By Riki Bolster
You are invited to stretch your way into festival day on October 18 at the Ormewood Park Makers Festival. “Good morning, Ormewood,” a workshop offered by TLC Yoga from 10:00am to 11:15am will include “sun salutations” and warm up movement to get people moving.
Leader Ashley Erwin, the 500-hour certified yoga instructor with TLC Yoga, supports the “Yoga is for Everyone” movement. “Yoga is basic body maintenance. Anyone who deals with stress – physical, emotional – needs to pause, go into their body and recognize how they are feeling. They can learn ways to relieve physical pain and tension,” said Erwin.
What she hopes for everyone is that they will “arrive in one state. When they leave something will have shifted for them. They may feel looser, freer, more comfortable with themselves.”
Although the “Good Morning, Ormewood” session will be more traditional, Erwin has been conducting accessible TLC yoga sessions in a “compassionate and inclusive environment helping, participants leave in an improved physical, mental and emotional state compared to when they arrived,” according to the TLC website.
She offers community yoga at Eastside Church (in East Atlanta) every Thursday. “All are welcome! No experience necessary,” states the website. This activity includes breakfast at 10:30 a.m., yoga at 11:00 a.m., and lunch at 12:00 for whoever shows up. About 30 individuals participate, some for breakfast, some for lunch and about 6-10 people for yoga.
“At TLC Yoga we believe our neighbors experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity deserve the opportunity to have a safe space to stretch, breathe and belong,” Erwin said. “We practice simple, safe and therapeutic yoga asanas for relieving pain throughout the body, easy meditations and breath-work to manage stress and restorative yoga poses for deep relaxation.”
For Erwin, these classes are especially important. “People who are homeless are carrying so much on themselves physically, and movement practice can make a lot of difference. For them yoga is an oasis, a sanctuary, a respite from the streets,” Erwin explained. “Many individuals begin joining us for meals and work up to trying yoga, deepening their connection to the space, to others and to themselves. This consistent weekly offering provides structure and routine. Over the last two years, this space has become a trusted hub for physical, emotional, and spiritual care.”
Erwin appreciates the contributions from the community which support the program. “It couldn’t happen without the help of our meal volunteers,” she said.
She teaches community yoga classes to individuals with mental illness, those who were incarcerated, and individuals who are homeless through programs operated by Friendship Center at Holy Comforter Church, Restoring One’s Hope. She also teaches private classes at Gateway Center Evolution Center (men’s shelter) and Ascensa Health (women’s recovery center). For more information, visit www.tlcyoga.org.
