Courtesy of St. Louis County Library by Kara Hayes Smith
Harry Potter fans brought wands and cloaks to a yoga class at the beginning of the year.
The library has always been a place to pick up a good read or take your kids for an educational field trip. But in addition to getting lost in literature, now adult library-goers can get up and moving with a fantasy-themed yoga class at St. Louis County Library.
“Fitness is a way to engage the community and increase health literacy,” says communications manager Jennifer McBride. Over the past few years, SLCL has offered standard yoga programs. But just this year, a Harry Potter Yoga class began a series of book-themed yoga classes for adults. Now they've offered everything from the still-popular Harry Potter Yoga to Storytime Yoga for children ages 2–5.
“We’re always looking for ways to promote the wellbeing of our community through programs and services,” explains McBride. And to her mind, libraries are uniquely suited for combining learning with fitness. “Libraries are really great at evolving to meet community needs. Since our branches have become community gathering places, it’s a natural fit to offer health and wellness programs like yoga, meditation, and tai chi.”
Madeline Gilje, yoga instructor and avid reader, will lead several book-inspired classes this fall that are suited for fans of fairy tales and the non-traditional workout. “There is a yoga class for all bodies and all experience levels,” says Gilje. “The goal is to have fun and to get moving.”
Gilje also believes there are benefits to holding a yoga class at the library as opposed to at a traditional studio. “It makes it so much more accessible and accepting for people who who are nervous walking into a studio,” she says. Gilje, a true fan-girl, is excited to introduce other fun themed yoga classes in the next year. There’s talk of starting a Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games series soon.
Upcoming events include The Princess Bride yoga. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the beloved movie, Gilje will lead an hour-long class that mixes story-time with basic yoga poses at the Prairie Commons Branch Library on September 18 at 7 p.m.
For a spooky Halloween-inspired class, Gilje will also lead “cat-themed” yoga on October 11 at 7 p.m. at the Oak Bend Library. No cats will be present, unfortunately, but there will be plenty of cat yoga poses (and dressing up as a cat is encouraged).
Sign up for yoga in other worlds at slcl.org/events.
