Friday, September 4, 2015

Taking In Yoga On Parliament Hill

On Wednesdays at noon on Parliament Hill during the summer, many people come out to the lawn to participate in yoga exercise. I stopped by in late July on one such occasion, a very hot and humid day, but wasn't happy with the shots, and decided I'd try again on a different day. I did, however, take this shot of the gates with the Peace Tower and Centre Block beyond it. The participants that day can be glimpsed at the left- that dash of colour on the west lawn.


In late August I returned on another day and took these shots. A lot of people come out to take part in this activity each week, which runs through late September, weather permitting. One would not see them in pouring rain, and there were certainly more gathered than there had been on that very hot, humid day when I'd taken the first photos.

41 comments:

  1. holy smokes, that's a lot of folks!

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  2. Wow, thems is a lot of yogaheads all on one lawn.

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  3. Well that's the biggest yoga class I've ever seen! Looks like fun! Great shots :)

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  4. That is called to enjoy the city.

    Tomás.

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  5. Lots of people! I absolutely love your new header, William, this is my favourite to date! :)

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  6. A city that NAMASTES together STAYS together. What a wonderful event. Great capture.

    Janis
    GDP

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  7. I'm impressed that so many people show up for this! Cool!

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  8. I recognise those moves William :) That's quite a class size, super location.

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  9. That's incredible. Never seen anything like it. Fun times in Ottawa!

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  10. It is amazing to see how many people joined in!

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  11. Oh, I love it! All those sun dogs have encouraged this gorgeous weather!
    Jane x

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  12. Wow, so many people ! Yoga must be very popular in Ottawa !
    Spectacular photos, William !

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  13. Wow! Nice shots. That is a lot of people.

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  14. Awesome new header. what a great location and idea. More people should do yoga.

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  15. @Cloudia: thank you!

    @Tex: it does bring out a great many people to take part each week. A lot of them spill out onto the east lawn.

    @Whisk: yes, they do take up the space nicely.

    @Aimee: I find myself wondering what prime ministers and MPs of forty or fifty years ago would think of this.

    @Tomas: indeed!

    @Linda: thank you!

    @Marianne: and they need a microphone and loudspeaker so the leader can be heard!

    @Janis: thanks.

    @VP: it certainly is. I'm glad I photographed them again.

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  16. @EG: there are a great many office workers downtown who know about this and take part.

    @Grace: it's such an unusual location. There are no shortage of yoga gyms throughout the city, but having people here on a regular basis makes for great photo ops too.

    @Lowell: I doubt Congress would allow this!

    @Marleen: I don't know the average numbers, but it must be over a couple thousand people.

    @Jane and Chris: I've been looking forward to how people would react!

    @Karl: there are a lot of people here who tote yoga mats with them.

    @Luis: there's no shortage of yoga fans here.

    @Red: it's good exercise.

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  17. Oh wow, what a remarkable sight! So many people doing yoga...! I've never tried yoga myself, but it must feel very nice and relaxed, and especially in the open air :-)

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  18. Must have been a fine event, lovely photos. Thanks and greetings!

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  19. That's a lot of yoga fans, for sure! Very colorful.

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  20. Vauu .. there are lot of people making yoga. Great !

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  21. love the fencing! i have always wanted 2 try yoga. but the breathing part was confusing 2 me!! i find it hard 2 follow along 2. ( ;

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  22. Oh my goodness that's worse than a French Riviera beach in the middle of August!!! The gate is absolutely gorgeous.

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  23. We must have a lot of fit civil servants!

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  24. I don't think I've ever seen so many yogis in one place! I guess they had a PA system to call out the poses?

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  25. That looks like a lot of fun! I've done this in the park in Sacramento quite a few times and love it, even when it's really hot :)

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  26. @Tamago: it would be a very good way for civil servants to unwind.

    @Blogoratti: thank you!

    @Linda: it's a sea of yoga enthusiasts!

    @Orvokki: indeed!

    @Beth: it takes dedication!

    @Ciel: that gate really makes for a great photo op. They do open it, but usually it's closed- pedestrians can walk in from either side.

    @RedPat: we do!

    @Halcyon: yes, in the second shot, the fellow at the table mans the PA system, and you can see a speaker in that shot. As well, the man in front of the whole crowd is the guy leading the whole thing.

    @Meradeth: here it's done only in summer, but we have a whole lot of gyms and fitness centres that have yoga programs all the time.

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  27. Wow that's an amazing turnout William, you've really captured the scene, how many people there do you think?

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  28. Now that is a lot of yoga mats and people too! I love the first shot of the gates. So elegant.

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  29. I can see why you might enjoy going to see this. Did you participate in the downward dog or any of the smooth moves?

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  30. Oh my! I am amazed by the number of people!

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  31. Holy cow! I've never seen so many people doing yoga at once! That's amazing, and pretty wonderful to see.

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  32. Oh, thank you for posting this, William! That's a lot of people out there on their mats. I kind of like to be alone when I do mine. I'm not very bendy because of scoliosis, but I do my best. Love the little tykes out there too.

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  33. That's the biggest yoga class I've ever seen!

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  34. Wow. Like a flash mob of yoga enthusiasts. An incredible sight. And love the intricate design of the gate.

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  35. This is so fun! I was curious about it. I'm glad you went back for more photos!!!

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  36. @Geoff: they can have hundreds of them at a time.

    @Mari: it's quite a property.

    @Lois: I can't see this happening around the Capitol in DC

    @Eve: I have never done yoga.

    @Janey: a lot come out for it.

    @Kay: I have to photograph it this year before they finish up for the season.

    @Lorelei: there seems quite a yoga following here.

    @Norma: it's very big!

    @Gemma: it's quite a gate.

    @Linda: very much so.

    @Jennifer: I've got to get an update for this year.

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