For those who visit, live or work on the Seacoast, Portsmouth’s Prescott Park has long been a destination for all sorts of daytime activities, from a game of checkers on the bench, to a stroll along the flowerbeds, to unwrapping a sandwich on the pier. Now every Tuesday at noon, from June through August, Prescott Park also provides an opportunity to gather around the fountain and practice some yoga.

On a recent Tuesday, under blue skies dotted with stray clouds, students arrived for the first class of the summer. They unfurled yoga mats and beach towels of yellow, bright pink and orange floral in a semi-circle. Most were dressed in typical gym garb of shorts and tank tops. One student, having dashed from the office, simply rolled up her pant legs and loosely tied a button-down shirt at her waist. In the center of the circle, instructor Deborah Levine, of Yogarising, led a series of postures focusing on core strength, with an emphasis on breath and fluid movements. She welcomed students of all ages and abilities.

“Instructors are able to adapt postures based upon the abilities of their students,” Levine said.

Series founder Sara Curry, of Bikram Yoga Portsmouth, first heard about yoga classes held outside in Florida parks from one of her students in Burlington, Vt., and thought it was a wonderful idea. When Curry later moved to the Seacoast, she established the Portsmouth Yoga in the Park series as a way to get to know the local yoga community, disciplines, practitioners and instructors, alike.

“The number one goal of Yoga in the Park is to make yoga accessible to more people,” Curry said. “We’ve had a bunch of students try yoga for the first time in the park and have lots of people who attend every session every year.”

Each week, students arrive without knowing who will be teaching or what style of yoga they’ll be practicing. Thirteen yoga studios collaborate on the series, offering classes in the Bikram, Family, Gentle Hatha, Hatha Flow, Ashtanga, Restorative and Kripalu traditions.

The only class specifically scheduled in advance is the June 30 ChildLight Yoga session. This style of yoga is tailored to families, although children are welcome at any of the classes and can often be seen playing or watching nearby. One student in the inaugural class practiced as her infant watched and eventually climbed into her lap during a few of the postures.

Classes last from 60 to 75 minutes, and all students need to bring is a yoga mat or beach towel.

Instructor Jeanne Russell, of Portsmouth Center for Yoga and the Arts, even takes advantage of the classes herself. “I enjoy attending the classes and being a student for a change,” Russell said.

The series began in August 2004 with five participating studios—Bikram Yoga Portsmouth, Empower Yoga (formerly O2), Yoga East, The Institute for Personal Development in Hampton, and Portsmouth Center for Yoga and the Arts. Last year, the series grew to include 13 studios, extending into September in order to make room for all of the participants. In addition to the original five studios, the 2009 series will feature ChildLight Yoga, Express Yourself, My Om Whole Fitness, The Prana Studio, Yoga by Donation, Yoga on the Hill, Yoga on York, and Yogarising.

Curry sees the variety of teachers and styles in the series as “an opportunity to meet new people, try something new and enjoy doing some yoga in the sunshine.” Should that sunshine be replaced by rain, classes are held indoors at the Bikram Yoga Portsmouth studio at 801 Islington St..

Flexibility of both body and mind is a central aspect of this series. The openness and downtown location of the park means the city becomes part of the experience. As the class proceeds, lunchtime strollers pause to watch the students bend and flex in unison before continuing on to their destinations.

This is not yoga practiced in a controlled environment. Sounds as varied as noontime church bells, the whir of passing bicycles, the drone of jackhammers and the chatter of small children can be heard throughout each session. Sounds of the city permeate the practice.

“It is so amazing to see how much integrity and strength Portsmouth has in the Yoga community,” said Kimberly Dahlmann, of Yoga East. “I have traveled all over the world to study and we really have something special right here at home.”

For more information, visit www.bikramyogaportsmouth.com and click on the “Yoga in the Park” link at the top of the page, or call Sara Curry at 603-430-6222.