Santa Monica residents will soon have the opportunity to practice yoga under the open sky as free outdoor classes begin this summer at Reed Park, part of a broader effort to activate the space and build community connections.
The weekly yoga sessions will start Saturday, June 7, running from 8 to 9 a.m. every Saturday in June at the park located in the Wilmont neighborhood. If successful, organizers plan to continue the classes throughout the summer.
"We want to get people outside and communicating with their neighbors, and just connecting," said Susan Foxley, a certified yoga instructor and life coach who will lead the classes. "It's about building community and stretching and breathing underneath the sun, underneath the beautiful clouds and the trees."
The classes are designed for participants of all levels, ages and stages, with no sign-up required. Residents can simply show up. Foxley incorporates positive affirmations and visualizations into her teaching, focusing on what people are doing well rather than what they're doing wrong.
She said she’s donating time as part of her commitment to the practice.
"Movement is medicine. If you rest, you rust," Foxley said, citing one of her favorite motivational phrases. "Motion is lotion."
The outdoor setting offers unique benefits beyond a traditional studio environment, according to Foxley. Being on the ground - a practice called "earthing" - and connecting with natural elements like grass, breeze and trees provides transformative experiences for participants.
"Yoga actually means to yoke or union with something greater than ourselves," Foxley explained. "It's so nice to connect and to yoke with something greater."
The yoga initiative is part of a larger effort to activate Reed Park and make it a safer community space. The Wilmont Neighborhood Association, which is organizing summer movies in the evenings at the park, wants to increase positive activity in the area that currently faces challenges with homelessness.
The yoga classes also serve as outreach for the Wilmont Neighborhood Association, with organizers hoping to raise awareness about the group's community improvement efforts.
Susan Foxley is an author, speaker, TV show host, certified life coach and registered yoga instructor who has helped thousands of people live healthier, happier lives. She has taught yoga for 35 years and lived in Santa Monica for 27 years. Her books, workshops, videos and public appearances have earned her recognition as a caring counselor and motivator. Foxley hosts "Mind/Body with Susan Foxley," which streams daily and is available on her YouTube channel. Her oldest client is 91 and she has taught students as young as 5 years old.
Those with questions about the classes can visit SusanFoxley.com.
The Wilmont Neighborhood Association will hold its next meeting Tuesday, June 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., focusing on homelessness and housing issues. The virtual meeting will feature leadership staff from Santa Monica's Department of Housing and Human Services. More information is available at www.wilmont.org.