SARATOGA SPRINGS — Sunlight reflecting off the water. The scent of pine trees. A light breeze carrying with it the rehearsals of a live orchestra. The most zen place in all of Saratoga Springs might be the Spa State Park, where summer yoga classes will be held June through August.
“When you’re outside, it’s this really beautiful alchemy of everything working all together, the way it should be, the way it was originally meant to be,” said Amy DeLuca, the founder and teacher coordinator of Yoga in Spa State Park. “One of the things that yoga does is it helps to get you into that parasympathetic nervous system where it’s more restful, and you need that. We need that right now.”
Yoga in Spa State Park launched in 2013, offering classes on the lawn in front of the reflecting pool. Years later, when the pandemic hit and yoga studios suddenly closed, the program grew rapidly. “It was a huge plus for everybody during a very challenging time,” DeLuca said.
The program now includes year-round classes held in the Roosevelt II Pavillion during the colder months. Summer classes take place under the brick arches of the Administration Building behind the Spa Little Theater. The classes are donation-based, with a suggested contribution of $15, but participants can pay what they wish. DeLuca said nobody is ever turned away. The only thing necessary for taking a class is a yoga mat.
DeLuca has six teachers at the moment, some of whom are teaching three classes per week. They’re all “highly certified,” DeLuca said, with some having twenty years of experience. “What makes us unique is that these teachers, including myself, have a clear focus about what we feel yoga can be, the benefits that it offers.”
Beginners are more than welcome. “We as teachers, because we’re experienced, know how to do variations and modifications so that anybody, any size, in any condition can really benefit from the first class,” DeLuca said.
The program’s summer schedule begins on June 1, with at least one class occurring every day of the week. Classes include “Foundations of Flow,” “Intuitive Yoga Flow,” “Gentle Yoga,” and “Vinyasa Yoga.” No pre-registration is required. For more information, visit the Yoga in Spa State Park Facebook page at www.facebook.com/YogaInSpaStatePark.
