Beloved UES Park Fitness Classes Revived After Outpouring Of Demand

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — After the pandemic put it on pause, a series of popular senior fitness classes will soon return to Carl Schurz Park thanks to funding from a neighborhood lawmaker.

Free senior yoga and walking classes will resume starting Sept. 19, running for eight weeks through Nov. 11, City Councilmember Julie Menin said.

First launched more than a decade ago as part of a senior fitness program run by the City Parks Foundation, the Carl Schurz classes went on hiatus as COVID-19 hit — prompting "many local seniors" to ask Menin to get it restarted, she said.

"These were terrific classes with good attendance," one senior wrote in a request shared by Menin's office. "I had hoped that these classes would be renewed once the pandemic was under control, but to date they have not."

The yoga classes will be held Mondays and Wednesdays 10-11 a.m., while the fitness walking program will happen Mondays and Fridays from 9-10 a.m.

New Yorkers ages 60 and older are eligible, and all equipment is provided by organizers. People can register online for the Fall 2022 season.

"I’m so glad to bring back a program that has brought so much joy to our seniors in the neighborhood," Menin said in a statement — noting that her Upper East Side district ranks 47th out of 51 citywide by acreage of park and playground space, according to a 2015 study.

While the new funding covers only eight weeks' worth of programming for this fall, Menin's office will likely renew the funding for another season next year given its popularity, a spokesperson said.

"I am ecstatic to fund this fall programming in Carl Schurz Park for our seniors to stay socially and physically active in our community," Menin said.