Grizzly Football Stadium Rolls Out the (Yoga) Welcome Mat For You

Roll out your mat: Yoga Returns to Washington-Grizzly Stadium. Can you think of a better venue just before football season? I can't.

SUNDAY IS YOGA DAY ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD

Not that I am a yoga guy, you understand. But I sure respect the discipline it requires and the healthy well-being it can help one achieve.

UM News Service tells us that the University of Montana Alumni Association is inviting the community to trade game-day adrenaline for deep breathing during the Yoga in Washington-Grizzly Stadium event, set for 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. this Sunday, Aug. 23, at Washington-Grizzly Stadium.

Tickets cost $15 for community members and $10 for students. Advance registration is required. Participants should bring their own mats. Tickets can be purchased at the Events page of grizalum.org.

TO WHOM DO WE SAY, "NAMASTE?"

The one-hour, all-levels class will be led by UM Law School graduate and registered yoga teacher Alley Fontenot. As she puts it, “Anybody can do yoga. There’s always space for anyone to show up and do what they can.”

MONTANA GRIZZLIES — Marley Barboeisel, UM NEWS SERVICE

Participants ages 16 and older are encouraged to bring their own mats for an accessible slow-flow practice set to music, followed by exclusive access and offers from local health and wellness vendors.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ALLEY FONTENOT

Fontenot, who works as a gift and estate planning director for the Montana Community Foundation, has practiced yoga since the late 1990s and earned her 200-hour Hatha Yoga certification in 2013. Expect a relaxed slow flow set to a carefully curated playlist. The event is intended for seasoned practitioners and first-timers alike.

Yoga in Washington-Grizzly Stadium also offers participants an opportunity to gather in one of Montana’s most recognizable community spaces. Alley Fontenot, a regular Griz football fan, said yoga and a game at Washington-Grizzly Stadium have more in common than might first appear. They both bring people together around a shared experience.

“It’s that doing something with a group of people and experiencing something that’s maybe bigger than yourself.”