Since 2006, Farmington resident, Rebecca Fronberg, has offered a free yoga class on Friday mornings. She started it in Farmington with a small group of ladies in the Farmington Rock chapel. The class grew from about 10 to a group as large as 50 to 60 men and women.

Fronberg said doing the free class is important to her. “I feel like sometimes I’m most creative then.” Unfortunately, COVID-19 has affected this class. She has had to change her venue a few times because The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints closed their buildings to extra-curricular activities. 

During the summer, the group practiced yoga on a grassy area by Farmington Pond. It has now ended up in Bountiful at The Canterbury Place, where she charges $5 each week to cover her costs of using the building. This has brought the number of attendees down to 10 to 15. Some of her stalwarts haven’t been back at all since the pandemic started. They just haven’t felt comfortable with getting out among people.

Once things in the community open up more, Fronberg hopes to get back to practicing in Farmington without a fee.

She does record her classes on Facebook. “I call it my karma class,” Fronberg said. “At least people can participate for free.” It is open to the general public, which has broadened her exposure.

“Oh, I love her classes,” said Pam Barton, Fronberg’s longest-running yoga student. Barton, who stopped coming out to yoga practice because of the safety concerns of COVID-19, watches the Facebook video every week. She likes it because she doesn’t have to drive anywhere and doesn’t need to worry about what others may be thinking about her yoga postures. She puts her yoga mat down in her office in front of her computer and does what she can.

“She’s a great lady,” said Barton. “She’s great to fulfill everybody’s needs.”

“It works for everyone, the way she teaches,” said Christine, another student. She has been doing the yoga class for about five years. She stopped for a while to serve an LDS mission and then came back. 

This often happens where people will be gone for a year or two and then come back, Fronberg said. 

During yoga practices, students will often hear Fronberg remind them to listen to their bodies and honor the one that brought them to yoga that day. “Yoga is not just an exercise,” said Fronberg. “It is a way of life. It is not a religion, but it will help you be better with whatever religion you practice.”

Fronberg wants her students to understand this, so she sends out weekly emails explaining the purpose of the practice each week. Being on the mat is only 1/8 of the practice, she said. It is part of the eight-limb path, or ashtanga. The eight limbs are guidelines for obtaining meaning and purpose in life. They focus on health and spirituality. 

“Enjoy the push and pull of the creative process by remembering that there are no mistakes,” said Fronberg. “Only insights.”