Community Yoga Class

Every Tuesday and Thursday evening a community yoga class at the recreation center meets, and the format is deliberately inclusive unlike studio yoga classes often. At $5 per session, or free for students, the instructor runs a class with mats available for anyone who doesn't bring 1. Covering basic postures without assuming prior experience, the class structure is accessible from the start. A multipurpose room with hardwood floors and mirrors on 1 wall provides the space. Softer than you would expect from a municipal building, the lighting comes from dimmer switches and a few table lamps someone installed. Usually about 20 people attend, ages ranging from college students to retirees. Mix creates an atmosphere where nobody feels like they need to perform or compare. Quiet ambient music plays and the instructor gives modifications for every pose, so a 70-year-old with limited mobility and a 20-year-old athlete are doing versions of the same thing in the same room. Going for 3 months now, my flexibility has improved and my back hurts less after sitting at a desk all day. More surprising is the social benefit. People from outside my usual circles have become familiar faces, and post-class conversations in the hallway are the only regular interaction I've with people who are not students.