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Yoga in the Park features ‘doga,’ benefits Humane Society
By: Kelli Bamforth, Staff writer
Seasoned and first-time yogis are invited to bring along their furry friends for the second annual Yoga in the Park, sponsored by Yoga Fix Studio, 2000 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Mission Woods.
The first Yoga in the Park took place last year and benefited the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women, a campaign celebrating women’s power to band together and wipe out heart disease and stroke, the country’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers.
This year, Yoga in the Park will benefit The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City. The event takes place from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, at Mill Creek Park, 47th Street and J.C. Nichols Parkway, Kansas City, Mo.
Yoga Fix Studio owner Mary Horvatin said the event began last year as a way to give back to the community.
“At first, we thought it would be cool to try to break the world record of people doing yoga in the park,” Horvatin said. “But then we got online and saw it would have to be 30,000 people … we thought it would be hard to do for our first year. With women’s health issues on the rise, we partnered with AHA to raise money for Go Red.”
Yoga in the Park attracted 130 people last year, Horvatin said, and raised about $1,000.
“It was a really great energy, just to see that many people all doing yoga at one time in the outdoors,” she said. “We had people who had been doing yoga for years, and others who walked by and asked what we were doing who had never done yoga before. That was very cool. And raising awareness of the health benefits of yoga is really cool.”
Horvatin said she always planned to make Yoga in the Park an annual event, and knew she had to after people started asking her about it earlier this summer.
“We again wanted to make it a benefit for a charity and we picked the Humane Society because it’s very close to my heart,” she said. “I don’t believe in buying a dog, but rescuing one. That’s how I got my last two dogs. I am an advocate of rescue dogs and the great need we have in our community to adopt these wonderful dogs.”
Yoga in the Park will include a 30-minute “doga” session, which is mostly stretching with your pooch, Horvatin said.
“It’s also doing some of your own yoga, and some tricks,” she said. “(The lady who showed me how to do it) did a little down dog position and taught him to come down in that position, too. Doga seems to be a big thing right now. A lot of it is just setting the time aside to spend with your dog … you get so caught up with your daily activities and it’s hard to spend time with your kids or dogs.”
Horvatin contacted additional sponsors to make the event bigger and better, she said. Sponsors are Kate’s Canine Resort, Doggie Style Boutique, Pooches Paradise, ReGap and Picasso Grooming, all of Kansas City, Mo.
ReGap will provide greyhound dogs for adoption. With the closing of the Woodlands dog track, a need exists to find owners for the displaced animals, Horvatin said.
“The Humane Society will have dogs for adoption as well,” she said.
Yoga has far-reaching benefits, Horvatin said, including keeping muscles limber and working every organ, muscle and tissue in your body for an overall well-rounded exercise.
“Yoga will help keep you young,” she said. “We’ve got people (at Yoga Fix Studio) in their 20s and 70s doing it, and some people in their 70s can do it better than the 20-year-olds. They call yoga a fountain of youth.”
Yoga in the Park registration begins at 9 a.m. Sunday. Doga is from 9:30 to 10 a.m., followed by people-only yoga from 10 to 11 a.m. The event includes giveaways and prizes and is family-friendly, Horvatin said.
“This event has it all,” she said. “A chance to adopt a cute little pooch looking for a good home, an opportunity to bond with your own dog in the great outdoors, and a beautiful fall morning for your own outdoor yoga practice. It will be a great event to bring the entire family to.
“The more people out there, the more we raise for the Humane Society, which is a very worthy charity. We have a lot of cats and dogs in need.”
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The first Yoga in the Park took place last year and benefited the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women, a campaign celebrating women’s power to band together and wipe out heart disease and stroke, the country’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers.
This year, Yoga in the Park will benefit The Humane Society of Greater Kansas City. The event takes place from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, at Mill Creek Park, 47th Street and J.C. Nichols Parkway, Kansas City, Mo.
Yoga Fix Studio owner Mary Horvatin said the event began last year as a way to give back to the community.
“At first, we thought it would be cool to try to break the world record of people doing yoga in the park,” Horvatin said. “But then we got online and saw it would have to be 30,000 people … we thought it would be hard to do for our first year. With women’s health issues on the rise, we partnered with AHA to raise money for Go Red.”
Yoga in the Park attracted 130 people last year, Horvatin said, and raised about $1,000.
“It was a really great energy, just to see that many people all doing yoga at one time in the outdoors,” she said. “We had people who had been doing yoga for years, and others who walked by and asked what we were doing who had never done yoga before. That was very cool. And raising awareness of the health benefits of yoga is really cool.”
Horvatin said she always planned to make Yoga in the Park an annual event, and knew she had to after people started asking her about it earlier this summer.
“We again wanted to make it a benefit for a charity and we picked the Humane Society because it’s very close to my heart,” she said. “I don’t believe in buying a dog, but rescuing one. That’s how I got my last two dogs. I am an advocate of rescue dogs and the great need we have in our community to adopt these wonderful dogs.”
Yoga in the Park will include a 30-minute “doga” session, which is mostly stretching with your pooch, Horvatin said.
“It’s also doing some of your own yoga, and some tricks,” she said. “(The lady who showed me how to do it) did a little down dog position and taught him to come down in that position, too. Doga seems to be a big thing right now. A lot of it is just setting the time aside to spend with your dog … you get so caught up with your daily activities and it’s hard to spend time with your kids or dogs.”
Horvatin contacted additional sponsors to make the event bigger and better, she said. Sponsors are Kate’s Canine Resort, Doggie Style Boutique, Pooches Paradise, ReGap and Picasso Grooming, all of Kansas City, Mo.
ReGap will provide greyhound dogs for adoption. With the closing of the Woodlands dog track, a need exists to find owners for the displaced animals, Horvatin said.
“The Humane Society will have dogs for adoption as well,” she said.
Yoga has far-reaching benefits, Horvatin said, including keeping muscles limber and working every organ, muscle and tissue in your body for an overall well-rounded exercise.
“Yoga will help keep you young,” she said. “We’ve got people (at Yoga Fix Studio) in their 20s and 70s doing it, and some people in their 70s can do it better than the 20-year-olds. They call yoga a fountain of youth.”
Yoga in the Park registration begins at 9 a.m. Sunday. Doga is from 9:30 to 10 a.m., followed by people-only yoga from 10 to 11 a.m. The event includes giveaways and prizes and is family-friendly, Horvatin said.
“This event has it all,” she said. “A chance to adopt a cute little pooch looking for a good home, an opportunity to bond with your own dog in the great outdoors, and a beautiful fall morning for your own outdoor yoga practice. It will be a great event to bring the entire family to.
“The more people out there, the more we raise for the Humane Society, which is a very worthy charity. We have a lot of cats and dogs in need.”