Blue Zones kicks off Yoga in the Park series

In a shady area on Thursday, Blue Zones Project Yuba Sutter and PureJoy Yoga kicked off a 10-week sunrise yoga series at Hillcrest Park in Yuba City. The public can now take this class for free on Thursdays from 7 to 8 a.m. through Sept. 12.

Blue Zones Project is a community well-being improvement initiative. Executive Director Marni Sanders said they want to support activities like yoga because it is good for bodies and minds.

“It definitely helps to release anxiety and helps to center us and bring more mindfulness. And that’s really at the heart of what Blue Zones Project is all about. Just bringing about more health and well-being,” Sanders said.

It is notable that this class is free for the public because people are not always able to afford to be a member of a yoga class.

“So this is an opportunity to come and have a free class in the park and hopefully make some new friends. Connection is really important in Blue Zones as well, connecting with one another and making new friends, I hope,” Sanders said.

PureJoy Yoga brings extra yoga mats to the class. Sanders also said that at the class, they are going to be raffling off a Blue Zones yoga mat every week, and they have free t-shirts for participants who want to attend the yoga class. With the raffle, class members are all given a ticket, and a lucky winner gets a free mat at the end of the practice.

The instructors of this class will rotate, and the instructor of the kick-off class for this series was PureJoy Yoga instructor Amy Morrison.

“Yoga brings a sense of centering, calmness and intention,” Morrison said.

This not only happens in classes.

“It carries out through all aspects of your life,” Morrison said.

In her teaching approach, she said that a unique consideration is that the class attracts people with different fitness and flexibility levels.

“So making sure that we are honoring where each person is coming into the mat, and making sure that the class is safe and accessible for everybody,” Morrison said.

In terms of what yoga style is taught for the class, Morrison said that it is up to the teacher.

“I tend to teach a hatha style yoga, which is holding poses and positions for a longer period of time,” Morrison said.

Morrison said that she will teach this class again on July 25.

The class experience was different from studio-taught yoga, she said, with the birds and the uneven ground. The first class started and ended with breathwork.

“I think we all could use a little more of being focused and present,” she said.

Sanders said registration is not required to participate. For more information on the Yoga in the Park program, visit www.eventbrite.com and search for Blue Zones Project Yuba-Sutter.