OXFORD, Miss. – Ever spend a beautiful spring day working in the flower bed and wake up the next morning with a crick in your back? Or, spend a weekend mulching the vegetable garden and end up with sore shoulders that even a hot bath can’t fix? And, then there’s all that kneeling.Yoga can help. On Saturday (May 5), Betsy Banner and Jennie Lee, instructors of Blue Laurel Yoga, will introduce participants to some simple restorative yoga poses to help relieve sore gardening muscles.
“Working with plants can be thoroughly rewarding and is potentially great exercise, but it can also take a toll on your body,” said Banner, a Master Gardener in Oxford. “Bending over beds, digging holes, turning compost and pulling weeds can all lead to muscle soreness, longstanding tightness and even chronic injuries like tendonitis or plantar fasciitis.”
By focusing on the muscle groups that gardeners work most heavily – the lower back, hamstrings and quadriceps, upper back, arms and shoulders – Banner and Lee will offer stretches and strengthening exercises that could counter some of the discomforts that go along with digging in the dirt. Banner and Lee are both certified Hatha/Vinyasa yoga instructors.
“We’ll begin with a practical introduction to yoga for gardeners, move into a series of postures which target hard-working muscle groups and close, weather permitting, with a stroll through Bailey’s woods,” Banner said.
“Blue Laurel Yoga is a wonderful program to have as part of the UM Museum’s mission of engaging the community on a variety of levels,” said Emily Dean, the museum’s program coordinator.
“We aim to provide culturally enriching programming that coincides with our participation in the “Let’s Move! Museums and Gardens” initiative to get participants outside and active in promoting community well-being. The Bailey’s Woods trail is a wonderful resource that we encourage visitors of all ages to enjoy,” Dean said.
“Yoga for Gardeners” is slated for 3-5 p.m. The cost is $20 for museum members and $25 per participant for non-members. Registration forms are available at the front desk of the museum or can be downloaded by visiting museum.olemiss.edu. Checks should be made payable to Blue Laurel Yoga.
UM Museum is located at the intersection of University Avenue and Fifth St. in Oxford, Miss.
For more information, visit http://museum.olemiss.edu or call Emily Dean at 662-915-7073. For assistance related to a disability, call 662-915-7084.