Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
New Vegas namaste: Yoga on a Ferris wheel, near dolphins
If doubling down stresses you, try downward dog
LAS VEGAS — Surrounded by imposing Las Vegas hotel-casinos in the foreground and desert mountains in the background, the group breathed deeply and loudly as an instructor guided them through their poses: upward dog, downward dog, lord of the dance.
The participants, though, weren’t the only ones shifting positions in this mirrorless space with enviable views.
The three women and a man were inside a cabin of the world’s tallest Ferris wheel, stretching and holding poses as the marquees of The Mirage, Linq, Harrah’s and Caesars Palace appeared and faded from sight.
This gambling oasis isn’t known for mind-steadying experiences. But as the city broadens the range of interests and wallets it appeals to, companies have carefully selected an array of unique, picture-perfect sites where visitors and locals can say “namaste.” Call it yoga a la Vegas, and picture dolphins, helicopters, red rocks and ritzy high-rises.
“High plank, low plank, up dog, down dog,” Raffi Yozgadlian said as he guided the group at the High Roller observation wheel through a series of yogi calisthenics about 550 feet above ground.
The instructions stopped three-quarters of the way into the class, and out came the cellphones. It was time for a few photos of handstands and other poses with the Bellagio, Cosmopolitan and an Eiffel Tower replica in the background.
“I was like, whoa. You have the Strip and you can take that in, or you have the mountains and you can take that in,” said Carly Benson, a Las Vegas resident whose tripod headstand photo is now on Instagram. “I was a little concerned about how my balance was going to be, and surprisingly, being able to zone in the landscape, I had better balance there than I sometimes do on the ground.”
Visitors and locals in need of their downward dog also can take classes surrounded by an outdoor installation of neon signs in the summer; by request, poolside at the MGM Grand; or on the grassy fields in the shade of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
The unorthodox settings fit with a nationwide trend of yoga instruction moving out of the studio and into parks, breweries, museums and other locations. Some classes incorporate goats and butterflies.
Caesars Entertainment, which owns the High Roller, thought the Ferris wheel would be a good place for a fitness class and decided yoga was the perfect fit. Each cabin fits up to 40 people standing and in benches.
“It’s a one-hour class, so it’s a fulfilling practice, and whether you are a yoga enthusiast or first-timer or someone who just wants to have that amazing Instagram yoga moment here in Vegas, it presents a unique experience,” said Lindsay Sanna, Caesars’ senior director of marketing. The class is $75 per person.
At the Mirage, yogis of all skill levels can sign up for an hourlong class in the underwater viewing area of the dolphin tanks at Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat. On a recent Friday morning, a group began the experience by taking a few breaths while sitting on their mats facing bottlenose dolphins.
“Of course, you can pop your eyes open if you want to see the dolphins,” Janet Ziter told the class, which included devoted and beginning yoga practitioners. Dolphins swam next to three windows while soothing music played.
This class, too, incorporated a mini photo shoot. And so a guest held the crow pose — hands planted on the floor, shins resting on the back of his upper arms and feet lifted up — for a few seconds until a dolphin swam behind him and a friend snapped a photo.