By Lisa Mitchell-Bennett
The breeze and shade under the trees on this August Wednesday evening is welcomed by the gathering group of participants in the Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta! yoga class, offered for free in Linear Park in Brownsville.
All shapes and ages are represented in this group of thirty or so including men and women from their 20’s to 70’s and even some children. Mats are rolled out on the pavement, still warm from a hot summer day. A flock of wild parrots squawks overhead, and families stroll by on the Battlefield Trail looking curiously at the group and their colorful yoga mats.
A sixty-something gentleman, David Salazar, greets the instructor and takes some deep breaths on his mat before class starts.
“This free class has been so good for my health,” he explains in Spanish. “Coming together like this outside is so healthy. We need a place to connect with others and to focus on our wellbeing.”
The participants also say that doing the class outside has an added benefit as they can connect with nature and it feels safer given the pandemic.
Salazar continues, “Yoga has helped me with balance and reduced my anxiety. At my age I know it’s important to do things that strengthen me and prevent me from falling in the future. Yoga is a great way to build equilibrium. Often men don’t think they should come to these classes, but it is really for everyone. Men need this as much as women.”
According to an article in Johns Hopkins University Medicine, “Yoga offers physical and mental health benefits for people of all ages. And, if you’re going through an illness, recovering from surgery or living with a chronic condition, yoga can become an integral part of your treatment and potentially hasten healing.”
Numerous studies show yoga’s benefits to arthritis, osteopenia, balance issues, oncology and chronic pain.
The Johns Hopkins article goes on to list the proven health benefits of yoga:
>> Improves strength, balance and flexibility.
>> Can help with back pain relief.
>> Can ease arthritis symptoms.
>> Benefits heart health.
>> Increases energy and brighter moods.
>> Helps manage stress and anxiety.
>> Connects you with a supportive community.
>> Increases self-confidence.
These are all benefits the class instructor Thania Ugalde is well aware of.
“My first introduction to yoga was about 13 years ago while I was in college at (then) UT Brownsville. The school was offering free yoga classes during lunch to destress. It was just what I needed to reduce my anxiety and it left a great impression on me, although I never did yoga again until a few years later.”
“I was in a bad place and ending a relationship. I was overweight. I wasn’t happy with myself. I didn’t exercise at all. A friend invited me to a class. It was so inspiring and healing I cried at the end. The instructor also happened to have been my kindergarten teacher! She eventually encouraged me to go through the yoga teacher training. It became a lifestyle for me and changed the way I viewed myself and my health.”
Ugalde completed some of the volunteer hours required for yoga instructors at the Brownsville Farmers Market, where since 2016 free yoga classes are offered every Saturday morning.
“I wasn’t even aware Brownsville had a Farmers’ Market and the experience really opened my eyes to all of the wellness efforts. I started shopping and learning about healthy produce and eating better.”
Eventually Ugalde landed a job at the Brownsville Wellness Coalition (sponsors of the Brownsville Farmers Market) and became an instructor for their healthy cooking classes “La Cocina Alegre” and eventually market manager.
“I’ve so enjoyed working with the Brownsville Wellness Coalition. I’ve also been able to be involved in their community gardening. Learning how to grow food, and connecting with the soil and other neighbors in the gardens has been life-giving during the pandemic. I’ve also been fortunate to work at the BWC food distributions where I realized there is so much food insecurity in our community.”
Ugalde enlisted other volunteer yoga instructors and the classes at the market were so popular, they were eventually sponsored by Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta, a program of the UTHealth School of Public Health that offers over 200 free exercise classes across the RGV.
Now the shady outdoor spot at Linear Park hosts four packed yoga classes a week. During the COVID-19 pandemic they have added social distancing protocols to ensure the safety of all participants.
Some skeptics say that yoga is only popular among higher income folks, and is a trendy phenomenon. That is absolutely not the case here in Brownsville, according to Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta program manager Amanda Dave.
“Westernized yoga has become popular as a trendy, urban phenomenon for those with disposable income. In Brownsville and other cities in the region, we’ve made a concerted effort to make yoga inclusive and available to people of every demographic. Our community has embraced yoga because they experience the benefits long recognized in other cultures and recently confirmed by Western medicine to improve your mental and physical state. It helps manage common chronic conditions like depression/anxiety, high blood pressure and arthritis. Our community deserves to experience options for improving well-being just like higher income communities do. In fact, the stress of persistent poverty and the lack of access to affordable healthcare increases the need for these options.”
Programs like Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta! have made yoga and other physical activity more accessible to low-income communities and neighborhoods in the Valley.
“We moved all of our free classes online when the pandemic hit, but now we are carefully providing outdoor options since we know we all benefit from being outside and having some careful social interaction.”
Rolling up his mat at the end of class Salinas shares, “Sometimes I’m too tired to come, but I make myself do it and all of my stress and exhaustion are gone by the end of the class. It really energizes me. I highly recommend it for all ages and abilities. There are always ways to adapt the poses to your ability.”
Ugalde adds, “Our yoga classes provide a non-judgmental space for everyone to try. It isn’t competitive like other workouts and sports. Yoga helps you better understand yourself and your body. It taught me to invest in myself, both physically and mentally,” because Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta! (Your Health Matters!).
For schedules of free online and outdoor Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta! exercise classes, go to www.tusaludsicuenta.org or visit us Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta! Facebook page.
