Free yoga classes with sound baths begin at Unity Gardens

Free yoga is coming to Unity Gardens, giving South Bend a public, outdoor place to unroll a mat without paying studio prices or walking into an intimidating first class. The series, called Yoga in the Garden, will meet Mondays at 6 p.m. from May 18 through Oct. 12 at 3701 Prast Blvd., and Unity Gardens says the classes will be free and open to the public.

The format is built for beginners and regulars alike. Participants are asked to bring a mat or towel, and the classes will take place outdoors near the goat fence when weather allows, then move inside the building if it rains. Zana is named as the certified yoga instructor, while Sarah Vervynckt will lead the sound baths on May 25, June 29, July 27, Aug. 31, Sept. 28 and Oct. 12. The final Oct. 12 session will also include a potluck.

That setup fits the way Unity Gardens already works in the city. The organization says its mission is to connect the community to fresh food, nature and each other, and it says it aims to improve community health physically, socially, mentally, environmentally and economically. Along with its main garden on Prast Boulevard, Unity Gardens says it operates more than 40 satellite gardens, all of them free-pick, which makes the yoga series feel like another extension of its access-first model.

The nonprofit’s roots help explain the move. Sara Stewart, identified by the University of Notre Dame as Unity Gardens’ founder, president and executive director, started the organization in 2008 after seeing how some South Bend neighborhoods lacked access to the healthy food being recommended to them. A Notre Dame profile describes Unity Gardens as a place with an outdoor classroom, pollination garden, demonstration gardens, goats and chickens, a setting that makes an outdoor yoga class feel less like a side event and more like part of the landscape.

South Bend already has other free outdoor fitness options, including Downtown South Bend’s Summer Fitness Series at the Gridiron, which includes yoga. But Unity Gardens adds a different draw: a garden setting where the entry point is a towel, a mat and a Monday evening, not a membership or a studio culture lesson. For anyone curious about yoga but hesitant about the cost or the scene, Yoga in the Garden will make the practice feel open, local and easy to step into.