If there are Google reviews for 2020, the year won’t earn a half star. People seem to be holding their breath as they wait for the other shoe to drop. Since I can’t control the other shoe, I put on my own sneakers and head out for an early morning yoga walk in Mount Pleasant.
What’s Yoga Walking?
Yoga specialist Aija Naro offered virtual classes during the first few months of the pandemic. But she missed the in-person energy. Her socially-distant solution leverages fresh air and the natural serenity of Laurel Hill County Park (read more about the park below).
It feels 10 degrees cooler under the canopy of trees at the park’s entrance. Aija offers instruction on posture, breathing, and mindfulness as she guides us along the trail. She explains how each movement and intentional breathing aids our nervous system and organs.
My focus shifts from my to-do list to a banana spider intricately weaving iridescent threads between nearby branches. Bird calls replace the relentless buzz of voicemail notifications.
After a mile, we leave the womblike tunnel of swampy forest and emerge into a sunlit meadow of marsh grass. Aija is excited to share the area that’s just ahead – an allee of majestic live oaks lavishly draped in Spanish moss.
They ceremoniously line a wide dirt road to form an avenue (or alle) that leads to an open field. A large gravestone sits off to the side. The scene sets up a metaphor that isn’t lost on me. “The journey is more important than the destination.”
After a few sun salutations, we continue on to a little bridge that crosses over a peaceful lake. There we stop to practice a few more poses. Egrets gracefully land nearby as I wobble. We make our way back the way we came, covering about 2.25 miles total.
The yoga walk did me some serious good. Once a week I can be reminded to breathe and live in the present – no matter how it’s delivered. Namaste!
To find out more about the yoga walk, contact Aija Naro.
About Laurel Hill County Park
Covering 745 acres, Laurel Hill County Park is a hidden gem just off Park West Boulevard in Mount Pleasant, SC. Restrooms and parking are available at the adjacent Park West recreation center.
The land was first deeded to John Boone in 1694. J. Thomas Hamlin White acquired it in the mid-1880s. With 120 slaves, he operated a brickyard and produced sea island cotton.
Dr. Peter Bonneau took ownership during the Civil War. After 1865, freed slaves acquired part of the land and founded what is now known as the Phillips Community off of Highway 41. Others remained on the plantation and raised cattle and worked in various trades. During the 20th century, the land evolved into woods that included a pecan grove.
The last owner of Laurel Hill was John D. Muller, Jr., a lifelong bachelor and the first executive director of the Preservation Society of Charleston. He left the property to Newberry College and Franke Home with Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo) as a trustee in 1984.
It’s his headstone that lies at the edge of the field – the former site of the Plantation house. It was destroyed in a fire long before his time, just after the Civil War.
According to an article in The Post and Courier, Muller intended the land to be “an enjoyable place of natural, undeveloped beauty to those who may visit it.” His wish was fulfilled in 2011 when Charleston Country Parks signed the lease.
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