LYNNFIELD — Yoga Reaches Out, a fundraising event of the Boston Children’s Hospital, visited MarketStreet Saturday morning with a pop-up outdoor yoga class.
About a dozen yogis attended the class, which was designed to provide an hour of wellness and self-care with an opportunity to support sick children and their families.
“We’ve been working from home for a year and a half now so it really just brings that sense of community and giving back to a great cause at the same time,” said Christine Bernardino, corporate initiatives officer at the Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, who joined in on the class herself.
Yoga instructor Daniel Dugan led the all-level, Vinyasa yoga class on the Green.
“Mental health is such an important, often-overlooked part of our society. Having that outlet that is both mental and physical and giving a safe space for people to just be with their bodies is so important,” said Dugan about the valuable opportunity YRO was providing. “I feel like when you work out together it just creates an energy that you can’t imagine; it’s great.”
Pre-pandemic, YRO hosted one big day of yoga practice once a year at Gillette Stadium. Sarah Gardner, the executive director, came up with the idea 11 years ago. Her son received treatment at Boston Children’s when he was born prematurely, and she wanted to give back.
One day she had an epiphany: She wanted to bring 1,000 yogis together at Gillette Stadium for a “yogathon” to raise money for sick children. Then, she got to work.
Gillette Stadium donated their field house to host the event. That first time, in 2010, YRO was able to bring together 400 people. They reached the 1,000-person mark in 2018.
The local yoga community embraced the idea. Some yoga studios became regular participants and providers of yoga instructors. But the organization is always looking for new yoga teachers to welcome into the community.
YRO has helped to fundraise more than $3 million for BCH over the years.
When the COVID-19 pandemic locked everyone indoors, the team had to pivot and take the community online. As the restrictions were eased, YRO started hosting pop-up classes outdoors around New England to get people together as a community. This summer, classes have taken place at Cape Cod; Martha’s Vineyard; Nantucket; Tuscan Village in Salem, N.H.; Biddeford, Maine; and around the Greater Boston area. All classes last one hour and the organization suggests a donation of $25 or more.
YRO team is hoping to be back with their large event at Gillette Stadium in April 2022.
