MEMBER FOCUS: Ashley Williams
Ashley Williams is a force to be reckoned with — from Mindfulness Director of MLK Middle School and owner and operator of BareSoul Yoga to seasoned Yoga Therapist and Mindfulness Educator, running community programming throughout Richmond, she does it all. Ashley’s background began in psychology, but after discovering yoga and its positive sway on her life, she decided to pursue a graduate degree in Yoga Therapy. “Yoga really changed how I wanted to show up in my work and my life,” Ashley explained.
Since receiving her degree, Ashley has spent time working to develop mindfulness and meditation programs within institutions such as the Department of Juvenile Justice. She has worked to integrate the philosophy and practices of wellness into community-led organizations that serve youth and adults. It wasn’t until 2017 that she opened the first BareSoul Yoga studio in Richmond’s Jackson Ward Neighborhood. “The purpose of the studio was to create a space that represented black wellness,” Ashley said. “At that point, I was teaching at many different community sites — schools, hospitals, government agencies, local businesses — that were all looking for a singular space to practice in. So the goal was to create diverse and accessible access to yoga and meditation for all of these groups.”
In 2019, Ashley decided to close the studio in Jackson Ward and pivot her offerings to be entirely community-based. “I realized that we weren’t achieving the mission of making the practice accessible; we needed to meet people where they were,” Ashley said of the transition. After that shift, Ashley saw a rapid expansion of BareSoul Yoga — the community programs, the partnerships, and her team all grew in the months that followed. They were able to hold more social events centered around community building, and reach out where it was needed most.
“When the pandemic hit last year, all of our community-based classes were at complete capacity — and they were all shut down,” Ashley explained. “In response to the need and last summer's climate, we started virtual offerings and re-started our series of classes at the 17th Street Market. The goal was to heal and transform oppressive spaces and bring the community together in a safe and supportive way during that time. A lot of the work I do now is focused on bringing community practices and healing into the community of Richmond.”
In the fall of 2020, BareSoul was able to move into a new space that has given them a home base for their staff to gather, record virtual classes, host small in-person classes, and provide support for one another. Since opening that space, Ashley has taken up another new project called The Well Collective, which will serve as a community space for conscious wellbeing and diverse wellness modalities such as reiki, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, and silent retreats. It will ultimately provide space for different practitioners to work under one umbrella and offer classes, workshops, training, and speakers. “I’m so excited about the community that this space will create,” Ashley said, smiling. “Richmond to me is a hub of how our social system is set up — it’s very representative of the oppression as well as the mental and emotional challenges that we have in our country. And we’re creating this space of wellness right in the center of it all.”
As the business has grown, Ashley has also learned the importance of her own self-care. “In my past, I was always the person who does everything — but that energy is not sustainable. I’ve definitely learned the art of saying no, creating space for myself, and finding the balance that comes from allowing everybody’s gifts to show up,” Ashley explained. “You can’t pour from an empty cup!” she said, laughing.
Ashley came to Common House through her vast network of community connections, and was already familiar with many of the people that brought the building to life. “I love that Common House is a space for people to build community,” Ashley said. “It also provides a space for people to spend time doing things for themselves — whether that’s getting work done, socializing, providing a space where you can get creative, or nourishing yourself with food. The overall goal of Common House is to bring people of diverse backgrounds together and hold space for others — which really aligns with my values of love, connection, and liberation.”
Check out BareSoul yoga and the Well Collective on Instagram and catch Ashley’s monthly Morning Meditation classes on our Goings On page.