Jamie Harvey leads yoga in her driveway.
Since March, Jamie Harvey has hosted weekly driveway yoga sessions at her home in Red Bank.
“It started when we were all closed in and basically homebound,” explained Harvey, associate professor and K-12 physical education coordinator in the Department of Health and Human Performance.
“I thought, ‘What could I do to help relieve some stress?’ I’ve got a nice, medium-sized driveway and close neighbors, so I started yoga outside.”
A certified yoga instructor, she left notes in neighbors’ mailboxes and word began to spread of the Thursday evening sessions.
Like clockwork, neighbors and UTC colleagues who lived nearby began showing up, spreading out yoga mats along her driveway. Sometimes there were just two mats joining hers; sometimes there were eight.
“It was hot yoga for a couple of Thursdays in July and August,” joked Harvey, who has led yoga sessions on campus in the past.
But in October, the setting is just right, almost idyllic as the group members practice their warrior pose with the sun setting, and a neighbor father-toddler duo riding their bikes up and down the street.
Jessica Pierce, Health and Human Performance academic advisor and a Master of Public Health student, lives nearby. For her, the weekly yoga sessions have helped her mental health during a stressful year.
“It’s been a lot of things. It’s been good because, since I’m pregnant, I haven’t really gone anywhere,” Pierce said. “It’s been nice to come and have social interaction and a mental break once a week.”
With the end of the fall semester just weeks away, driveway yoga has ended for now. But Harvey plans to bring it back next spring. Interested in joining? Email Harvey to let her know.
