People in the city of Goris, Armenia, where Hayk lives, are generally not motivated to take responsibility for their personal health and well-being through a practice like yoga. Hayk has been a prominent advocate for advancing ones physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. The Goris Women’s Development Centre Resource Foundation is trying to help their clients, friends, and families develop capacity to become more socially, economically, and politically engaged. These are the primary candidates for Hayk’s classes.

 

The goal is to have at least 100 people taking classes within the next 6-9 months. Hayk will create a survey to determine the progress of their well-being, and see if the results are favorable for those involved in the yoga program. He also wants to create a sustainable program by instructing others to carry on the teaching.

 

Hayk is very active in his local community.  He was trained and served as an observer at the December voting for the Constitutional Amendment. He has taken project development training through the Peace Corps and applied for a few grants, one of which was accepted to create a tourist website/page for travelers to Goris. He has been to European Youth Parliament trainings in Dilijan and Yerevan in April and May 2015. He also tutors individuals in English 3-4 times each week.

 

Hayk currently teaches, voluntarily, at the Goris Women’s Development Centre Resource Foundation.  He also plans to organize an outdoor Yoga day in downtown Goris this summer to attract people from the surrounding villages to learn about yoga and meditative practices.

To date, Hayk has gone from 3 to 11 students in yoga classes, since he started in November 2015. There are several students who are able and willing to learn from him and to teach when he is not available, and they are working on starting programs in their own neighborhoods or villages.  Several long term participants have noted that the classes have improved not only their physical fitness, but their mental state of well-being as well.