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Free yoga back on the beach

Ajna Yoga will offer Yoga on the Beach every Tuesday in July and August at Willows Beach
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Lorie Pidgen

Ajna Yoga Centre will expand its free yoga classes this summer in Oak Bay.

The program began a couple years ago and has run continuously with yoga at Willows Beach.

“The theme of the outdoor classes will be staying healthy during the summer months, focusing on postures that support the body during outdoor activities like gardening, walking, cycling and tennis,” said Jules Payne, co-director of Ajna Yoga.

“We get about 100 to 150 people. We get families, people who’ve never done yoga before.”

The first outdoor class this year was held May 23 when the Ajna yoga team set up on the front lawn of the Oak Bay municipal hall as part of the Talk to an Expert Day. Free yoga classes are also planned during Oak Bay Village Night Markets the first Wednesday of each month through September.

“That’ll be fun,” Payne said. “We’ll probably have a bit more active practice. At the beach it’s pretty gentle with the waves and trees.”

Although there are distractions at the beach as well with family barbecues and impromptu soccer games, with cues in yoga that include phrasing such as “connect to the earth” or “look up to the sky”, Payne said, “people are still pretty connected to the practice.”

The third annual Yoga on the Beach runs at Willows Park every Tuesday in July and August from 6 to 7 p.m.

“Free yoga is great because it’s an opportunity for people who aren’t sure,” Payne said. “People come back to the outdoor practice week after week.”

They also get to experience different techniques, as instructors rotate through, offering different perspectives and personalities

“Everyone’s a little different with their style of teaching,” Payne said.

People are invited to bring yoga mats or towels. All ages are welcome and no registration is required.

Ajna also offers accredited yoga teacher training programs for beginners and advanced practitioners.

Learn more about the studio at ajnayoga.ca.

 

cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com