Yoga studio opens in Lake Wylie

A Lake Wylie yogini has transformed a former guns and ammo space into one of meditation and shanti.

Ashli Winter opened Pure Bliss Yoga on Aug. 2 at 4543 Charlotte Highway, suite 15, in Plantation Square. Winter said the studio classroom is about 500 square feet providing space for about 20 students.

“There was no dedicated yoga studio here,” she said. “I think there are lots of benefits to yoga and its many styles.”

Winter, 29, started practicing yoga at age 15 and has been certified to teach since 2012. She taught at Anytime Fitness in Lake Wylie, Legacy Freedom Treatment Centers in Charlotte, and through condominium and homeowner associations amenity services in Charlotte and Berewick area.

“The thing I really love about it,” Winter said, “is hearing people say, ‘I'm not flexible, I can’t do it,’ and seeing students make advances and poses and moving on to other classes. There are so many modifications. Yoga is acceptable for everyone.”

Winter decided to open her own studio to fill the void in Lake Wylie and be closer to home for her two daughters, ages 2 and 8.

“Yoga is an addition to a fitness program. Some of what we do is undoing a lot of tension from working out,” she said. “We are not competition (to local fitness centers), we’re complementary.”

Winter also has six instructors with varied specialties offering classes every day of the week for every age, even toddlers.

“Yoga should be available to everyone,” she said. “It’s for relaxing, helpful after injury, for meditative purposes. There are a million benefits to yoga. It helps with migraines, anxiety, insomnia and so much more.”

Kevin Casarrubias, 24, of Charlotte said there was a time he was overweight and couldn’t touch his toes. Having his younger sisters looking up to him, he decided he needed to be a better role model. He started exercising, became vegetarian to vegan and found yoga.

“I found myself moving into my practice,” said Casarrubias, who specializes in restorative and yin yoga. “If anyone cares about their well-being and trying something new, that’s all it takes.”

Megan Humpal of Steele Creek brought a friend to her second class of the week on Wednesday. Both Humpal and Tricia Darling of Clover work downstairs at Lifestyle Physical Therapy. Humpal had taken yoga classes elsewhere and said Winter adjusts class for beginners to advanced students.

“It’s a nice addition to the area,” she said.

Having a place close to home is ideal, said Mike Wilson of Steele Creek before a Wednesday class, saying eliminating drive time is key.

“Yoga relaxes me because I get fairly stressed from work,” the computer consultant said. “If I have to drive 40 minutes to do it, it doesn’t help. I like that it’s close.”

This story was originally published August 7, 2015 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Yoga studio opens in Lake Wylie."