On Saturday, Oct. 1, a community of yoga enthusiasts of all experiences gathered around Lake Walk to enjoy an hour-long outdoor session of stretches to warm up the body and mind.
Every Saturday, Lake Walk holds its weekly community yoga. According to its website, the emerging hub is designed to engage and inspire, as well as focus on cultivating a community through meaningful experiences and memorable connections.
A first time participant of the early morning yoga class, Hannah Flansburg said she was scrolling to see what local activities she wanted to experience with her out of town visitor, Alexis Vinsant, when she came across community yoga.
“[Vinsant] was coming to visit and we both like yoga, so I picked up some things to do and yoga [would] be a good option,” Flansburg said. “I just like to work out and I like to switch it up. There are so many different levels and everyone is in a different spot. I actually think this is maybe one of the least intimidating [approaches] because of the variety of people.”
“I love yoga. I’ve started doing yoga as just a relaxing thing after work,” Vinsant said. “So when [Flansburg] told me there was [an] 8 a.m. yoga … absolutely. Let’s go.”
Kenya Bracamontes, the sessions yoga instructor, started substituting for the previous instructor last summer and has now been doing it periodically.
“I’ve dealt with a lot of anxiety and depression. I moved to the United States when I was in high school and it was really hard to go through the transition,” Bracamontes said. “I would start doing yoga with VHS tapes. I just grew to love it.”
When Bracamontes moved to College Station during her freshman year of college, she found Yoga Pod, a local studio that became her second home. She later became a certified instructor in 2019 and has been teaching ever since.
Yoga Pod, located on Highway 6, offers many different options for yogis of all levels, from beginner to advanced practitioners. According to their website, their classes are designed to improve skill sets and challenge along the way. Their philosophy is to help students build their physical skills, challenge their limits and achieve a greater sense of presence.
“You can do your own practice at home through different kinds of videos,” Bracamontes said. “But if you have the financial availability to, definitely go to studios, they’re incredible. “Your mat is your zone. Think of it as this is the only thing that matters, your body matters.”
Community Yoga happens every Saturday at 8 a.m. and is free to the public. For the non-early risers, there are sunset yoga sessions held every third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the same location.
“This [session] tends to be a little bit more active and [the sunset] one is more restorative.” Bracamontes said, who also leads the sunset session.
Vinsant said yoga is a great way to get a good workout in and to relax one’s mind and soul.
“It really just helps me to shake off my day and get into a happier headspace,” Vinsant said.
