In 2020, when protests over the death of George Floyd grew in cities and towns across the country, Etienne Maurice was inspired to prepare his own at L.A. High Memorial Park in Brookside. He was also inspired to stretch before the protest began, so he asked his yoga instructor cousin Marley Ralph to steer those assembled in a brief exercise session.
Maurice said a light-weight bulb went off that day, and the day after Juneteenth 2020, he led a yoga class called “BreatheGood” for about 25 people in that very same Brookside park. Soon, greater than 300 people were joining Maurice — enough that the group moved to the more expansive Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area to unfolded.
Because the protest group’s goals and methods expanded, Maurice modified the name to “WalkGood LA,” an homage to his Jamaican grandmother who would remind Maurice to “walk good” — to maintain himself and others — each time he left the home.
Maurice told me he “couldn’t even touch (his) toes” when he began this, however the goal was all the time greater than easy fitness. “I believe for a really very long time, people of color have been dismissed from wellness activities,” he told me. “Now we’ve evolved right into a wellness collective and wellness community for all people.” Along with BreatheGood, the group also runs a 5k within the Miracle Mile every week called RunGood; HikeGood takes people onto local trails; and YouGood? offers a Black men’s healing circle with meditation practice.
Many attendees have never been to an event like this before. They could not have ever been given the space or permission to precise their feelings or divulge heart’s contents to others head to head, and there may be true breakthrough moments. In the course of the final savasana yoga pose, he says it’s not unusual to listen to sobbing from those assembled: “It’s just that collective release that we don’t know that we want.”
When asked concerning the evolution of WalkGoodLA, Maurice remembers a phrase from the protests. “A number of the chants were people saying it is a movement, not a moment. We’re one in every of the only a few organizations which have grown and remained consistent with our mission in providing healing secure spaces for all people in Los Angeles.”
The group is holding its final BreatheGood class of the 12 months on Sunday, Dec. 18. Find more info on its Instagram.
I spoke to Maurice about how everyone deserves nature, the sense of freedom it brings him, and the importance of finding the thing that brings you joy.
What does being in nature mean for you?
Being in nature means “freedom” to me. I used to think being in nature was very hippie-ish. But there is a way of freedom that I feel after I’m in nature.
What’s a spot that inspires you and why?
Kenneth Hahn State Park is a spot that inspires me. Every Sunday we’re on the market doing yoga. That is the park I grew up going to as a child, and to give you the chance to return back there every Sunday as an adult offering spaces of healing inspires me daily.
If you happen to could change one thing concerning the way people consider nature, what wouldn’t it be?
I might change the concept that nature is only for one form of person. Nature is for everybody, and it’s our right to experience it. Since it’s in every single place. Nature is ours. It’s embedded within the fiber of our being. Why not try something that’s on the market? Why not try something that is on the market whenever you walk outside your door? I might encourage people to try, since you deserve it.
What’s your personal can’t-live-without item whenever you’re outside?
My water bottle, my water bottle, my water bottle is what I would like anytime I’m on a hike or doing yoga.
What’s your primary tip for individuals who need to strengthen their relationship with nature?
Find your thing, find your practice and provides yourself grace. If you happen to have a look at it like a chore, like a homework project, you’re not going to enjoy it. Find something that brings you joy and also you’re going to need to do it without end.
3 things to do
1. Enroll for the Wilderness Travel Course. Today, Dec. 15, is the last day to enroll in the Sierra Club’s iconic Wilderness Travel Course at a reduced “early application” price. If you could have been wanting to learn survival and navigation skills, explore more of Southern California’s backcountry and meet dozens of like-minded outdoor adventurers, that is your jam. The course consists of 10 classroom sessions and 4 weekend outings, and also you’ll learn methods to pack a bag properly, navigate with map and compass, snow camp and much more. Literally everyone I do know who’s taken this class won’t stop telling me how much they loved it. You don’t must be a member of the Sierra Club to affix (although the worth is lower when you are). The price goes up Dec. 16, and spots are limited, so pull that proverbial trigger! Early application fees range from $420-$455; prices go as much as $435-$470 after Dec. 15.
Newsletter
Get The Wild newsletter.
The essential weekly guide to having fun with the outside in Southern California. Insider recommendations on one of the best of our beaches, trails, parks, deserts, forests and mountains.
It’s possible you’ll occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
2. Take a look at a winter solstice art show. If you happen to’re on the lookout for gifts this time of 12 months, forget the mass-produced knickknacks and as a substitute head to the Satwiwa Native American Indian Culture Center at Sycamore Canyon on Sunday, Dec. 18, for its Winter Solstice Art Show and Sale. From 10 a.m. to three p.m., greater than a dozen artists will show and sell artwork from Chumash, Tongva, Cahuilla and other Native American cultures. The event may also feature plenty of storytelling and music sessions. You may reserve a spot on Eventbrite for this free event.
