Cumbria yoga expands to six parks with inclusive pay-it-forward classes
Yoga in the Park grew from a spring launch to six Cumbria sites, with £4 concessions and a pay-it-forward model widening access.
Outdoor yoga has moved from a spring trial to a six-site summer run across Cumbria, with the Cumbria Yoga Foundation now taking Yoga in the Park to Cockermouth, Kendal, Carlisle, Workington, Askham and Ulverston. Caroline Robinson called what the team has seen since April “really moving.” The programme is built as a pay-it-forward model, so each ticket helps keep future community sessions within reach.
Sessions had already begun at Askham Outdoor Swimming Pool on 6 May, Abbott Hall Bowling Club in Kendal on 3 June and Carlisle’s Bitts Park on 18 June, while other dates were being added across the county. Each class is open to anyone aged 16 and over, regardless of ability or experience, with full-price tickets at £8 or £40 for a six-class pass. Concession places cost £4 per session or £20 for a pass for people on low incomes, single parents, students and low-income pensioners.
The sessions are intentionally inclusive, step-free where possible, and able to provide equipment on request. Accessible Yoga and Yoga on Prescription use step-free community spaces and chairs to make classes more inclusive for people with long-term health conditions, people recovering from surgery and anyone starting gentle exercise for the first time.
Proceeds from ticket sales support year-round community yoga across the county, and a £10 donation can fund a month of sessions for someone who otherwise could not access yoga. The charity also works with a network of wellbeing professionals, charities and organisations across the region. In February 2025, it also partnered with Age UK South Cumbria on classes in Grange-over-Sands and Ulverston for residents aged 50 and above, with the sessions aimed at physical and emotional wellbeing.
Official UK government figures published in 2026 show 80% of households in England have access to at least one green or blue space within a 15-minute walk, but access is lower in deprived areas and for people whose health limits daily life, according to Natural England.
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