldn’t yet see what was waiting on the other side. It taught me that healing isn’t about avoiding pain–it’s about learning how to move through it with courage, wonder, curiosity, and a whole lot of sense of humor.
Today, I’m incredibly grateful to be cancer-free and embracing a new chapter in the Bay Area. While this season has brought its own challenges, it has also reminded me that every ending creates space for something new. Looking back, I realize Evolve wasn’t just the name of my studio–it became the philosophy that shaped my life. My mission has continued to evolve, too. Today, I strive to create experiences where people feel seen, inspired, and reminded of just how resilient they truly are. Whether it’s through a yoga class, a conversation, a retreat, a teacher training, or something that doesn’t exist yet, my hope is that every person who crosses my path leaves feeling more connected to themselves–and inspired to live a fuller, richer, more meaningful life.
Looking back, I wouldn’t choose many of the challenges I’ve faced, but I wouldn’t erase them either. They’ve shaped the teacher, entrepreneur, and woman I am today. Yoga didn’t change my life because it made life easier. It changed my life because it changed me. My greatest hope is that every person who walks into one of my classes discovers that same possibility within themselves.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but I wouldn’t trade the perspective those challenges have given me.
Like many entrepreneurs, I’ve experienced moments where it felt like everything I’d worked so hard to build was slipping away. Closing my yoga studio during the pandemic was heartbreaking after years of pouring my heart into creating a community I loved. Not long after, I was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. There were also deeply personal challenges that tested my resilience and forced me to rebuild from the inside out.
Those experiences changed me. They taught me that resilience isn’t about pretending everything is okay or having all the answers. It’s about showing up anyway. It’s about choosing hope when fear feels louder, trusting the process when the future is uncertain, and believing that our hardest seasons don’t define us—they refine us.
Today, I choose to believe that life isn’t happening to me—it’s happening for me, if I’m willing to let it transform me. That mindset has changed everything. It has allowed me to find purpose in pain, growth in uncertainty, and gratitude even in life’s most difficult seasons.
Looking back, I don’t see those experiences as setbacks. I see them as some of my greatest teachers. They deepened my compassion, strengthened my trust in myself, and reminded me that we’re capable of far more than we realize. Today, they influence every class I teach, every person I work with, and every dream I’m continuing to build.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Evolve Yoga was born from the belief that movement has the power to transform lives. While the business has evolved over the years, that mission has never changed.
What sets my work apart isn’t a particular style of yoga—it’s the experience I strive to create. Whether someone joins me for a traditional yoga class, Hip Hop Yoga, a private session, a workshop, or a teacher training, my goal is always the same: to help people reconnect with themselves and leave feeling stronger, more confident, and more alive than when they arrived.
I don’t just teach movement—I create experiences that help people remember who they are.
I believe movement is one of the most powerful tools we have for transformation. My classes blend intelligent sequencing, creativity, music, mindfulness, hands-on assists, and genuine human connection. I want people to feel challenged, supported, seen, and inspired—not only on their mat, but in every aspect of their lives.
Looking back, I realize Evolve wasn’t just the name of my studio—it became the philosophy that shaped my life. My mission has continued to evolve. Today, it’s about so much more than teaching movement. It’s about creating experiences that inspire people to reconnect with themselves, trust themselves more deeply, and discover they’re capable of far more than they believe.
I’m excited for what’s ahead because I know this mission is bigger than any one class, studio, or offering. Whether it’s through a yoga class, a private session, a retreat, a teacher training, or something that doesn’t exist yet, my hope is that every person who crosses my path leaves feeling more connected to themselves—and inspired to live more fully.
How do you think about luck?
I think luck can open a door, but it’s what you do once that door opens that defines your life.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have amazing mentors, loyal students, supportive friends and family, and opportunities that helped shape my career. I don’t take any of that for granted. Every person who has believed in me, encouraged me, or trusted me with their journey has played a role in the path I’m on today.
At the same time, I’ve experienced seasons that many people would describe as bad luck—closing my business during a global pandemic, facing a rare cancer diagnosis, and navigating unexpected personal challenges. Those experiences reminded me that while we don’t get to choose everything that happens to us, we do get to choose how we respond.
Looking back, I don’t think success is about being lucky. I think it’s about showing up consistently, staying open to growth, and trusting that even life’s greatest challenges can become opportunities for transformation. Some of the most meaningful chapters of my life were born from circumstances I never would have chosen.
Today, I feel incredibly lucky—not because life has been easy, but because every experience, both joyful and painful, has shaped me, taught me, and prepared me for what’s next. I don’t know exactly what that next chapter looks like yet, but I know it will be rooted in the same mission that has guided me all along: helping people reconnect with themselves and live more fully.
Contact Info:
- Other: anna@evolveyoga.fit
