This week I had the pleasure of joining a group of yogis who gather every morning at Runyon Canyon in Hollywood for an hour of free outdoor yoga in the park.

I had heard about these gratis classes taught by Kamala and Hannah, the fire-dancing sisters (yes, with flames), so I decided to take advantage of the crisp fall morning and do some asana with the sun beating down on my face.

Well, neither Hannah nor Kamala showed up for the 10:30 a.m. class but that was O.K. This group just picked up the slack when fellow student Brian decided he would lead the 25 people who had gathered to practice. No one complained about the muddy grass, or that Brian had never taught before and they were happy to help him out when he needed a reminder in include Virabhadrasana II during a sequence.

This wasn’t the best technical yoga class, but I’ll definitely return because it was an inspiring way to spend the morning with a group of people who are dedicated to the art of asana without the trappings of formal yoga studio protocols. It was a refreshing respite to actually hear the birds chirp, to gaze up into the trees during Parivrita Trikonasana and to feel the breeze whoosh through my ears.