Jimmy Buffett wrote a song titled “Love in the Library,” but according to Katherine Johnson, yoga in the library is even better.

Johnson began teaching free classes at the Southwest Chatham Library in August of 2015, and added chair yoga classes a few months after.

“When I was first certified to teach yoga, I needed more experience, so I contacted the Library to see if they were interested,” said Johnson. “They said yes!”  

“I wanted to teach yoga at a public library because libraries are open to everyone and have a very diverse client base. Attending a yoga studio can be an expensive proposition and not all communities have a yoga studio nearby.  Some people have misconceptions about who yoga is for. Yoga is for everyone. It makes me very happy to see the diversity of students who attend YOGA@theLibrary.”

Now, after years of growth, approximately 70 people attend the free yoga classes each Tuesday. Katherine Johnson has also achieved the diversity that she wanted – age, gender, race, income, and ability levels. The oldest regular attendee is Walter, age 94, who has been practicing yoga for over 20 years – the youngest participants are kiddos who attend with a parent, mostly during summer break.

“I started classes in the staff room upstairs, but we outgrew that pretty fast so we were moved to the auditorium. I started mat yoga classes, but had a lot of people interested in doing yoga, but not able to get up and down from the floor, or had other issues. I was trained to teach chair yoga, so I added a second class.”  

Chair yoga is an adaptive form that uses a chair to provide stability for those people who are unable to follow standard yoga class due to age, illness, or disability.  The benefits of chair yoga are the same as traditional yoga – improved flexibility, increased balance, stronger core, stress reduction, better sleep.

“I did teach classes on Zoom for a year or so during lockdown.  It was so good to be able to maintain connections with people, even though attendance was not as strong as at the library,” explains Johnson.

“After COVID, the library contacted me to see if I’d like to come back. I did, but I needed help so I wouldn’t be so tied down like I was pre-COVID. Fran Staller came on board, then another chair teacher for a bit. She had to stop, so Jenn Roelle volunteered.”

The team of three women have been volunteering to help yogis to strengthen their core with free weekly yoga classes ever since.  

Jenn Roelle, who teaches the chair yoga class twice a month, says of the free classes, “it is karma yoga, and sharing the love.”

“All three of us are trained through Savannah Power Yoga, and are trained to teach Baptiste style Power Yoga and Yoga for Healthy Aging,” explains Johnson.

“I think the practice of yoga has helped me to be a calmer and more compassionate person. I know it has helped me manage my blood pressure and has improved chronic back issues. It has brought some wonderful people into my life. I believe that everyone can benefit from practicing yoga – mentally, physically and yes, spiritually,” preaches Johnson.

Beverly Glasgow has been attending the Tuesday yoga classes for a few months, “I was surprised to find out that this was such a good class and free.  Taking the class makes me feel very supple as I get older, and it is not as hectic as other forms of exercise because you meditate while doing yoga.  This is the best class that I have found and it is free.”

Susan Staab and Cynthia Howard, are both 70 year old retired nurses.

Stabb originally started in the chair yoga class, but now participates in the mat yoga, “I have a lot more confidence and increased balance, yoga keeps me young.”

Howard adds, “I like to be moving, this class helps me to get around, and has taught me how to get up if I fall.”

According to the CDC, “Every second of every day, an older adult (age 65+) suffers a fall in the U.S. – making falls the leading cause of injury and injury death in this age group.  One out of four older adults will fall each year in the United States, making falls a public health concern, particularly among the aging population.”

Deborah Padilla, who over the years has had two total knee replacements, hip replacement, and broken arms, says, “this yoga class helps me to remain mobile, and I don’t fall as much as I used to.”

Balance, better posture, improved stability, and injury prevention are all benefits of a strong core that can be achieved through all forms of yoga practice.  

Jenn Roelle, chair yoga instructor, begins the class, “start your practice with seated stillness – I invite you to be present in this moment – so allow yourself to be right here.”  

As the chair yoga students transition in and out of modified downward facing dog and tree poses, Roelle encourages her students, “when we fall down, it is about how we stand up – you got this – you are building strength – you showed up – feel your core.”

Bernie Hineline is a weekly attendee at the chair yoga class, and brings along others, including her sister who was visiting from Ohio, “yoga keeps me stretched and loosened, as you age you stiffen up if you don’t move. If you don’t move it, you will lose it, and I feel really good after class.”

Richard Rivera, age 75, says, “I enjoy coming, the exercise keeps me healthy and moving; it helps with my balance, plus it is fun.  At our age, we need all of the help we can get.”

JoAnn Ferguson, age 74, who carpools with Rivera to class, jokingly says of the class that it is a widows club, “you get to introduce yourself to someone that you don’t know, socialization is important.”

Who knows, maybe Ferguson will find both yoga and love in the library.

Rose Talbert is a retired 9th grade biology teacher from Jenkins who does both yoga classes every Tuesday.  “I didn’t like all of the prescriptions that my doctor was putting me on for arthritis, so I started doing yoga and it helps to ease my arthritis pain. Yoga is like magic to me, it stretches my mind and my body, and helps me to live another day.”

Talbert tells people, “have an open mind, come out and try it, do what you can do – you will be surprised at what you can do.” 

The classes are held in the auditorium of the Southwest Library every Tuesday – mat yoga starts at 11:00 a.m. and chair yoga at 12:30.  

“I love looking at the birds and trees out of the window, the view is better than at traditional yoga studios. I’ve been bitten by the yoga bug,” admits Talbert.  

Talbert continues, “chair yoga is a lot more social, and a great meeting spot for senior citizens. Socialization is definitely part of the yoga experience, we get to check in once a week with a friend or acquaintance.  Since people will be looking for me, I am going to show up and be part of the group, I don’t want to let them down. This is a fantastic program that Katherine has put together, it is so welcoming, and when you come to yoga you will find your people.  You don’t have to worry about being perfect, when you wobble you just come back into it, it is a strength building activity. Come in and join, you will feel good when you leave, and there is always laughing involved.”

Kelly Bringman, who attends the 11:00 a.m. class each Tuesday, also knows about the “wobble”, as a busy mom of two teenagers, “to me, in parenting, like yoga, it’s easier to get carried away in the big goals and forget about the essence of the practice hidden in the smallest details. But the small things are the big things in yoga and in loving our kids. The breath of this practice is unique to each person in our space but it is the basis for everything we do.  The same can be said of family. Everyone in the room comes from unique family patterns and traditions, but no matter how it finds you, like inhaling and exhaling, breath and family are life sustaining.”

“As far as parenting teenagers in particular, in yoga, we are told to embrace the wobble and this excellent principle applies to all stages of parenting, especially trying to help children transition into adulthood. There is no finish line and everybody wobbles even if they are pretending to be perfect.  It’s about embracing the imperfections but sharing the journey together.  I’ve never been in a yoga class where they ask someone to leave if they fall out of a pose. You just smile, maybe wink and encourage them to get back on their mat.”

Ben Austin, who also attends the 11:00 a.m. session says, “the class is very welcoming to all. Katherine gives plenty of pose variations for all experience levels. It’s always a jolly bunch of familiar and new people.”

Katherine Johnson greets everyone with a warm reception, “over time I feel that we have created a yoga community. Everyone is very welcoming and very supportive of each other.” She ends all of her classes with a long “om” and “namaste”.

Weekly classes are held each Tuesday at the Southwest Chatham Library located at 14097 Abercorn Street in Savannah, Georgia. The classes are free. Mat yoga starts at 11:00 a.m., and chair yoga at 12:30. There is ample free parking, and everyone is welcome.

This article appears in Connect Savannah I March 2024.