By Rachel Knight
As the sun came up over the Stella Hotel, I could feel my body coming to life. Each breath brought a more intense awareness for the serenity my first yoga class awakened within me. Eyes closed, lying flat on my back with the sounds of the morning filling the air, I was ready to face the day recharged and rejuvenated physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Every Saturday morning at 8am, the Brazos Valley has the opportunity to kick-start the weekend with a free community yoga class at Lake Walk Town Center. Registered yoga teacher Susannah McNutt with Sol Yoga teaches these classes.
According to McNutt, experience level or familiarity with yoga are not important to attend her community yoga class, a point which is reassuring for people like me who are unfamiliar with the activity. Yoga is for all ages and fitness levels, and McNutt does a great job making sure everyone gets the most out of class. I expected to walk away from the class feeling well stretched. Instead, I left feeling better about myself physically and mentally, because no matter how well the class did or didn’t do in a pose, McNutt reassured us that we were doing exactly what we needed to be doing simply by practicing.
McNutt says she sees yoga as a practice, because you do not perform yoga, you practice it. “It’s really important that you’re practicing and not performing,” McNutt explains. “It takes some of the pressure off and it allows you to fail, to give yourself permission to not be able to do a posture, to work within your boundaries.”
Before class even started, McNutt made sure her students felt welcome and comfortable. She called her regulars, many 60 and older, by name and discussed their goals for the session. She welcomed new students, a good mix of college-age students and younger residents, and let them know a little about what to expect. Most importantly, she greeted everyone with a warm smile and friendly hello.
As we started the warm-up portion of class, McNutt invited us to individually choose something we wanted to focus on in our practice. The class on this particular Saturday focused on balance, so I decided to concentrate on finding balance in my life.
McNutt says most people enter their yoga practice for the physical fitness aspects, but yoga offers more than just enhanced flexibility and mobility. “It gives you a safe place to feel the emotions that you’re feeling, to experience hard things and happy things,” she shares. “It is a great way to keep your body healthy mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as well. I think that is important.”
Class lasted about an hour, but felt much shorter. I slowly began to feel the pull in my muscles as we transitioned from one pose to another. The class was a vinyasa, meaning the movements were more connected and flowed into each other. This somehow made focusing on finding balance in life easier. With each fluid motion, I was gliding closer to my goal.
McNutt instructed us on how to use our breathing to get the most out of each pose. Synchronizing each breath with my motions made me aware of the connection between my mental thinking and my body’s fluid mobility. The synchronization left me more at peace and made me feel accomplished as I attempted each movement.
When class was over, some people rolled up their mats quickly and left for the next thing on their agenda, while others took their time and hung out at P.O.V. Coffee House, grabbed breakfast at Campfire Restaurant, or shopped at Coterie Boutique. Regardless of how quickly or slowly we left class, everyone appeared to be more relaxed and at peace.
Bringing people to Lake Walk and introducing them to the businesses at the Town Center is one of the reasons Lake Walk hosts Community Yoga, according to Kate Chapman, the special events coordinator at Lake Walk.
“Our goal is to offer these classes and programs to do something to feel a part of the community,” Chapman explains. “We want to create an environment where you’re focusing on living a healthy life while enjoying all parts of life whether you’re drinking a cup of coffee, or shopping, doing yoga, or running a triathlon.”
Community Yoga is just one of three yoga classes offered at Lake Walk. Sunrise Yoga takes place on Tuesdays at 6am for $5 per person per class. Sunset Yoga is one of McNutt’s favorite classes, and is offered at sunset April through October for $10 per person per class. Tickets can be purchased at solyogabcs.com. Participants are encouraged to bring their own mats and water to all three classes.
McNutt says one of her favorite things about her classes at Lake Walk is they take place outdoors. “There is something special about being outside,” she says. Outdoor classes eliminate the need for a studio and allow everyone to enter the class in a neutral space.
“Just like walking into a gym can be intimidating, walking into a studio can be the same,” McNutt says. “To be doing yoga outside, to me that is the best. It just levels the playing field. There’s not a studio or a gym setting. You don’t have to go into either one of those cultures. It’s just a meeting place.”
While the outdoor space is relaxing and neutral, classes at Lake Walk are occasionally canceled due to inclement weather. Chapman and McNutt recommend following Lake Walk and Sol Yoga on Facebook and Instagram to stay informed about cancellations or schedule changes.
The New Year is a great time to start practicing yoga, according to McNutt.
“If you’re starting it as a new practice, it’s fresh and new and a new beginning,” she explains. “If you’re coming back to the practice, there’s no better time to come back to it. You’ll see results quickly, usually little things, which is really encouraging and nice.”
Your journey to a new you in the New Year may be easier to start than you think. Lake Walk is just a short trip down South Traditions Drive, and a free yoga class is waiting there for you every Saturday.
“When you come to a class out here, you’re having a high-quality teacher and a high-quality program but also a luxurious venue and a serene place to breathe easy and experience something that maybe you haven’t experienced before in a warm and welcoming setting but also an upscale setting,” Chapman says. “Even if you aren’t a yogi or you aren’t into yoga, it’s a great way to learn more about the sport and experience something you maybe haven’t experienced before.”
New Year, New Fitness Programs Yoga may or may not be your thing. Regardless of how you feel about yoga after giving it a try, Lake Walk offers a variety of additional fitness programs. If you decide you are not a yogi, Lake Walk has walking trails, races, boot camp classes, and more. If you fall in love with yoga, be on the lookout for additional yoga classes like paddle board yoga coming to Lake Walk later this year.
Stay fit all year with these programs, races, and events at Lake Walk Town Center.
January 2019
- Free Community Yoga, Saturdays at 8am (runs throughout the year, weather permitting)
- FIT4MOMS Stroller Strides Class (runs throughout the year, weather permitting)
- Sunrise Yoga, Tuesdays at 6am (runs throughout the year, weather permitting)
March 2019
- Sunday, March 3, CHI St. Joseph Health Gran Fondo, www.granfondobcs.com
April 2019
- Saturday, April 13th, Atlas Glow Run
- B/CS Yoga Fest (Date TBA)
- Sunset Yoga | Top of the Tower; an exclusive yoga class on top of the 70 ft. tall observation tower (Date TBA)
October 2019
- 3rd Annual Atlas Triathlon (Date TBA)
