February 10, 2025
Central Health welcomes 2025 with free yoga at Hornsby Bend Health & Wellness Center
Barbara Lopez’s everyday routine includes the responsibilities of being a wife, a mother of four, and a 40-hour-plus work week.
For most in her position, there is little time to spare.
But just over a year ago, the Central Health Hornsby Bend Health & Wellness Center opened on 3700 Gilbert Road, a mere three minutes from her home in Del Valle.
The opportunity turned a light on that she could see.
Lopez has often been a connector of people. She teaches Zumba classes at the local elementary school, works as a referral coordinator at a local clinic, all while remaining physically active. Like fellow Latinas in her community, she has advocated for more resources around the Del Valle area.
So, when she found out a free adaptive yoga class was offered at the Central Health Hornsby Bend facility recently, she jumped at the chance. Of course, there was a small sliver of “me time” that Lopez had earned, but in other ways, there was a greater purpose.
“I wanted to promote it to my community as well,” she said. “I wanted to try it out first so that I could let them know, ‘Hey, I went to this class. You want to join me again next Wednesday?’”
Stretching Out Into a New Community
Lopez and two more participants eagerly kicked off the very first yoga class at Hornsby Bend on Jan. 15. The classes are completely free and are run by Sana Yoga in partnership with Central Health, whose wellness programs intend to provide whole person care to underserved communities in Travis County. Classes are expected to continue the first and third Wednesday of every month at the center, both in English and Spanish. Some classes will even be open to families and their children.
The moment represented a great building block for Central Health Program Manager Leonor Dominguez and Sana Yoga founder Linda Natera, who partnered on the company’s first free yoga classes in 2022 at the Central Health Southeast Health & Wellness Center (SEHWC) on Montopolis Drive.
“Today was very exciting,” Dominguez said. “I was very happy that, although the class started small, these women could walk out with a positive experience.”
Natera echoed that statement.
“I remember when we started in Southeast Austin, I started with one student,” she said. “It took me quite some time to build it up. But now we have between 15-20 students every class.”
Practice Makes Progress
While Natera’s core values – both personally and as a business – align with Central Health’s objectives to provide holistic care to residents in Travis County, her mission also remains a personal one.
The Veracruz, Mexico native opened her Sana Yoga practice in 2014 to bring a greater resource to her family.
“The reason why I started yoga was because one of my kids was diagnosed with Bipolar schizophrenia,” she said, “so the practice has made a difference for me as a caregiver and also for my family and for my kids.”
Yoga classes at the SEHWC have highlighted a wide-ranging demographic, Natera said, from women in their middle-20s to those in their older years.
Her Sana Yoga practice, along with instructors like Savitri Rodriguez, have focused on education about yoga and the health benefits it provides. As a result, classes have grown organically, with word-of-mouth touting the “feel good” benefits. Studies have shown that yoga can improve cardiovascular fitness, core strength, and even improve mobility and balance. Moreover, it can also bring a greater attention span, positive body image and self-esteem.
“For someone who is trying to improve their overall health, I think structured exercise programs like yoga are great,” said Dr. Darren Harrison, a Cardiologist with Central Health. “We can sometimes neglect certain factors when we age.”
Natera’s classes are designed to adjust to different skill levels, allowing participants to go at their own speeds and comfort levels. Rodriguez began the class by asking the group to close their eyes, breathe, and to find a deep relaxation.
The 25-year-old has been practicing yoga for as long as she can remember. She first joined Natera’s studio in 2019 as a volunteer, then became full-time in 2022. Rodriguez was among the first teachers at Central Health’s original yoga classes at SEHWC.
“Yoga really builds community and really helps people who are in vulnerable communities come together and to learn,” she said. “You can come here and build community and learn more about yourself through the movements.”
Yoga + Community = Health
Dominguez says she wants the program to grow and believes as more participants experience the merits of yoga, the community will become healthier. The Central Health Hornsby Bend Health & Wellness Center aims to serve the nearly 12,700 residents who live in the unincorporated area of Southeast Travis County, including more than 2,500 residents who are living at 200% of the federal poverty level.
“Our biggest impact has been embedding in these communities,” she said. “And providing services that can help those in the community.”
Rodriguez ended her class by telling everyone to raise their arms to the sky and then to breathe one more time. The last objective? Making sure everyone had a positive experience.
Lopez says the event was exactly that.
“Especially with everyday life. Work, kids,” she said. “This is me time. Free of stress.”
HOW TO JOIN
Adaptive Yoga classes are free to the public and are from 6:30-7:30 p.m. every first and third Wednesday at the Central Health Hornsby Bend Health & Wellness Center, 3700 Gilbert Road, in the Community Room. Yoga mats are provided, along with water.
For more information, email Program Manager Leonor Dominguez at Leonor.dominguez@centralhealth.net.