Yoga for Ecological Resilience

When: Friday, August 7, 2026, 10am–12pm
Where: The Barn at the Allyn Cox Reservation, 82 Eastern Ave, Essex, MA 01929 (A Greenbelt Property)

As a yoga teacher and the Engagement Manager at the Ipswich River Watershed Association, Carla Villa has spent years helping people build meaningful relationships with the natural world. She believes conservation is more than science. It begins with paying attention, cultivating compassion, and recognizing that we are part of nature, not separate from it.

This restorative yoga practice brings those ideas together. Inspired by the resilience of healthy ecosystems, we’ll explore grounding, presence, and renewal through gentle movement, breathwork, meditation, and deep rest. Together, we’ll practice the qualities that help us stay connected and engaged, both with ourselves and with the living world around us.

Whether you’re looking to deepen your connection with nature, navigate a season of change, or simply enjoy a nourishing restorative practice, this class offers a welcoming space to pause, reflect, and reconnect. No previous yoga experience is necessary. Beginners and experienced practitioners alike are welcome, and all bodies and abilities are encouraged to participate.

What to Expect

This two-hour practice includes restorative yoga postures, guided breathing, and meditation designed to calm the nervous system, release tension, and cultivate a sense of ease and connection. Depending on the weather, we may spend part of our time outdoors, allowing the landscape itself to become part of our practice.

What to Bring

Please bring:

• A yoga mat.
• Yoga props that support your practice, such as blocks, a bolster, pillows, or a sturdy blanket.
• A second blanket if possible. If we practice outdoors, one blanket can be placed on the ground while the other can be used to support restorative poses.

Wear comfortable clothing and consider bringing a water bottle. Layers are recommended, as restorative yoga is most comfortable when you can stay warm.

About the Location

The Allyn Cox Reservation was a salt marsh farm for much of its 350-year history before becoming the summer home and studio of noted muralist Allyn Cox from 1940 to 1974. Cox transformed the barn into an art studio by adding large north-facing windows, where he created murals inspired by history, place, and light. Many of his original studio features remain today.

Today, the barn continues to inspire creativity and reflection. Filled with natural light and surrounded by fields, marsh, and mature trees, it offers a peaceful setting for slowing down and reconnecting with ourselves and the landscape. Depending on the weather, we may take a gentle walk to the water or move part of our practice beneath the shade of the trees.

About the Instructor

Carla Villa is a yoga and meditation teacher and the Engagement Manager at the Ipswich River Watershed Association. Through her work in conservation, she helps people build meaningful relationships with rivers, landscapes, and the natural world. Through yoga, she helps people cultivate the same qualities of presence, compassion, and resilience within themselves.

Carla believes that caring for ourselves and caring for the natural world are deeply connected. She sees yoga, conservation, and even art as practices of paying attention, inviting us to slow down, notice more deeply, and reconnect with ourselves, one another, and the living world around us.

Her classes encourage students to meet their bodies where they are through conscious breathing, gentle movement, meditation, and mindfulness. Carla is a Certified 200-Hour Yoga Teacher with additional training in Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Pelvic Floor Yoga, and meditation instruction.

Registration closed? Email us to get on the waitlist!