National Wellness Month: Moving Towards Wellness on the Waterfront

Waterfront Park is filled with places and opportunities to invest in your wellbeing. Whether it’s catching a break from the hustle and bustle at the peaceful Pioneer Square Habitat Beach or finding community in movement with Movement, Wellness, and Play programming at Pier 62, you can find dozens of ways to prioritize yourself and your health at Waterfront Park. Wellness is not passive, but rather an active pursuit of health through physical, emotional, social, and mental balance and with August being National Wellness Month, we thought it would be a great opportunity to highlight how you can invest in self-care on the waterfront.

Investing in Physical and Social Well-Being

Waterfront Park is all about building connections, to the water, to our city, and to each other. Finding connection, and feeling a sense of belonging, are key to social wellness.

The vibe: golden hour, soft waves in the background, lively salsa music, and the rhythmic tap-tap of shoes – what better way to elevate your social wellness than with s? (Psst, you don’t have to come with a partner or have any experience moving to a 4/4 meter. Simply join hands with a stranger and leave with a new friendship!).

If fitness is your wellness goal this month, then Zumba® Master classes with We Move To Give are the perfect way to begin to build a sense of belonging and friendship while also getting your body movement in. Their classes at Pier 62 focus on all elements of fitness: cardiovascular, muscular conditioning, flexibility, and balance, all while being a welcoming place for everyone to join in community. You’ll quickly discover a fun and empowering experience; dancing to music from all over the world: Salsa, Merengue, Funk, K-pop, Bhangra, and many more. And if you need variety, each class has a different theme – World Tour, Salsa, Fiestas Patrias Colors of the Caribbean, to name a few.

Several students participating in a fitness dance class, dressed in vibrant colors. Skyscrapers in the distance. Sun shining brightly.

Zumba Master classes on Sundays at Pier 62. Hosted by We Move To Give instructors

Small Daily Acts of Self-Care

Although wellness is an active pursuit, it is not always achieved through physical activity – instead you can make small, intentional acts of self-care by slowing down, connecting to nature, and making time for some peace and quiet. Waterfront Park offers plenty of spaces for connection to oneself and the environment:

On Pier 62’s floating dock, listen to the calming tones of the Land Bouy Bells while watching the gentle waves roll in and the sun set behind the mountains.

Find a suitable rock or log to journal from on Pioneer Square Habitat Beach ; as you’re surrounded by the Salish Sea, native plants, and the occasional sightings of marine animals.

Discover tranquility and mindfulness with a 30-minute guided meditation with Prenz Sa-Ngoun – a former Theravada Buddhist monk.

All along the Promenade, you’ll find the new benches created from reclaimed old-wood cedar. Take a moment to take a seat. Notice the native plants, trees, and flowers and listen to the sounds of the waterfront – seagull calls, distant waves, bees buzzing, chiming bike bells, and the soft hustle and bustle of the city behind you.

Enjoying nature at the new Pioneer Square Habitat Beach

Strengthening Mental and Emotional Wellness

If re-centering and inner connection is your wellness goal for this month, then be sure to join some of our dynamic and diverse mind and movement connection classes:

Yoga with Atlee Treasure is a relaxing and fun exploration of basic foundational poses and focuses on tuning into and connecting with the breath. Enjoy the open air and sunshine, digging deeper into the mind and the body’s potential while embracing the groups synergy created on the mats.

Several students in yoga pose on a pier with the Seattle great Ferris wheel in the background.

Yoga by Atlee Treasure on Wednesdays. Photo by Graeme Aegerter.

Jun Fan Gung Fu is a self-defense martial arts combining stretching, endurance exercises, and lessons rooted in the style passed down from Bruce Lee!

Ren Xue Qigong with Heru TchaasAmen is a holistic practice that combines movement, breathing, and meditation to help you cultivate inner peace, balance, and vitality.

“True wellness is a journey of self-discovery, inner peace, and living in alignment with the divine, ensuring that our actions and thoughts contribute to both personal and collective harmony.” – Heru TchaasAmen

Two students stretching hands up above heads on a pier following the instruction from a teacher in the center of the photo.

Ren Xue Qigong class taught by Heru TchaasAmen on Sundays at Pier 62

Partnering with Seattle’s Wellness Community

Here at Friends’, we are also building our sense of community wellness by partnering with and amplifying local, diverse, and under-represented groups and people. As a part of our Cultural Master Plan, our guiding force, one of Friends’ priorities is building and maintaining connections with Seattle’s neighborhoods.

“Like all places where people gather, public spaces can play a part in stimulating belonging for everyone who uses them – and these efforts can have far-reaching benefits in a community.” Read our full Cultural Master Plan here!

No matter where you are in your wellness journey, or what wellness activities inspire you, you can find a safe and welcoming space at Waterfront Park for a little bit more balance, wellness, and belonging in your everyday life.

Check out a full list of our remaining Summer 2024 Pier 62 Wellness & Health classes below:

LAST CALL | Salsa Dance Series hosted by Dancing ‘Til Dusk: There’s only one remaining session left for this summer, and it’s TODAY, Friday, August 16: (yes, you can drop in to only one part). Register for the FREE class.

6:00-7:00pm Dance Lesson
7:00-8:30pm Open Dancing

WEDNESDAYS

Yoga classes are scheduled every Wednesday, on Pier 62, from 6:00-6:50pm through August. Register for the FREE classes.
Meditation sessions are scheduled every Wednesday, on Pier 62, from 7:15pm to 7:45pm through August. Register for the FREE classes.

SUNDAYS

Zumba® Master classes are scheduled from 12:30pm to 2:00pm through September (excluding September 8th). Register for the FREE classes.
August: Ren Xue Qigong classes are scheduled from 10:00 to 11:00am throughout the month. Register for the FREE classes.
September: Jun Fan Gung Fu classes are scheduled from 10:00 to 11:00am throughout the month. (excluding September 8th). Register for the FREE classes.