AYC Raises Funds & Awareness for Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity
As yogis, we know how energizing and empowering a yoga practice can be. These positive impacts are a few of many reasons why we roll out our mats each day. With each asana, our strength and confidence builds and guides us to a place of peace and self-reliance. For example, in Downward Dog the foundation for the pose is centered around growing your heart and feeling your strength while breath nurtures you and makes you feel strong. Self-doubt melts away and is replaced by empowerment. Aside from downward dog, here are two yoga poses to practice to feel powerful:
Warrior II demands involvement from every single part of your body. It connects you to the power housed within the body, starting with the legs and moving up through other muscles and joints.
Begin in Mountain Pose and with an exhale, slightly move your feet about 4 feet apart. Raise your arms to be parallel to the floor and reach them out to the sides with palms down. Turn your right foot slightly to the right and your left foot out to the left 90 degrees. Turn your left thigh outward so that the center of the left knee cap is in line with the center of the left ankle. With an exhale, bend your left knee over the left angle. Anchor yourself by strengthening your right leg and pressing the outer right heel firmly to the floor.
Dancer’s Pose challenges your balance and state of mind. It requires you to be present in the moment and to remain focused. Dancer’s Pose will give you a sense of confidence, inner strength and complete empowerment.
Begin in Mountain Pose, and on an inhale, shift your weight to your right foot, lifting your left heel up off the ground behind you as you bend your knee. Press your right thigh bone back into your hip joint and pull the knee cap up. Reach back with your left hand and grab the outside of your left foot or ankle. Stretch your right arm forward so that it’s parallel to the floor.
As you empower yourself through yoga, you can also empower your local community in August. Asheville Yoga Center is fortunate to be able to share this value of empowerment with Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit that strives to give others the resources they need to feel strong and independent in their own lives. For over 30 years, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity has been working to better the lives of those in need. Through homeownership and home repair programs, 1,600 adults and children in Buncombe County have been able to achieve the strength, stability and empowerment they need to build a better future.
Our partnership will kick off in August for the second consecutive year and will be dedicated to raising funds for the organization as well as spreading awareness of their mission amongst those in the yoga community. A donation day will be held on Thursday, August 29th where ten percent of all proceeds from drop-in and community class sales will be gifted directly to Habitat for Humanity. If you’re unfamiliar with the organization, this is a great opportunity to ask questions and learn from one of the nonprofit’s representatives who will be onsite that day.
Empower yourself on the mat and empower those in need by joining us for a class at the Studio on August 29!
See our full yoga class schedule here.
