Students and residents looking to get in shape for summer now have one more tool to tone their beach bodies – the newly completed Town Square downtown.
The Downtown Development District is offering free Zumba classes every Monday and Wednesday through the Charles W. Lamar Jr. branch of the YMCA on Third Street and yoga classes every Tuesday through Karmady Yoga, a yoga studio that will open soon on Spain Street, as part of its new Get Fit Downtown program.
Caleb Heine, DDD special events and marketing coordinator, said when Town Square was completed, he and the other employees wanted to offer residents different activities to do in the space.
“We were interested in providing free classes as a series to go along with Live After Five,” Heine said.
Heine said the community’s response to the program has been positive, and the DDD hopes to continue similar series in the future.
“It’s definitely something we’ve always thought about,” he said. “It’s really a way to bring the community together.”
Jordan Watts, YMCA wellness director, said the center surveyed its members to find out what they’d like to participate in, and Zumba was the most popular program on the list.
Watts said the YMCA has been working with the city to bring exercise to the forefront of residents’ minds, and the DDD’s program has made it easier.
“It’s a great way to utilize different parts of downtown and provide a different venue for people to exercise,” Watts said.
Amanda Wicks, Zumba instructor at the YMCA, began teaching the classes outside last week.
“It’s just a pleasant atmosphere,” she said. “So far, it’s been great.”
Wicks said her students have to get used to dancing in public, but once they do, they have a blast in the class.
“You just have to let go of all your inhibitions,” she said. “We’ve even had people walking by just come in and join us. They just let the music take over and have a lot of fun with it.”
Brooke Riglin, owner of Karmady Yoga, moved to Baton Rouge in August and plans to open her studio downtown soon. She first began teaching yoga in Town Square about two months ago.
Riglin said she’s enjoyed teaching because it has given her a chance to get to know the community and appreciate Louisiana weather.
“I moved here from Pennsylvania,” she said. “I love the weather here, and I love being able to just go outside to do this.”
But being outside isn’t always conducive to finding one’s center.
“It’s a lot different outside,” she said. “Not having the stability of a perfect wood floor is a little more challenging, but it’s mainly the traffic that can cause problems.”
Riglin said she encourages her students to focus on themselves and forget about the outside world.
“This kind of forces them to do that,” she said. “After a couple sessions, they’re really just able to let go.”
The classes will run until the Live After Five season ends June 1. Heine said the DDD plans to offer the exercises when the concert series begins again in the fall.
 
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Contact Rachel Warren at [email protected]