A sense of peace will come to Fredericksburg’s Hurkamp Park on Saturday, June 18, 2016.
Mental Health America of Fredericksburg (MHAF), Fredericksburg Parks & Recreation, Mary Washington Healthcare, and 16 local yoga instructors are hosting Yoga in the Park, a free event from 8 – 10 a.m.
Nick Cadwallender, a member of the MHAF board, saw a similar event in Hartford, Conn. He and other board members decided Yoga in the Park would be a great way to promote mental health through mindfulness and yoga.
“Simply put, the goal of this event is to bring awareness to the public of how beneficial yoga truly is,” Cadwallender said. “This is a powerful practice that brings people to a state of a healthy equilibrium of the mind, both emotionally and spiritually, as well as physically.”
“This annual event will bring awareness about the benefits of yoga for our bodies, minds and spirits, and especially our mental health and well-being,” said Rita Girard, executive director of MHAF.
“The purpose of the yoga poses (Asanas), is to relieve discomfort in the body so that we can practice meditation,” said Catie Nawrocki, an instructor at Latitude Yoga. “I’m not a mental health professional, but I can speak to my own observations and the hundreds of testimonials that I’ve heard from students about the benefits of yoga and meditation for mental health. Yoga gives us an opportunity to focus on mental and emotional well-being. Meditation is a powerful tool to develop mastery over the mind, decrease mental suffering and develop healthier coping skills for managing stress.”
Yoga in the Park is free to attend. Bring a yoga mat or a towel, and a bottle of water.
Hurkamp Park is located at 500 William St. in downtown Fredericksburg, Va.
For more information, contact Mental Health America of Fredericksburg at 540-371-2704 or visit mhafred.org/yoga.
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