When you cross the bridge over the Kokosing River, you’ll find a charming white cottage. Behind the house, you’ll see a garden with blooms swaying gently in the breeze. Among the flowers, a group of people idly chats. Off in the distance, a man explores the flowers in the prairie as his wife unfolds her yoga mat. If the atmosphere feels calm yet alive, you’ve found Yoga at the Brown Family Environmental Center (BFEC). 

Bob and Sue Homan, who recently moved to the area, described the BFEC as an excellent location for lunching, biking and enjoying the flowers. Sue Homan pointed out that the flowers are especially beautiful in the late summer and early fall, when the yoga classes take place. 

The yellow and lavender flowers framed instructor April Baker, who also works as a staff nurse at the Cox Health and Counseling Center, as she led the class in gentle stretches to warm up. Her voice mingled pleasantly with the singing of birds, gurgling of water and chirping of cicadas as she guided the students through a Vinyasa sequence. Vinyasa is a popular contemporary style of yoga characterized by the smooth way that poses flow together. The students could feel the warmth of the summer sun as they stretched their faces upwards and the crisp autumn breeze as they lowered back down to the grass.  

The class ended with stretching and various breathing techniques. “Being able to move and meditate outdoors activates our senses,” Baker wrote in an email to the Collegian. “It makes the practice more alert and present. Our usual distractions seem further away and less important.” She loves being able to share the benefits of different types of yoga, and hopes to provide “space where others can find what works for their bodies, return to/find balance and feel connected with themselves and their surroundings.”

The yoga classes are free and open to all ages with yoga mats provided at no additional cost. The classes start promptly at 12:10 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday. They finish at 12:55 p.m., giving Kenyon students and faculty time to get back to classes on campus. The BFEC is a truly beautifulplace to honor the human form.