Your Warm-Weather Guide to Yoga in the City
When you’re looking for a workout that’s easy on your bod but still way great for your strength, balance, and flexibility (and your mental health, b-t-dubs), yoga’s the key. Here’s a roundup of some of the best ways to get your stretch on outdoors this summer (and through early fall).
— Updated by Alie McArdle, Contributing Writer (and the brains behind This Little Life. Follow her work @thislittle_lifeblog!)
SUP Yoga at Brown’s Island
TAOU studio and Waterfront RVA are partnering up all summer long to bring SUP yoga to the James. Classes will be every other Wednesday at 6 pm, starting Wednesday, June 12. Equipment is provided and no experience is necessary. You’ll learn all the paddleboard basics before paddling out and anchoring your board, and class will be a flow of breathwork, yoga, and meditation with the James River as your studio!
Location: 615 Tredegar St (Brown’s Island)
SUP Flow at Brown’s Island
ReWild Spirit and Waterfront RVA team up to offer you some “sunset therapy” sessions in the form of a yoga and stand-up paddleboarding combo. Class starts with paddleboard basics, flows through a series of stretches, then ends with a meditation and a Savasana. You’re invited to try as much as you like — this experience is meant to be a “do you” exercise.
Location: 615 Tredegar St (Brown’s Island)
RVA Outdoor Yoga at Maymont & Virginia War Memorial
One Drop Yoga, led by Michelle Lee Landon — high school educator, mentor, and community wellness advocate — emphasizes yoga offerings that are accessible and inclusive for everybody and every body. Some of her most popular classes happen with beautiful Richmond landmarks as backdrops, like Maymont and the Virginia War Memorial. “Connect with nature while connecting with yourself,” and feel free to bring the fam — many of Michelle’s classes are kid-friendly.
Location: Varies; click below to learn more
BareSOUL Yoga at Abner Clay Park
BareSOUL founder and yoga therapist Ashley Williams “bridges mindfulness, diversity, wellness, and inclusion on micro- and macro-levels to achieve equitable, socially stable, and conscious spaces for individual and collective care.” Her team hosts one-hour community yoga sessions on Wednesdays from June through September at Abner Clay Park.
Location: 200 W. Clay St (Jackson Ward)
Wednesdays at Forest Hill Park
Project Yoga Richmond meets every nice-weather Wednesday at Forest Hill Park from 6 to 7 pm. All fitness levels are welcome, and PYR also encourages you to bring the kids to this one for some family-friendly fun. Make sure you bring your water, sunscreen, and mats, too.
Location: 4021 Forest Hill Ave (Forest Hill)
More fresh-air ideas:
