Before most office lights switch on downtown, yoga mats are already covering the grounds of Kiener Plaza. Some people arrive alone. Others come with coworkers, roommates, or friends. A few stop for coffee afterward at Trust or UKraft. Many return week after week. And for 45 minutes, with the city still quiet and the Arch as a backdrop, the rush of the morning slows down.
That’s the draw behind Sunrise Yoga, the free weekly series hosted by the Gateway Arch Park Foundation. This season, Sunrise Yoga takes place Tuesdays at 7 a.m. at Kiener Plaza from May 5–September 29 and is free to attend. Participants are encouraged to bring a yoga mat and water bottle, and no prior experience is required.
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At a time when more people are searching for affordable, low-pressure ways to move their bodies and connect with others, Sunrise Yoga, which started in 2017, has become part workout, part community ritual, leaders of the program agree.
“It provides a free space to center yourself, start your day, and come together with your community,” says Ainsley Worthley, communications and marketing coordinator for Gateway Arch Park Foundation. “What we’re providing is more than just fitness. It’s mindfulness and health in that way.”
A New Instructor
This season also marks the first year leading the series for instructor Eric “Action” Jackson, an East St. Louis native whose approachable teaching style has quickly become part of the event’s appeal and whose nickname derives from his time as a Marine. “I think people just want something different,” Jackson says. “And downtown, with everything being built up, is getting exciting.”
Jackson’s path to yoga started through jiu-jitsu, which he has practiced for nearly two decades. Looking to improve flexibility and mobility, he first turned to online yoga videos before eventually joining a studio and beginning formal training. Now, he brings that same grounded, accessible energy to Sunrise Yoga.
“What you’re hearing right now is exactly how I lead the class,” Jackson says. “I just want people to have the confidence to show up and try.”
That welcoming atmosphere has become central to the event’s growth. While yoga can sometimes feel intimidating for beginners, Jackson intentionally keeps the classes lighthearted and adaptable, offering modifications for all experience levels and encouraging participants to move at their own pace. “You can go as fast or slow as you want,” he says. “This is your 45-minute block.”
A Growing Movement
Over time, Sunrise Yoga has grown into one of downtown’s most popular wellness events. On busy mornings, attendance last season reached more than 300 participants. Worthley says the response has stretched far beyond downtown residents. Last season, she heard from high school students driving in from the county just to attend sessions before school. Others discovered the classes through social media, where attendance has grown largely through word-of-mouth sharing and tagging among friends.
For many participants, Sunrise Yoga has become less of a one-time event and more of a weekly ritual. “It’s really become a community thing,” Worthley says.
That growing turnout has become notable for another reason, too: It challenges long-standing narratives about downtown St. Louis. “We’ve never had a public safety incident at any of our events,” Worthley says. “Three hundred people are committing to coming downtown, feeling safe, and spending this time together.”
Few workout classes come with a backdrop quite like it. But for many attendees, the appeal is less about the view and more about carving out intentional time before the demands of the day begin. “I feel like this is a very rushed society,” Jackson says. “Even a five-minute decompression adds more than it takes away.”
And while classes technically end after 45 minutes, the experience often continues afterward through conversations, coffee runs, or simply walking away feeling more grounded.
“You may walk in alone,” Jackson says, “but I definitely don’t feel like you’ll walk away alone.”
