Soothing music filled the air and colorful mats laid sprawled across the grass as participants partook in an afternoon of twisting poses and positions by attending Yoga on the Lawn in front of the LAC A Building on Dec. 6.
Attendees were encouraged to unfold their mats and unwind in an hour-long yoga lesson led by Rick Anderson, an LBCC kinesiology teacher who instructs CPR, first aid and yoga.
Anderson guided participants through several breathing exercises and variations of the warrior pose which involves standing in a wide stance with outstretched arms, all while including witty commentary about balancing a Christmas cookie.
“Yoga creates a moment of the here and now with no distractions, worries or anxieties,” said Anderson. “It’s being in the here and now with the community and yourself when you’re practicing. It’s more of a self-love where you come in and be with yourself.”
The event was open to all students, community members and employees such as Donna Mendoza, an LBCC senior administrative assistant.
“This was my first time ever participating in yoga,” said Mendoza. “I’m stuck in the office a lot of the time so actually being outside and enjoying the outdoors was nice. I plan to attend more of the sessions and even look into doing it on my own.”
The idea behind Yoga on the Lawn began with Carl Kemp, the executive director of public affairs and marketing, who was inspired by his drive along Ocean Blvd.
“I’ve been in Long Beach for a long time and I’ve been driving up and down Ocean where I’ll see yoga on the bluff. It’s a great community and opportunity for wellness and health,” said Kemp. “Being relatively new here, I saw it as an opportunity for us to engage our campus community as well as our external community for folks who may not be able to make it to the bluff.”
LBCC hopes to extend this event to the PCC campus in the future.
“We’ll work the kinks out here and see what we can offer over there as well,” said Kemp. “We definitely want to engage PCC. The goal for us is to make folks aware of the beauty that’s there at PCC.”
Anderson described practicing yoga as a personal experience that benefits one’s wellness.
“It’s not a competition,” Anderson said. “It’s self-growth and discipline. Make it fun for your wellness and mindfulness.”
Anderson said he hopes to continue instructing Yoga on the Lawn after the holidays in mid-January.