Yoga classes open to all, even people not going through recovery, instructor says
-
Amber Gilbert, left, executive director of Recovery Point, stands in warrior pose next to instructor Kim Simon, right, Yoga 4 Change’s director of programs for Northeast Florida, during a yoga class Tuesday at Life Church Palatka. -
Valarie Vaughn participates in the class. -
Yoga instructor Kim Simon teaches a yoga class at Life Church Palatka on Tuesday evening. -
From left to right, Tina Wolfe, Melissa Guarnieri, assistant programs coordinator for Recovery Point, and Valarie Vaughn participate in Tuesday’s class. -
Positively Putnam FL
Gentle music played in the fellowship hall at Life Church Palatka as people did yoga to relax, with some partaking in the activity to aid in their recovery efforts.
Instructor Kim Simon started teaching community yoga classes this month as part of a partnership with Recovery Point Palatka, which aims to “provide multiple pathways of recovery to anybody who desires to initiate or maintain a life of recovery, regardless of their past and current circumstances,” according to Recovery Point’s website.
Recovery Point is based out of Life Church Palatka, 2701 Reid St.
Simon teaches yoga classes 5 p.m. every other Tuesday at the church and people who attend to help their recovery journey can attend the recovery meetings after yoga. Despite the recovery aspect, yoga classes are open to anyone, regardless of whether they are overcoming addiction or other ailments.
“I found that the different people that take the class all get something different from it,” Simon said. “So, whether it’s meditation, or it’s breathing exercises, or it’s the movements, they find healing in it. And it helps them to cope in a way that other treatment modalities don’t.”
Simon started teaching yoga classes in 2020 through Yoga 4 Change, a nonprofit organization that uses yoga curricula to work with and provide lasting change to veterans, people who are incarcerated, people who are living with mental health conditions and young people, the agency’s website states.
Simon, Yoga 4 Change’s director of programs for Northeast Florida, also teaches yoga at the Putnam County Jail, which she started doing before teaching Recovery Point classes. Former inmates expressed to her that they didn’t have a place to practice yoga once they left jail, Simon said.
While one option could be to practice yoga at a local brewery, people who are going through recovery had concerns about that option, she added.
After being in jail, the next step in following up with substance recovery is attending Recovery Point. Therefore, Simon said, she decided to partner with the organization as an additional resource in the healing process.
Amber Gilbert, executive director of Recovery Point, took the class with Simon on Tuesday, as did five more people.
“Recovery is so much more than just being sober,” Gilbert said. “It’s about healing our mind (and) our soul, trying to introduce that into our recovery community as part of our practices.”
For more information about yoga classes or other aspects of recovery, call Recovery Point at 386-385-3079.