Ford’s Pond park adds free Saturday yoga for summer wellness

Ford’s Pond Community Park is set to turn its lawn into a low-cost summer studio, with free Saturday yoga starting June 13 and running through August. Aubree Gail will lead one-hour mindful yoga sessions at 9:00 a.m., and organizers say no experience is necessary.

The format is built for people who want the benefits of yoga without the barrier of a studio membership or an intimidating first class. Participants are asked to bring a yoga mat or blanket, keeping the setup simple and accessible. The sessions are being presented by Friends of Ford’s Pond as part of a summer wellness lineup that pairs yoga with qigong and leans hard into outdoor, community-centered practice.

That same approach continues on Wednesday nights. Susie Shea will lead Sunset Qigong in June at 8:00 p.m., with additional Wednesday sessions planned through September. Those classes will be held standing on the lawn, footwear is optional, and organizers suggest a donation of $5 to $10. Between the free Saturday yoga and the donation-based qigong, the park is offering two very different entry points into movement, one completely free and one still firmly within reach.

The setting is part of the appeal. Friends of Ford’s Pond describes Ford’s Pond Community Park as a 202-acre park built around a 95-acre pond, with access to the water and hillside trails via a 2-mile paved Pond Loop Path. The city’s description adds interpretive panels, bird-watching areas, picnic tables, gazebos, bathrooms and RV parking, details that make the park feel less like a one-off event venue and more like a place people can return to all summer long.

That recurring use is exactly what Friends of Ford’s Pond has been building toward. The nonprofit says its Activities & Education Committee offers free recreational and educational programming that includes yoga, qigong, lawn games, music jams, solstice events, hobby classes, drum circles and walking and running groups. It says volunteers and community members help lead those activities, tying the classes to a broader public mission that includes outdoor recreation and environmental awareness.

The park’s growth helps explain why these classes matter. Friends of Ford’s Pond says it raised more than $4 million to transform the property into a park, and the City of Sutherlin says the partnership has brought in more than $1.8 million in grants and donations, including three Oregon Parks and Recreation grants totaling more than $960,000. Local reporting last year showed the classes already drawing people from places like Roseburg and Glide, while board leaders such as Jim Houseman were thanking volunteers for keeping Ford’s Pond special for the community.

By the time the first mats and blankets are spread out on June 13, the point will be clear: this is not just a Saturday class. It is another sign that Ford’s Pond has become the kind of public space where residents can keep showing up, week after week, for movement, calm and a summer habit worth keeping.