PORT ANGELES — In recent years, Karlyn Langjahr has taught yoga on the Tanzanian island of Pemba as well as in Costa Rica.
Now her place is Port Angeles, where she will lead a free New Year’s Day class Thursday.
The 11 a.m. session will home in on “setting intentions for what you want to bring into your life,” said Langjahr, an instructor at Poser Yoga, 128 E. Front St.
“It will be a mellow flow,” open to all levels including beginners, she said.
Quipped studio owner Jenny Stewart Houston: “Why not go for a quick polar bear dip [at] 10 a.m. at Hollywood Beach and then join us for some hot tea?”
Seriously, no contact with the Strait of Juan de Fuca is required to join the free, one-hour yoga class with Langjahr.
She would like it though, if newcomers arrive 10 to 15 minutes early.
When asked what yoga poses have to do with setting intentions, she replied: “Yoga helps you take time for yourself, to set those priorities. It can be a struggle at first, but like with anything, the more you practice,” the more natural it feels.
The well-traveled instructor also works for the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, coordinating volunteers and managing the Olympic Coast Discovery Center on Port Angeles’ City Pier.
The Poser Yoga studio, formerly Kula Yoga, offers 21 classes weekly, including a “karma yoga” hour at 5:30 p.m. Fridays.
This class is by donation, with all proceeds sent to a local nonprofit organization.
This January through March, contributions will go to Feiro Marine Life Center, also on City Pier.
Karma yoga, a Sanskrit phrase, means union with the world through action.
When Houston took over the downtown studio last spring, she added the by donation class to the schedule and has since raised money for Serenity House and for a Christmas pajama drive.
Poser Yoga is “small for now,” Houston said.
“This is my practice in patience . . . I want it to be a big center,” with hot yoga, dance, a tea bar, massage and other wellness-oriented services.
Through summer and fall, the studio offered outdoor yoga classes on City Pier; this winter Houston said “we’re looking to do snowga: yoga in our snow pants,” at an outdoor location yet to be chosen.
For information about the studio, see Poser Yoga’s page on Facebook, visit Poserstudios.com or phone Houston at 360-393-0977.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
