Outdoor Yoga Overlooking the Hudson River in Saugerties, NY

I had a wonderful class recently at a beautiful Airbnb in Saugerties, New York. A group of women came up from the NYC and New Jersey area for a private Yoga class to kick off a bachelorette weekend celebrating their close friend.

Setting up for class in Saugerties, NY

We set up on a private deck overlooking the Hudson River, surrounded by hydrangeas with butterflies flittering around us. The temperature was perfect, a slight breeze moving through, birds chirping somewhere off in the trees. It's the kind of setting that makes the practice feel effortless before you even move into your first pose.

Taking a moment to connect to the breath

We opened with a calming meditation and square breathing to settle everyone in, then moved into a warmup series to open the spine, shoulders, and the side body. From there the energy built with a warrior series, and eventually we worked our way into headstands. Several of the girls found their very first headstand that afternoon. Helping women get there for the first time is one of my favorite parts of teaching.

Side planks help strengthen the shoulders and abs

Our final relaxation was especially sweet, everyone stretched out with the breeze on their skin and the sounds of the river and the birds around us.

I shared a bit about Dharma Yoga with the group, the practice I trained in and call Hatha-Raja Yoga. It weaves together meditation, dharana (concentration), asana, and savasana into one lineage, and I love giving new students a taste of where the poses come from.

Here's what the girls had to say:

"Gabby is wonderful. Her class was the perfect level of difficulty and she was kind, fun, and easy to follow. Highly recommend for any group!"

We still have a few months of good weather left for outdoor Yoga, so let's make the most of it while we can.