3 minute read
Ashana Taylor | The Entrepreneur
Presented by CGA Law Firm
BY BRONLEY MARTIN | URBAN REVITALIZATION MANAGER
While Ashana Taylor has called many places home in her life, she is quickly becoming a central part of the yoga community in York County. A native of Queens, NYC, Ashana spent her formative years in Ellicott City, MD, and received her undergraduate education at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE. She then taught middle school English language arts in Howard County, MD, before meeting her husband Justin, a York native, and moved here in 2014 and continuing her education with an MBA from Messiah University. If that sounds like a whirlwind journey, it doesn’t begin to describe the spiritual journey that brought her to opening her own Bikram yoga studio in West York.
After going through struggles in her personal life and feeling a calling to a new purpose, Ashana turned to yoga, specifically Bikram yoga, as a way to find peace and clarity. Bikram yoga is a specific type of yoga that is practiced in a room kept at 105⁰F with around 40% humidity and focuses on slow, deliberate body movements as well as breathing, flexibility, and mindfulness. Ashana took part in a 9-week intensive and immersive Bikram yoga training in California and returned with a new calling in life.
THE ADVICE I WOULD GIVE IS TO BET ON YOURSELF. WHILE I BELIEVE IT TAKES A VILLAGE AND ACCESS TO RESOURCES TO BRING YOUR BUSINESS TO FRUITION, IT REALLY DOES BEGIN WITH BELIEVING IN YOURSELF.
From the beginning, Ashana has wanted to make her studio welcoming and inclusive. Yoga may sometimes have the reputation of being the domain of a certain demographic of practitioners, but Ashana never saw it this way. “You have to remember that yoga comes from India and has always been a diverse and welcoming practice,” she shares. For Ashana, yoga isn't just about physical postures; it's a way to foster community and personal resilience. She strongly believes that yoga is for everyone, regardless of age, sex, background, or fitness level. Her studio offers a welcoming and supportive environment where students of all backgrounds can see themselves and make connections.
One of the key factors in Ashana's success was her ability to tap into the resources her community had to offer. While she had learned the theoretical basis of running a business while getting her MBA, Ashana was able to work with the BLOOM Business Empowerment Center to connect with local resources to allow her business to succeed. Ashana leveraged these connections to secure funding through the BLOOM Business Grants program, as well as M&T Bank and sound business advice from local accountant Michael Doweary, all of which helped her feel empowered to focus on her real goals of bringing peace, clarity, and inner confidence to yoga practitioners in York. “The advice I would give is to bet on yourself. While I believe it takes a village and access to resources to bring your business to fruition, it really does begin with believing in yourself.”
