Hold that pose: a special opportunity to enjoy the benefits of Hatha yoga with expert Gina MacDonald Page is open to the community, with all session proceeds to benefit the Community Dining Room (CDR).

Gina is devoting every Tuesday evening, from 5:45 to 7 p.m., to donate her time and talent to lead Hatha yoga sessions benefiting CDR at Trinity Episcopal Church on the Branford Green. Participants are asked to donate $10 per session via Venmo directly to Community-DiningRoom.

The weekly sessions, designed for beginner through intermediate levels, began Oct. 3 and will continue through May 27, 2024.

Based in Branford and established in 1985, not-for-profit CDR provides nutritious meals and more to support food-insecure residents in Branford, North Branford, Guilford, and East Haven. Learn more about CDR at communitydiningroom.org.

Gina is hoping that news of the weekly Hatha yoga sessions will reach community members in all of CDR’s service towns. She wants to bring in plenty of participants to help support their health and a great community cause.

“I’d like to get more people because it’s such a great thing for them and because the money goes directly to the Community Dining Room,” says Gina. “My goal is to get at least 10 people per class, so every class raises $100. I’d love to meet that goal.”

There are many types of yoga, including Hatha, a Sanskrit term that means “physical,” she explains.

“Hatha is more based on poses—you hold a pose, and then you let it flow,” says Gina.

The benefits of yoga impact many areas of the body.

“There are circulation changes, and circulation is really key for lubrication of all the joints and also the muscle tissues to help keep the bones in place. And it’s not just breathing in the upper chest; it’s deep breathing and doing full body movement with the breath,” Gina says.

The combination of concentration on breathing and circulation also benefits many internal organs.

“Your circulation and breath are flowing into the organs, the stomach, the heart, the liver, the kidney,” Gina explains. “It’s really a healthy way for people to look holistically at their whole body, rather than working out on your lower or upper extremities. We do focus on specific parts, but we bring them all together. You will have a good night’s sleep after a session.”

Gina’s classes bring in plenty of adults who have been taking yoga with her for over 20 years and are now in their 60s and beyond.

“It’s hard to keep up with them because they know it!” says Gina, laughing. “I have one woman who is 80, and you would not know it. I also have people come back who are now bringing their children who are in their 20s. And sometimes, the younger ones are working to keep up!”

But don’t be intimidated—just come in and give it a try. Wear comfortable clothing, and bring a yoga mat and a small pillow.

“Our cardinal rule is to honor your abilities and limitations. Everyone comes in where they’re at because where they’re at is good enough,” says Gina. “We have a phrase we use in every class: ‘Full of noticing, empty of judgment.’”

With a weekly program, there are plenty of opportunities for progress, with Gina at the lead.

“I open this up to beginner-to-intermediate because we do get the intermediate level, and for people who are just joining us, they can come in and catch on,” says Gina.

Gina is grateful to Trinity Episcopal Church of Branford for opening its doors to welcome the weekly sessions. She also thanks CDR fundraising coordinator Courtney Rosenberg for reaching out to the church for the donation of a great space where the classes take place.

“It’s a reminder of how the universe works,” says Gina. “We have the loveliest space at Trinity Church.”

Gina is a very familiar member of the shoreline yoga community. She’s been leading classes to benefit local causes for many years. Her efforts have also supported needs across the world. She’s held sessions to benefit Thailand tsunami relief and other catastrophic events.

Gina says that focusing on food relief in the shoreline community comes at time when the issue continues to be a pressing one.

“Everyone seems to be aware of food insecurity here at home and willing to chip in, but it’s become even more of an issue in the past year,” she says.

Gina earned her yoga instructor certification in 2000 from California yoga master Erich Schiffmann. When she’s not instructing yoga groups, Gina provides her professional services as a licensed therapist at her Branford office of 18 years, where she assists clients as a body-oriented psychotherapist. She began practicing in 1993.

“In body-oriented psychotherapy, as in dance therapy or art therapy, it’s the psychotherapeutic use of the modality. In this case, it’s movement,” says Gina.

In her one-on-one therapy work with those experiencing eating disorders, movement helps clients reconnect to their bodies and gain body awareness.

“It’s very important that they come back home to their body and begin to live in their body,” says Gina. “In a way, they’re making peace with their body. It’s giving them permission to be good to themselves.”

As Gina is well aware, there’s also a lot of good in yoga. Her weekly sessions offer a great opportunity for others to join in and support CDR.

“There’s a phrase in yoga: namaste. That phrase means, ‘From the good in me to the good in you.’ So namaste is really what this is all about. People like doing this class because they like the idea that they’re giving to others,” says Gina. “I call that a win-win.”

Join Gina MacDonald Page for Hatha yoga to benefit CDR Tuesday evenings at Trinity Episcopal Church at 1109 Main Street in Branford from 5:45 to 7 p.m. Text 203-710-6665 to sign up or please come prepared to begin class no later than 5:40 p.m. Donations can be sent by Venmo ($10 per session) to Community-DiningRoom. Please note “Yoga.”