Ryan Tibbs Scholarship

Ryan Tibbs, our beloved staff member, teacher, maintenance coordinator, friend, brother, and partner left his body in September of 2020. Ryan’s light was incredible and unique, and it touched us all. While Ryan’s life contained great beauty and joy (you never met such an committed sunrise-watcher and avid joke-teller), he also battled addiction for the majority of his years and ultimately overdosed on a combination of fentanyl and prescription pain medication. He was kept alive by machines for some time following, which gave his closest loved ones the invaluable opportunity to spend time with him and say goodbye.

We provide these details because Ryan’s death was not simple, straightforward, or cut and dry. It was of course an incomprehensible loss for us, and we miss his crinkly-eyed smile and muddy work boots every day. Make no mistake about it, if we could bring him back and plop him behind the front desk we sure would! But his passing was also an end to the intense and private suffering he carried, and it has served as the most heartbreakingly beautiful furthering of our personal and collective practices of love and compassion here at Asheville Community Yoga.

Ryan found Asheville Community Yoga while actively participating in a local recovery program. He attended our Immersion Program and then went on to complete his yoga teaching certification here at Asheville Community Yoga. He joined our team first as a dedicated volunteer and later took a paid position within the organization. He taught weekly asana and meditation classes for many years prior to his death.

In his death Ryan reminds us that nothing is ever one way, whether this message is received as we glance up at the carefully paneled ceiling in the Studio C hallway that he worked so hard on in 2017, as we come upon yet another maintenance project he was midway through last summer, or as we look across Brookdale at the little white house he called home. We hold our evolving grief for this magical man with us as we serve the community, and by doing so we know for certain that we continue his legacy of deep, pure, unconditional love and service.

One way we fulfill this mission is through the “Ryan Tibbs Memorial Scholarship.” Ryan often credited the practice, purpose and community he found at Asheville Community Yoga for “saving his life.” While we wish this statement could have remained true for longer, we take comfort in knowing that he left behind a way to support others like himself.

If you are someone in recovery, in need a second chance, and have a desire to serve others through the path of yoga, then we invite you to apply for this scholarship. You can do so by emailing our Teacher Training Director, Amber Acheson (amber@ashevillecommunityyoga.org). Please share your story with us, how yoga has influenced your life, and why you have a desire to serve others with this practice.

Essays must be submitted by December 10th, 2024. 

Additional criteria all applicants must meet, no exceptions:

  • Must be an active participant of Asheville Community Yoga for a minimum of one year (If you have not been an active participant at Asheville Community Yoga for at least one year, we ask that you please refrain from applying for this scholarship until you have been. We define an “active participant” as someone who attends classes regularly, participates in volunteer opportunities, and/or engages with community events offered through the studio.)
  • Must possess a desire to share the practice of yoga with others. 
  • Must be able to attend every weekend of the program (We understand that unforeseen circumstances and emergencies may arise. We will consider these on a case by case basis.)
  • Must demonstrate the need for financial assistance (To further meet our mission of accessibility, these scholarships are only offered to those who truly need financial support. As a non-profit, we aim to leverage access to resources to achieve greater equity within our community. If you have access to financial resources, we ask that you please see our equitable tiered pricing scale for other price point options.)
  • Must be in active recovery for at least six months and have a strong support system in place in the event of relapse. (We recognise Asheville Community Yoga as a space for healing. We are not a recovery center and our instructors are not licensed therapists. We encourage all those suffering from addiction to seek help from licensed professionals trained in Addiction Recovery outside of Asheville Community Yoga.)  

Ryan Tibbs
November 19th, 1983 – September 3rd, 2020
May all pieces of you be reunited and may love be your guide.