BettyGoHard and Kerry Yoga have teamed up to offer a new program for women, getting the body working and calming the mind.
The first Sunset Hiking and Yoga outing went off without a hitch Monday. The group trekked up Raven’s Rock trail behind the hospital to the lookout point over Gyro Park before rolling out the yoga mats and engaging in some downtime at the summit.
“It’s really important to create balance. So if you’re hardcore doing exercise, if you don’t stop to go to the gym or go and do some yoga and balance what you’re doing your body gets out of alignment,” said Natasha Lockey, founder of BettyGoHard, the local women’s action sport business.
“I think we all do that — we sort of focus on one side of things or the other and I’ve really been trying to create something that balances.”
Participants hike a selected trail and then take part in roughly a half hour of yoga, before completing the other half of the hike — with refreshments and treats waiting at the bottom.
The idea came out of the blue and Lockey decided to ask her good friend Kerry Turner, of Kerry Yoga, to partner up.
“She (Kerry) really enjoys doing yoga in the park and I’ve been trying to come up with ideas to compliment my activities and do something slightly different and unique just to get different people out doing stuff,” said Lockey, explaining that participants in the Bettygohard and yoga programs come out for a while and then slowly dwindle away.
She’s hoping that something like combining the two will keep things fresh and interesting.
Carlina White, from Montrose, is an avid hiker but had never tried yoga before. She loved the experience.
Linda Brace seconded that feeling.
“It’s awesome, I’m so glad I came. The hike wasn’t too long because especially with the yoga it just complimented it and I thought it was really good.”
The program will run again Aug. 29, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Elder Trail trailhead where Short Street meets Palyga Drive in West Trail. After the hike and yoga, participants will make their way to Got Juiced in downtown Trail, where tasty treats will await hikers.
There’s also an Oct. 1 date that will run through Trail Parks and Recreation and is listed in the fall recreation guide.
If there’s enough interest the program will continue beyond those dates, said Lockey.
The cost is $36, with a discounted rate for returning hikers. To register, contact Lockey at 250-231-4305.