One local yoga studio is helping the city stay fit while celebrating Mardi Gras this season.
Leela Studio on 7215 Highland Road, hosts weekly Seva free flow classes every Friday afternoon as a way to help raise donations for a local charity in the area. The studio picks a different organization to sponsor every month and a different theme for each class.
On Friday, Jan. 23, yoga instructor Rikki Hegwood, taught a Mardi Gras themed yoga and dance fusion class. Hegwood started doing these classes as a way to start a creative outlet in the city because she felt like there weren’t as many dance classes offered in Baton Rouge.
“My dream for many, many years was to create a yoga and dance class because I felt like this is what Baton Rouge needed.” Hegwood said. “They were missing out on opportunities for people 18 plus to come dance.”
Participants learned a dance routine to the Mardi Gras classic, “Iko Iko,” and they also got a chance to participate in a second line inside of the studio.
Hegwood, alongside many other staff members, were able to add some festive flair to the class with Mardi Gras decorations, jazz music and king cake for the participants after the class was finished.
Another instructor who participated, Jonah Griffin, felt that a class like this was very important to host at their studio because of the high energy and warm environment.
“I think if this was your first time at our studio, you would be hooked.” Griffin said. “You would see the community that’s still alive here, you would see how fun yoga can be and you would see the joy it can give you.”
Hegwood also shared the importance of variety in the city and for fitness in general.
“I think that the more that Baton Rouge has, it can offer more opportunities to meet people and to get onto the fitness bandwagon.” Hegwood said. “And honestly we need more of everything. I’m the kind of person that gets bored doing the same thing over and over.”
All proceeds from Leela’s Mardi Gras Seva class went to the local nonprofit organization Power Pump Girls, Inc.
Leela Studio in Baton Rouge is helping the community perfect their poses while also helping to support a good cause.
