Last week, 88 yogis attended Sunrise Yoga and Gateway Arch Park Foundation’s Ainsley Worthley was one of them! Below, Ainsley shares her thoughts on being a first-time attendee.

After weeks of early morning sunshine, I was greeted with overcast skies in Downtown St. Louis. With the first several sessions of Sunrise Yoga bringing more than 100 participants to Kiener Plaza each week, I was worried many would decide to stay home this morning with only the most loyal followers braving the dreary skies. To my pleasant surprise, I could not have been more wrong.

Immediately after stepping into Kiener Plaza, a good crowd—easily 50 or more people—was forming as our yogis began rolling out their mats, stretching, and preparing for the class. Nicole, our instructor, greeted participants by name, welcoming them to the session and thanking them for coming.

As class started, Nicole asked if there was anything specific the attendees wanted to focus on before beginning the first flow. As someone present to take photos and videos of the class rather than participating, I had a front-row view of its impact. The group’s movements varied as each person held the poses to the best of their ability, making personal tweaks as needed but still breathing as one. I found myself falling into the same breathing pattern, inhaling and exhaling as Nicole instructed. It sounds clichéd, but the hustle and bustle of downtown truly faded out and was replaced with birdsong from the trees throughout Kiener Plaza as the class progressed.

We are no strangers to references to the Gateway Arch here in St. Louis, but it’s not every day you hear it being used as a reference point for yoga poses. In Kiener Plaza, however, it would be a shame not to. Throughout the flow, participants heard, “turn and face the Arch,” “point your toes towards the Arch,” and “reach towards the Arch.” Each time, it was a call back to the moment, a reminder to exist mindfully and share the morning with the Arch. Before long, Nicole was leading the class in the Namaste, bringing the session to a close.

By this point, the morning had warmed up, the sun had peeked through the clouds, and it was shaping up to be a lovely day. As participants rolled up their mats and went their separate ways, I felt a sense of gratitude. Despite not holding a single yoga pose during the class, it was refreshing to start my day outdoors, in the heart of Downtown St. Louis, surrounded by a community of people who showed up for each other and themselves. I could easily see how this type of morning quickly became part of people's weekly routine and how important it is for communities to have access to free, weekly, outdoor health and wellness events like this.

I’m already looking forward to the next time I attend a class, and I can’t wait to see the event reach even more friends and neighbors like you!