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Friday Five
5 Yoga Studios in San Francisco Offering Outdoor Classes to Help You Namaste With Mother Nature
Center yourself under the sun… or fog
The past few months of imposed isolation and social distancing haven’t just reintroduced us to the great outdoors, but they’ve also forced us to look inward. In the cool, not-so-calm of our chaotic Bay Area domiciles, we’ve had to examine who we are — all the parts and pieces that make us uniquely peculiar. (For better and worse.) This explains why mindfulness and outdoor recreation haven’t been more talked about in recent memory.
And no better activity highlights those two observances more than socially distant yoga classes conducted atop our local greenspaces.
Thankfully for us San Franciscans, we reside in a city that boasts well over 150 public parks, so we’re never too far away from either a grassy lawn or sandy beach. Even if sometimes underneath Karla the Fog’s early-morning gaze, there’s something about doing yoga outside that’s inherently special and centering.
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Here are five SF yoga studios hosting outdoor, socially distant classes that you can take up to namaste in the sun alongside Mother Nature.
1. Yoga Garden SF
Founded in 1998, Yoga Garden SF has remained a local hub for outdoor yoga for over 20 years. They believe that yoga should be equal parts a pursuit in bettering your mind as it is one to improve your physical being; you won’t find any off-putting, aggressive commands or instructions at any of their classes.
To abide by social distancing norms, the studio is now hosting Vinyasa in the Park sessions a few times a week at the Golden Gate Park’s panhandle. The hourlong classes — which specifically focus on strength and breathing exercises — are limited to 11 yogis per class, and each attendee must wear a face mask and provide their own mats. All reservations must be booked at least 24 hours in advance.
