Dearest Community,
We are writing with regard to Asheville Community Yoga’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As always, our primary concern is your health and safety, and we recognize our moral obligation as a leader in the area’s wellness community.
We have decided to close the studio for the time being. Please know that we do not take the decision to close our doors lightly, as we are aware of the number of students that this center serves on a daily basis. The temporary closure of our space means that Karma Café, Zen & Now and Healing Arts will also be closed.
We are offering online class options taught by various teachers and staff members, which will be available on a rolling basis on our website. We ask that, just as when you come to class in our studio space, you feel the value of this offering and use our “donate now” button to donate accordingly. These donations will help sustain the center while we are closed.
We wish good health to every member of our community, and we encourage everyone to stay calm and utilize your practices of physical movement, deep intentional breathing, and meditation. We also recommend consulting only reliable sources of information regarding the spread of COVID-19, such as the CDC. Please remember that these are the times when our Yoga practice is most necessary: the resiliency tools you cultivate on the mat in studio classes are ones that you are capable of applying to your daily activities in the current climate. Now is the time for us to look out for one another, and to tap into the deep well of compassion that our Yoga practice teaches us. If you have the phone numbers of any community members you frequently practice with, consider sending them a text and asking how they are doing. If you are on social media, consider engaging with each other through recent studio posts. Yoga is all about connection, and we encourage you to maintain the valuable connections you have forged within these walls.
The community we have created together over the course of the last 10 years is deep and full of support. Please know that the foundation of Asheville Community Yoga remains strong and we will continue to serve you the best that we can.
In love, light, and service,
Asheville Community Yoga
Update: 9/21/20
Is Asheville Community Yoga open yet? This is the question we’ve received over and over via email, voicemail, and social media. The simple answer is “No.” There is a part of us, much like you, that is just so ready for things to “get back to normal.” We all miss practicing in community, seeing friendly and familiar faces coming and going, hearing that collective wave of breath spread through the room. We miss it SO MUCH. However, we do not miss it enough to put anyone’s health in jeopardy and we realize that the “normal” we came to expect at our beloved center may take a long time to recreate.
These times feel complex and overwhelming for many of us as we continue to face so much uncertainty. Our practice teaches us that “uncertainty” is the nature of the human realm. If we ever think we have things figured out or under control, we’ve surely fallen away from our practice as these things can never truly BE. Our practice teaches us to allow the flow of life, to accept that there is a force in nature that can always correct itself. Our practice teaches us to surrender the notion of “normal” (and the rules and expectations that come along with it) and instead take a closer look at what truly IS. Our practice teaches us patience and trust.
“Rushing into Action, you fail.
Trying to Grasp things, you lose them.
Forcing Completion, you lose what was almost Ripe.
Therefor the master takes action by letting Nature take its Course.”
~ Loa Tzu ~
This is the wisdom we are heeding here at Asheville Community Yoga. The safety and wellness of our staff, teachers, volunteers and students is our number one priority and we will not risk putting anyone in harm’s way. We will continue to monitor numbers in Buncombe County and when there is a more unified sense of safety, we will begin the process of a phased reopening. We greatly appreciate your patience, trust and support as we navigate this unprecedented situation.
Update: 11/12/20
We want to thank our community for trusting in our leadership! We hope that our decision to remain closed throughout the pandemic demonstrates our highest priority: The Value of Human Life. We appreciate everyone who has continued to stay involved and support the mission of Asheville Community Yoga!
