Get moving this summer with free yoga and pilates classes

Outdoor yoga at National Harbor (National Harbor image)

This summer, Richmond Highway area residents have the opportunity to try some unique twists on traditional yoga and pilates classes, and — as an added incentive — they are cost-free.

Residents of the northern end of the corridor have ready access to the outdoor yoga sessions on the waterfront Plaza at National Harbor. Gold’s Gym sponsors the weekly fitness sessions, which take place on Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. through September 29. If more active forms of fitness are your style, Gold’s holds free cardio blast aerobics on Monday evenings at 7 p.m. and cardio boxing on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at the same location.

Further down the highway along the Potomac River, River Farm will serve as the setting for a series of free yoga and relaxation sessions during the remainder of June and July. The classes will be led by a soon-to-be-certified instructor for VEToga, a non-profit that provides yoga, meditation and healing arts to service members, veterans, their families and communities. Sessions for the general public will take place from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 19 and 26, as well as on Fridays in July. Attendees will meet at the entrance to the house and — depending on weather and class size — practice outside or in the parlor or ballroom. All levels and abilities are welcome, and no pre-registration is required.

Fairfax County Public Library’s Martha Washington Library and Sherwood Regional Library are holding one-time yoga sessions of different types this summer. Martha Washington has Child & Me Yoga on June 22 from 10:30 to 11 a.m., while Sherwood Regional has Chair Yoga on June 25 from 2 to 2:30 p.m. and Gentle Yoga on June 30 from 11 a.m. to noon. Further information and registration are on the libraries’ event pages.

The military community has access to free yoga classes at Fort Belvoir. Honest Soul Yoga holds weekly traditional yoga classes at the USO Warrior and Family Center on Mondays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. for active-duty service members and their dependents. Meditation yoga sessions are held every second and fourth Wednesday at that same time. No registration is required.

Finally, at the southern end of the corridor, the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton is offering free “Hoopilates” classes for all skill levels from now through the end of August. According to the Workhouse Art of Movement’s website, Hoopilates is “a hybrid workout that combines the fun of hula hooping with Pilates principles, mat movements and yoga postures.” The classes will meet in Building W11, Studio D. Those who are interested can register via the website for sessions that are still open. At press time, only the June 20 class was full.