Sisters tries yoga in the park

Fresh produce picked just minutes earlier at a farm one mile away. Handmade jewelry and blended teas. Hot lunch, crunchy granola, and original new backpacking food made by neighbors.

These offerings were all available at Sisters Farmers Market on opening day last Sunday, along with the toe-tappin’ tunes of the duo Appaloosa.

Something new popped up, too: a small group of people practicing yoga, enjoying a little downward dog off to the side of the market’s hustle and bustle.

Market Manager Rachel Kelleher had the idea of bringing fresh-air yoga to the lush lawn at Fir Street Park. Kelleher is a registered nurse by trade and mom to two toddlers. Health is frequently on her mind.

She sees the farmers market as a route to wellness. “Health starts somewhere: buying fresh veggies at a farmers market, randomly trying yoga,” she said. “For some people it’s overwhelming to say, ‘I’m healthy and always eat organic and exercise every day.’

“But it’s easy to say, ‘I tried to be healthy today at the Sisters Farmers Market. I bought local and tried yoga.’ Change starts small.”

Naji’s Midtown Yoga of Bend will present vinyasa yoga on June 9, 23, and 30 at 11:30 a.m., with various instructors. The market itself is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Yoga is not scheduled for Fathers Day, June 16, when the lawn will be used for a free kids’ performance workshop with Starshine Theater.

According to Yoga Journal, uneven, natural surfaces such as sand and grass can intensify yoga postures and their physical benefits. Various yogis have differing opinions on lawn yoga. Some say bring a mat; others say that a thick towel works better.

Some prefer two mats when practicing outdoors. Others prefer to use outdoor yoga as an “earthing” experience, where bare feet and body connect directly with soil, plants, and other natural surfaces.

Whatever approach visitors choose, they should check out their spot on the lawn to make sure it is free of debris and poky bits. Fir Street Park is generally kept up very nicely by the City of Sisters, but it makes sense to check out the surface first.

All should bring basic supplies: sunscreen, water, and a towel for wiping down their mats. A cooler bag can be helpful for storing market purchases. Cash donations are also welcome, as instructors provide these sessions without pay.

Yoga isn’t the only new item on the Sisters Farmers Market menu this year. The market will feature new programming throughout the season, which runs from the first Sunday in June to the last Sunday in September.

Music, yoga, and kids’ activities will make regular appearances, along with talent shows, wellness demos, and a Tea & Poetry Day. These new programs are part of a larger effort to revitalize Sisters Farmers Market, funded in part by a grant from The Roundhouse Foundation.

Starting in July, Sisters studio Life.Love.Yoga. will bring new forms and instructors to the market. Details will be posted as they become available at www.

sistersfarmersmarket.com.