Fit Day - Part 2 - Yoga
Our group worked pretty hard at ELMNTL to start our day, and our instructors carefully planned out workouts so no one burned out throughout the 9 hour day. We headed up the hill at Woodland Mound Park to a grassy overlook for yoga with Clare Karp.
Clare owns Float Your Mat Yoga and instructs stand up paddle board yoga on the water. She teaches around the city, primarily in pool settings, which is really cool, even indoors. She describes this as an awesome studio on the water with good music. And, though a challenge, it remains fun and playful. I can't wait to practice for the summer at the lake. We weren't able to do SUP yoga with a group of 15-20, but Clare was able to teach a beautifully earthy hour of yoga in the park.
Clare led us through a gentle flow and our bodies welcomed a nice long stretch and relaxation hour. One thing that Kevin pointed out was that Clare's cuing was perfect. We knew exactly what to do by the way she described each movement- a gift a good yoga instructor has- so we weren't craning our necks trying to figure out where to move next. We were able to focus on releasing all of the tension in our bodies, and instead turned our gazes up to the sky.
After a nutritious lunch (stay tuned- more to come!) at The Weekly Juicery, we headed for an afternoon flow at The Yoga Bar in OTR. The wonderful Ashley Malloy planned the perfect afternoon yoga and meditation.
The studio was light and airy and perfect to ease our bodies back into movement. The ceiling fans and afternoon sunlight gave the group the perfect gentle breeze to accompany our hour of bliss. In our flow, we worked on balance and posture, strength and awareness. We ended with a guided meditation focusing on love for ourselves and our loved ones. A perfect way to give our bodies some love, which is exactly what this day was about. We took this hour to refuel our bodies and minds before we amped it up one more time to end the day at CoreStrong.
With the weather warming up and Memorial Day around the corner, it's a great time to get out on the water with Clare, whether you are a beginner to SUP or want to deepen your yoga practice. And if you have a child, come out and join Ashley in Washington Square Park on Tuesday mornings for yoga with kids- I'll be there this Tuesday with my little guy (and he is excited as can be!). The Yoga Bar has two beautiful studios, one in OTR and one in Newport, and hosts yoga retreats from Hocking Hills to Bali. Thank you both for helping make this a wonderful and special day!