3. Hike to Amir’s Garden. Amir’s Garden is one of the vital beautiful areas of Griffith Park, and its hand-built terraces and overlooks are a preferred destination for hikers and explorers of all stripes. On Saturday, Dec. 17, the Gay and Lesbian Sierrans of the Sierra Club will trek into the garden after which explore the inside of the park, an area I find remarkably calm and quiet, especially compared with the more popular trails across the Observatory and Hollywood sign. The hike begins on the Ranger Station at 9 a.m. and may end by noon. RSVP, sign the required waiver and learn more concerning the hike here.
The must read
If you happen to’ve been on social media for some time, you would possibly end up asking, “Wait, why am I here again?” Whether it’s deleting spam comments on Instagram, evading outraged bots on Facebook or feeling such as you is perhaps participating in a complex data espionage program by watching a dance trend on TikTok, social media can sometimes feel just like the worst parts of the web concentrated. But that’s not true in every single place, says the Latest York Times’ Amy Harmon. As an alternative, she focuses on one in every of the nicest places online: iNaturalist, where strangers help discover photographs of living things. At its core, iNaturalist will not be built on arguments and doesn’t reward inflammatory behavior. As an alternative, it focuses on small agreements that construct toward truth. It’s another reason to check out something that also happens to be one in every of my favorite free outdoor apps.
Take a look at “The Times” podcast for essential news and more.
Nowadays, waking as much as current events may be, well, daunting. If you happen to’re searching for a more balanced news eating regimen, “The Times” podcast is for you. Gustavo Arellano, together with a various set of reporters from the award-winning L.A. Times newsroom, delivers probably the most interesting stories from the Los Angeles Times every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
The red flag
If you happen to’ve been lucky enough to witness Yosemite National Park’s “firefall” phenomenon — when the setting sun backlights Horsetail Fall, making it seem like fire — you understand it’s one in every of the least solitary experiences you possibly can have within the park. Well, Yosemite can have ended its summer entry permit pilot program earlier this 12 months, but they’re firing the system up again for the last three weekends in February, which is when the firefall is most definitely to be visible. Set your calendar alerts now: the day-use reservations will go on sale on Jan. 13, 2023, at Recreation.gov.
Cool stuff
A few of us might argue that attempting to put a monetary value on something like a tree is an indication of how addled we’ve grow to be by the omnipresent illness of worldwide capitalism. Others would say that quantifying the dollar amount of energy conserved by a tree is a solution to persuade individuals who wouldn’t otherwise care to think twice about chopping trees down. Last week, Latest Yorkers got latest ways to argue about this with a massive update to the Latest York City Tree Map, which was launched in 2016 to document town’s urban cover in a stunningly user-friendly interface. The update added greater than 150,000 trees managed by NYC Parks and Recreation, so you possibly can see that, say, the London planetree near the Central Park Boathouse provides $478.35 in annual advantages. You can too “favorite” trees to maintain tabs on them and report an issue when you see one. How’s L.A. doing? Well, we got our first ever City Forest Officer back in 2019 (yay), but each Mayors Villaragosa and Garcetti fell very short on their respective tree-planting goals. We’ve got a tree map, too, nevertheless it’s … well … I’ll allow you to do a side-by-side comparison.
Wild thing
Last week, Beth Pratt, the California regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation, posted an update about L.A.’s favorite urban mountain lion, Griffith Park’s P-22. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area announced plans to capture P-22 to bring him in for a health evaluation following some recent erratic behavior that could be signs of distress. The puma was spotted and captured in Los Feliz on Monday, and unfortunately showed thinning hair, potential signs of mange, a watch injury from a vehicle collision and more. Biologists say it’s unlikely P-22 shall be released back into Griffith Park.
Pratt notes P-22 is “a remarkably old mountain lion” — now the oldest tracked mountain lion within the Santa Monica Mountains — and that he “has lived for over a decade within the smallest known home range ever recorded for a male mountain lion.” While we wait to see what veterinarians determine is one of the best plan of action, Pratt encouraged all of P-22’s fans to honor his legacy by supporting more wildlife crossings to make sure future wildlife has the habitat it must thrive. In “life goes on,” news, the NPS announced that three female mountain lion kittens born within the Santa Monicas this summer are in good health, and have been dubbed P-109, P-110, and P-112.
P.S.
After being closed in the summertime because of “extensive vandalism and graffiti” (boo), the beloved Balconies Caves just off the favored High Peaks Loop at Pinnacles National Park have reopened! Park staff cautions visitors that the Balconies Caves are a bit more rugged than the Bear Gulch Caves, and hikers should bring a lamp or flashlight, be prepared for some scrambling and difficult terrain and be mindful of nesting bats contained in the cave.
For more insider recommendations on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, try past editions of The Wild. And to view this article in your browser, click here.