By Mya Koch

     US News & World Report (Health)

     Yoga is more widely practiced and hailed these days for its stress-relieving and body-strengthening benefits, and lately it's become more common to find the activity out in the summer sun.

     Hundreds of people participate in Yoga in the Square at 10 a.m. Sundays from June to September in Market Square, Downtown. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and retailer lululemon present the free events.

     In the Sewickley area, the Fern Hollow Nature Center in Sewickley Heights also is offering outdoor yoga, even sessions for very young children. Frequent rain has kept the classes from filling up, but organizers still are trying.

     Explore Sewickley postponed its Balance on Broad event, originally scheduled for the end of June, because of rainy weather, but organizers say a new date soon will be announced. The idea is to bring yoga to the business district, along with other wellness initiatives.

     The agency has planned a Yoga Block Party for Saturday on Hegner Way in Sewickley. Also, Laughlin Children's Center in Sewickley has infused yoga into its therapeutic work with children.

     Interest in yoga has increased significantly. About 21 million adults and 1.7 million children practiced yoga in 2012, nearly double the number from 2002, according to survey results compiled by the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

     “I believe that yoga — when practiced in nature — brings everything full circle,” said Heather Forsythe, 42, of Sewickley, one of the instructors at Fern Hollow. “For many people, outdoors is a place that brings a connection we have with everything.”

     Full article: Yoga events move from studios to sunny spaces in Sewickley

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