Fremont’s Holy Family sisters enjoy yoga class

By Matthew Artz
Oakland Tribune

There is perhaps no scene that reflects theFremontof yesteryear and today better than the sight of nuns doing yoga.

Twice a month, more than a dozen sisters, most in their 80s, gather in a circle near the Sisters of the Holy Family Motherhouse to tap their chests, shake their legs and open their hearts, even if the only position they can master is “sitting chair.”

“This is where I find the most peace,” said Sister Jacinta Fiebig, 82, after a recent class. “I feel so fortunate to be able to do it two times a month.”

The class, which began two years ago, is taught by Katherin Bledsoe, a 45-year-oldFremontresident, who sees herself as somewhat of a yoga missionary — taking the ancient practice to local seniors, sometimes free of charge.

“I love seniors so much,” she said. “We have to give back to them.”

Bledsoe says she occasionally teaches yoga for free at her home, and every Friday she teaches a free tai-chi class inCentral Park. She only charges a small fee to the sisters, said Jenn Vickers, who runs the program through the sisters’ health care provider, On Lok Lifeways.

“Everybody here absolutely adores her,” Vickers said. “It’s so peaceful after her program. Everyone stays in that meditative, calm state of mind.”

Bledsoe’s classes at the Motherhouse, some of which also are open to On Lok patients throughout the Tri-City area, is yoga in the loosest sense of the word. Since all of the students are elderly and

many use wheelchairs, Bledsoe has them do a series of low-impact moves while she sets a meditative tone.

“Open your hands and feel the energy between your palms,” she said during one exercise. She has students hug themselves as one exercise, and when the 45-minute class ends, she walks up to everyone and gives them a big hug.

“They don’t get many hugs,” she said. “It’s therapeutic.”

Murthi Kalamangalam, an 83-year-oldFremontman, said the embrace “is much more than a hug. There is so much kindness involved in it.”

Bledsoe credits yoga with helping reinvigorate her several years ago when she was battling constant fatigue. Teaching, through the nonprofit Dahn Yoga Foundation, also has helped her overcome a long-standing fear of public speaking, Bledsoe said.

Her free outdoor tai-chi class is from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, adjacent to the parking lot at the intersection ofPaseo Padre ParkwayandMission View Drive.