Yoga in the Park Offers Nature Connection in Urban Environment

By Christine Schmidt

Are you looking for something relaxing to do outdoors on a Saturday morning?  
Do you want to enjoy your day off work or fit in some exercise before work? Are you interested in learning more about yoga and enjoying nature while doing it?

Then Carly Carney has the thing for you.

Carney, the owner of the Beverly Yoga Center, leads a class aptly called Yoga in the Park for all levels at Ridge Park each Saturday morning at 9am.

“It’s meant to feel good in your body, to move in the morning,” Carney said. “It’s a very basic class.”

Inspired by a similar event at Millenium Park, Carney introduced Yoga in the Park 
four years ago. Approximately 20 to 30 people attend her class, which runs from June to September.

Yoga in the Park takes place on Ridge Park’s tennis courts but moves inside the 
fieldhouse in case of inclement weather, Carney said. 

Doing yoga outside “connects us with nature, especially in an urban environment,” Carney said. “We live around concrete, and it’s really important to notice and allow our bodies to absorb the qualities…It’s purifying to breathe in fresh oxygen. I think we live in a society that’s nature-deprived. Being outside connects us to something much larger.”

Carney recommended that participants bring a yoga mat and sunglasses. Each class costs five dollars. “It’s significantly reduced” compared to a regular yoga session, she said. “It gives you an option if cost is an issue.”

Ultimately, Carney hopes “to create a healthy community, to bring awareness. 
People walking around with a yoga mat in the park spark an interest. It shows that it’s accessible to everybody.”

Carney began studying yoga over 15 years ago and founded the Beverly Yoga Center in 2006.