Hanna Weiss stretches during a free yoga class at Senior Center park Sunday, July 6, 2014 in Ocala, Fla. Julie Jenkins instructs a class on the first sunday of every month.

By Carlos E. Medina Correspondent

For Julie Jenkins, yoga has become such an important part of her life that she wants to share it with as many people as possible.

Thats why Jenkins began teaching a free monthly yoga class at Tuscawilla Park offered through the Ocala Recreation and Parks Department.

We started in March. The very first class we had low numbers, but today we had eight, said Jenkins, who also teaches at several gyms and offers classes to Marion County employees through their Health Happens program.

The one-hour class is held on the first Sunday of every month under the thick canopy of the parks oaks near the southeast corner of the expansive property. The classes run through October and start at 2 p.m.

Its a beautiful setting for those wanting to come outside the confines of a yoga studio or fitness center and connect with nature while we explore our own true nature, Jenkins said.

The class is offered for all levels and nothing more than a beach towel and some drinking water is necessary.

We can modify to all levels from first timers to the very seasoned, she said. Anyone who can breath can do yoga. Its really about breath. The misconception is that you need to be flexible. Flexibility really comes in the mind. The byproduct of yoga is flexibility of the body, but its not a necessity to begin.

For Holly Sadler, the class was her first outdoor yoga experience.

Read more here:
Locals find peace in park yoga