The Record (Troy, NY)

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Area residents enjoy Downtown, Saratoga Springs programs

- By Lauren Halligan lhalligan@digitalfir­stmedia.com reporter

TROY, N.Y. » Around the Capital Region, health and fitness is happening in public parks, as area leaders aim to offer wellness programs as safely as possible.

In addition to the hiking, biking and walking opportunit­ies local parks present for people looking to stay in shape during the pandemic, many organizati­ons throughout the region are offering group exercise programs among the great outdoors this summer.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center and COESA recently started two new series, Tai Chi and Dharma Meditation, taking place at the Saratoga Spa State Park, while the Downtown Troy Business Improvemen­t District brought back its annual Fitness In The Park program of weekly yoga classes.

For each of these group classes, organizers are striving for safety through social distancing, mask wearing, capacity limits and sanitizing.

In Saratoga Springs, the Tai Chi and Dharma Meditation events are limited to a maximum of 25 participan­ts, who are required to register online in advance, then complete a health screening questionna­ire before entering the SPAC grounds. The classes have socially distant marked spaces for each participan­t. Guests must wear a face mask at all times until the classes begin and then immediatel­y after the classes conclude.

Likewise in Troy, before attending

yoga classes attendees RSVP online and participat­ion is limited to 47 individual­s keeping with the New York state guidelines for gathering. When yogis arrive, they check in and find a spot in one of the designated circles marked in the grass, six feet apart from one another so each participan­t can spread out comfortabl­y. Individual­s are asked to wear a mask until they are safely located in their circle, and bring their own mat and water.

“Safety of attendees is of utmost importance,” Downtown Troy BID executive director Katie Hammon said before the start of the program, which includes eight Sunday morning yoga sessions in Troy’s William D. Chamberlai­n Riverfront Park, located right on the Hudson River. In previous years, this popular free fitness program has attracted hundreds of participan­ts per event.

“We are excited to be able to offer Fitness In The Park this summer since it has been a refreshing way to start Sunday mornings downtown throughout the years,” Hammon said. “We look forward to a fun, engaging season along the beautiful Hudson River with our local instructor­s from Heartspace Yoga as we begin to interact with our surroundin­gs in safe ways.”

Heartspace Yoga & Healing Arts owner Andrew Kasius led the first class of the 2020 series on Sunday. “This is definitely a little different,” he said at the beginning of the practice, commenting on the small class size.

However, after isolating for months, “It’s important to be near, around people,” Kasius said. “It’s good for you.”

Kasius and his fellow Heartspace instructor­s are looking forward to continuing outdoor yoga classes and reconnecti­ng with the community this summer in Riverfront Park to help support health and wellbeing, he said in a press release.

“The last few months has been a challengin­g time for our community and our nation,” Ali Skinner, spokespers­on for sponsor CDPHP, added in the release. “CDPHP is thrilled to partner with the Downtown Troy Business Improvemen­t District and Heartspace Yoga & Healing Arts to safely re-introduce Fitness in the Park to our community.”

After months of exclusivel­y leading meditation via Zoom, Pierre Zimmerman of One Roof Saratoga, who guides the weekly practices on the SPAC grounds, was glad to get back to inperson group meditation with the start of the new health and wellness series earlier this month.

“It’s been proven that when people sit together, there’s more effectiven­ess in terms of calming the mind and body,” Zimmermans­aid on the benefits of meditating in close proximity to others. “When people do it individual­ly, it’s fine too, but there is a difference.”

Another difference between a typical meditation practice and the new programis that participan­ts are surrounded by the nature and beauty of the state park.

On a weekend when SPA C was originally scheduled to host Dave Matthews and thousands of his fans, the venue’s biggest event involved about two dozen individual­s quietly seated and spaced apart while meditating on a Sunday morning.

Neverthele­ss, those in attendance enjoyed the silence, and appreciate­d the distancing measures that kept them safe.

In addition to meditation at 9 a.m. on Sundays through the end of August, SPAC and COESA also present Beginner Introducti­on To Tai Chi classes at 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays through the end of July at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs.

Fitness In The Park, which also takes place at 9 a.m. on Sundays, will continue through Sept. 6 at Riverfront Park in downtown Troy.

Pre-registrati­on is required for all programs.

For those who aren’t quite ready to resume their health and wellness practices in a group setting, there are still plenty of options online. Zimmerman is continuing to lead weekly Zoommedita­tions, and Heartspace Yoga offers online classes on a daily basis.

 ?? LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP ?? Yogis stretch toward the Hudson River during Fitness In The Park on Sunday in downtown Troy.
LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP Yogis stretch toward the Hudson River during Fitness In The Park on Sunday in downtown Troy.
 ?? LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP ?? Eventgoers practice yoga on Sunday at Riverfront Park in downtown Troy.
LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP Eventgoers practice yoga on Sunday at Riverfront Park in downtown Troy.
 ?? LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP ?? Eventgoers practice yoga on a sunny Sunday morning at Riverfront Park in downtown Troy.
LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP Eventgoers practice yoga on a sunny Sunday morning at Riverfront Park in downtown Troy.
 ?? LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP ?? Pierre Zimmerman of One Roof Saratoga leads a guided meditation practice at Saratoga Performing Arts Center at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs.
LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP Pierre Zimmerman of One Roof Saratoga leads a guided meditation practice at Saratoga Performing Arts Center at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs.
 ?? LAUREN HALLIGAN — MEDIANEWS GROUP ?? A meditation practice is held at a pavilion on the grounds of Saratoga Performing Arts Center at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs.
LAUREN HALLIGAN — MEDIANEWS GROUP A meditation practice is held at a pavilion on the grounds of Saratoga Performing Arts Center at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs.
 ?? LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP ?? Hand sanitizer is provided at a meditation practice on the grounds of Saratoga Performing Arts Center at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs.
LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP Hand sanitizer is provided at a meditation practice on the grounds of Saratoga Performing Arts Center at the Saratoga Spa State Park in Saratoga Springs.
 ?? LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP ?? A yoga class is held as the first event of the 2020 Fitness In The Park series in downtown Troy.
LAUREN HALLIGAN - MEDIANEWS GROUP A yoga class is held as the first event of the 2020 Fitness In The Park series in downtown Troy.

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