What did you have for lunch last Tuesday? I had outdoor yoga with a side of live harp music – it was delicious.

Just one of the many amazing goings-on in East Village over the past few months has been free lunch hour yoga classes on Tuesdays. Held outside on the deck of the East Village Experience Centre, or sometimes behind the Simmons building facing the river, the classes have not only offered a Tuesday lunchtime haven for many, but also shown participants, and passers by, what wonderful spaces exist in the East Village, and how those spaces can be used in all kinds of creative ways.

'Flow by the Bow' Next to the Simmons Building

Transitioning into fall East VIllage will continue to offer great programming. Shifting from yoga and outdoor movies, EV will build on something that began during June’s week long Cyclepalooza event(s). During that week, EV hosted over 250 enthusiastic cyclists that donned glowing bracelets and necklaces and enjoyed a lit evening bike ride along the RiverWalk pathway. Starting on September 11th, East Village, in partnership with BikeBike, will offer a community bike ride from 12 noon – 1 pm each Tuesday. Rides will take participants on tours along the RiverWalk, to Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Nose Creek North, Elbow River Pathway and Irrigation Canals, and more. Rides will continue weekly until November. Sounds like a lovely way to spend an hour on Tuesday, to me!

Erin Darroch, Programming & Events Manager with the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, has many great things to say about the programs the are being provided in the East VIllage:

“We love our RiverWalk in East Village, being able to invite groups down and show them how to use it is key. Activities like yoga, biking and open air movies show off how incredible East Village is, with our mix of historic buildings, our location right on the banks of the Bow River and our beautiful RiverWalk pathways, it doesn’t take much to encourage people to check out our free programs, and return again on their own.”

Free programs (that include snacks!) are certainly one of the very best ways to encourage people to enjoy a space in a new way; though the enjoyment of an hour of my day spent outdoors in a beautiful and evolving landscape is all the motivation that I need!

Next Tuesday, August 28th will be the last community lunch hour yoga class – bring a mat and join me on the deck of the EV Experience Centre! You also have one more chance (this Thursday) to enjoy an outdoor movie during ‘Open Air August’. If biking is more your speed, meet on the deck of the East Village Experience Centre, 553 Riverfront Ave. SE, on Tuesdays starting Sept. 11. And you never know when the great folks behind these events are going to throw in a great local DJ, or maybe some glow in the dark programming just to keep us all coming back for more!

Open Air August - - - Many thanks to Erin at CMLC for the photos used in this post.