Rocky Hill CT Parks and Rec Yoga Program

06/16/2026

We had perfect weather and a great turnout for our first class of the season. We’re so grateful for everyone who showed up to practice with us!

06/15/2026

The weather is looking fantastic for our first yoga in the park of the season tonight! Can’t wait to see you!! ☀️

06/09/2026

Last but absolutely not least is our favorite musician on the planet, Doug Yeager. He brings a calming and sometimes transcendental feel to our classes. We are so lucky to have him as part of our program!

Doug’s musical journey started at the age of nine, when he began taking drum lessons in elementary school. He played in all school bands and orchestras through high school. Doug got involved with musical theater and played many shows including Godspell, Hair, Footloose and many others with the Hole in the Wall Theater that toured around the state. He attended college as a music education major at Central CT State University where he played in the marching band.

Starting at age 16, Doug has played in numerous bands throughout the northeast, playing everything from hard rock to jazz and blues. One band even opened up for Ace Frehley of the rock band Kiss! Besides playing the nightclub circuit, Doug has played for record executives in NYC, around that time, as well. He spent several years teaching private drum lessons, also. Studying ethnic and world drumming came next.

More recently, Doug became certified in Holographic Sound Healing from Dr. Paul Hubbertin 2011. He plays all around the northeast at yoga studios, meditation centers and reiki studios and colleges, as well as playing for private events. When not playing music at local venues Doug can be found in his home recording studio composing and recording original material. Doug’s love of all things music has been a lifelong endeavor and has no end in sight.

06/03/2026

Our summer Yoga in the Park series is almost here!! Please see the schedule below and then come see us in person starting on 6/15! Please bring your mat, water and any props that make your life (and practice) a little easier!

06/02/2026

Up next on our roster is our newest teacher, Melanie!

Melanie Klinck (RYT-200)’s journey with yoga began over decade ago when she discovered yoga as a stress management technique in college. Years later, she found yoga to be of great help when recovering from a motor vehicle accident and other health issues. Over time, she discovered that yoga is also a spiritual practice that has added meaning to every aspect of her life. She was trained at Be Brave Yoga’s Inaugural Yoga Teacher Training in 2024. Melanie’s goal is to make sure every single person feels welcomed at her classes. Melanie fosters body autonomy, encouraging students to be curious and move in a way that feels safe and supportive for them. She sees the practice of yoga as both a gift to ourselves and to our community. By finding our center on the mat, we are better equipped to navigate the world with a regulated nervous system—allowing a sense of peace to ripple outward into our broader communities.

Outside of teaching yoga, Melanie is a licensed social worker and has over a decade of experience in the behavioral healthcare field. She is a firm believer in the life-changing benefits of mind-body practices and is passionate about making holistic and integrative medicine more accessible in behavioral healthcare settings. She also enjoys walking/jogging/hiking, travelling, playing frisbee, and reading a good book.

Melanie teaches All-Levels Vinyasa at Rocky Hill Park & Rec on Wednesdays. She also teaches at Yoga in Our City, Be Brave Yoga (Middletown), The Factory (Bristol), The Hive (Windsor Locks), Evolution (Newington), Fuller (Glastonbury), Hartford Public Schools and Blue Hills Rehab (Hartford).

05/26/2026

This week we introduce…Darlene!

Darlene Listro is a retired Rocky Hill educator whose career in education sparked a lasting interest in wellbeing and brain health. Her curiosity about how the mind and body learn, adapt, and heal eventually led her to the practice of yoga. Along the way, she earned her Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), researching how school leadership can better promote teacher wellbeing. After completing her yoga teacher training in 2019, she began sharing the practice with friends in a small home studio and quickly discovered how meaningful it was to help others move, breathe, and reconnect with themselves.

Today Darlene is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) with Yoga Alliance, a certified Brain Longevity Specialist through the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, and the founder of Just Breathe Yoga and Wellness. She enjoys teaching supportive, accessible classes that help students reduce stress, improve mobility, build strength, and develop greater awareness of their bodies. Darlene believes yoga is not a one-size-fits-all practice and strives to meet people where they are, helping them discover movement that feels both beneficial and joyful. In addition to teaching throughout the community—including restorative yoga, Yoga Chi, and chair yoga for seniors and individuals recovering from neurological injuries—Darlene teaches Yoga for Stress Relief on Tuesday evenings with Rocky Hill Parks & Recreation.

When she’s not on the mat, Darlene enjoys starting the day with a good cup of coffee, spending time outdoors walking in nature, and sharing meaningful conversations and laughter with friends and family. She also serves as a commissioner for Cromwell’s Cultural District, supporting community arts and cultural initiatives.

05/13/2026

05/11/2026

Someone left this beautiful mug behind at yoga tonight. Stop by the desk on the way in to reclaim it!

05/11/2026

Introducing our next teacher bio, our Monday night teacher, Kristin Longenecker!

After practicing yoga for 8 years, Kristin wanted the opportunity to bring the serenity and strength that she experiences during and after class to others. So in December 2016, Kristin earned her 200 hour RYT certification at Balance Studio in her home state of NJ and has been teaching ever since. She has since completed 2 yin yoga trainings with Dirk Bennewitz of Power Yoga Germany and studied under Paulie Zink, the founder of yin yoga. In addition, she is currently enrolled in a 300 hour YTT, which will make her a 500 hour RYT in 2027!

More than anything, Kristin believes in teaching people and not poses. She loves encouraging and motivating students by bringing a light, fun energy into her classes and helping people find joyful movement in their bodies and tranquility in their minds. She is currently teaching Gentle yoga for seniors and Slow flow with yin and restorative classes at Rocky Hill Parks and Recreation weekly on Mondays, Gentle yoga at Hartford Sweat on Tuesdays, as well as monthly cat yoga classes at Mew Haven Cat Cafe.

When Kristin isn’t on the mat, you can find her reading, gardening, lifting weights, watching football in the fall, going for walks, spending time with her girlfriends/husband/cats, traveling, shopping at thrift stores or at metal or hard rock concerts.

05/04/2026

We start where this program all began…

Virginia Hilton, RYT 200
Hi, I’m Virginia Hilton, founder of the Yoga Program at Rocky Hill Community Center, which began in 2002. My yoga style is vinyasa flow, based loosely on Ashtanga yoga, where breath links poses (asanas) into one harmonious movement. We focus on breathing techniques, and body awareness – a key element of preventing injury and advancing beyond personal limitations. Classes are taught using original Sanskrit terms, which students learn easily.

Over my 25 years of teaching, my style has evolved to teach classes anchored in anatomical alignment that build strength and flexibility, but which now incorporate mobility and stability to meet the needs of aging – my own, and my students.

Our class is a sangha, or a supportive practicing family who meet to practice and learn together in friendship and fun. Join us, if you will, on Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:00 PM.