T-R FILE PHOTO Instructor Heidi Draisey, left, leads a Yoga in the Park session in May of 2022. The 10th season of the weekly event, held at West End Park in Marshalltown, is set to begin on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m.

De-stress, commune with nature and enjoy the 13th Street District as Yoga in the Park returns Saturday for its 10th season.

It will take place Saturday mornings from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. May 11 through Aug. 24 in West End Park at the shelter and event green space in the 13th Street District.

Yoga instruction is led by Heidi Draisey from Spirited Yoga & Wellness, Hilary Powell from River Blvd Yoga and Taylor Bear from Soul Magick (or a certified special guest), in partnership with Marshalltown Parks and Rec.

Yoga in the Park’s 2024 season is officially an endorsed event by the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative.

Yoga in the Park started in 2015 via collaboration between the board of the 13th Street District and the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA, with Draisey and other Y staff members leading instructors. It was held outdoors in front of the Echo sculpture in the 13th Street Plaza with a spring and fall session. No classes were held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fast-forward to 2021 when a new partnership formed between Parks and Rec. and local yoga entities, with Powell trading off with Draisey in leading the classes in West End Park. Then in 2022, Bear came aboard allowing for weekly classes to be offered.

Participation is free.

“It’s considered ‘karma yoga’ in the YogaFit world and what that means is that we give back to our community,” Draisey said. “We do allow free-will donation but that is by no means required.”

She added the event sees more than 350 guest experiences (150 different people) spread out over the summer. About 25 to 40 people attend at any one time, depending on the weather.

“We’ll do yoga under the shelter if it’s raining, but we haven’t had to do that a lot,” she said.

All instructors are YogaFit certified, carry insurance and are CPR/AED certified.

“I absolutely love the partnership that we’ve had with Heidi and the different instructors down there. I think that the additions that we’ve made at West End Park the last couple of years with the new shelter have really activated that park as well,” said Parks and Rec Director Geoff Hubbard. “Our department is pretty small. We don’t have a lot of capacity to do a lot of programming ourselves. We have certain programs that we do where we contract with an instructor. Yoga in the Park doesn’t cost us anything except for the maintenance and cleanup on the park. Our role is to make sure that the park is a good backdrop for the event.”

In March, Hubbard and Draisey gave a presentation about the program at the Iowa Parks and Recreation Association annual conference, highlighting its success.

Yoga sessions are geared towards beginner and intermediate skill sets, with each instructor employing a unique approach.

“I don’t just study in the discipline of yoga. I also study Reiki and other spiritual disciplines,” Bear said. “I try to bring a spiritual element to my classes. I really try to get people to access the spirituality of self and realize yoga is a practice of not just body, but also for their mind and for their soul.”

Powell was hooked on yoga from her first day attending Yoga in the Park back in 2015.

“I’ve gotten pretty deep into my study of yoga. I have over 500 hours of training,” Powell said. “I like to bring in elements of what I’ve learned: mindfulness, teachings of yoga, breathwork. My objective with yoga is to make it for everybody, because it almost breaks my heart every time I hear somebody say ‘I can’t do yoga, I’m not flexible.’ No, you don’t understand yoga. It’s not just movement and for certain types of people. It’s for everybody.”

Draisey, who holds a degree in sport and recreation management from the University of Iowa and is an American Council of Exercise national personal trainer, said modifying the moves is an important part of ensuring participants feel comfortable.

“We can advise them and modify to make yoga able to fit their bodies, meeting them where they are at. It isn’t about the cliché pretzel that you’re trying to get into. You don’t have to have a sense of flexibility that is beyond the average, nor do you have to have a sense of balance because that’s what comes within the class,” she explained.

Registration takes place at 8:15 a.m. before each session. To celebrate its anniversary, each week there will be a drawing for the current-day participants. Individuals must be present to win.

You can park in the plaza by the Echo sculpture or at the park parking lot off 14th Street. Bring a yoga mat or towel. A limited number of spare mats are available for use. Also recommended is bringing a water bottle, sweat towel and optional strap or blocks.

It is open to those ages 14 and older. Ages 10-13 can participate with a registered guardian. To learn more, contact Draisey at: heididraisey@gmail.com or Hubbard at ghubbard@marshalltown-ia.gov.