Karen Watson Reeves says we should try this pose – because it’s FUN! It’s a combination of High Crescent Lunge and Warrior 2. —photo by Fred Padilla.
By Karen Watson Reeves
Sometimes things don’t turn out as one plans. I am definitely a planner. I can go with Plan B, but I typically really like Plan A. Last fall, I planned the entire 12 months of articles/poses for The Springs Magazine for 2026, knowing which yoga poses I was going to do (all of them are twists) and which murals I was going to be using as the background.
Then, in December and early January, the plan for me to retire and move to Fayetteville, where one of my son’s family lives, came to fruition much sooner than I had planned. It just seemed like the right time.
So, this article is not so much about the benefits of the yoga pose I am photographed in (the pose is a twist that is kind of a combination of High Crescent Lunge and Warrior 2; give it a try-it’s FUN! It represents the 95th pose and article I’ve written, and I had not run out of poses nor locales), but more about the benefits of owning a yoga studio in an amazing and accepting community, being invited to write a monthly article for this magnificent publication, and trying to figure out how to say farewell to all the things I’ve loved so much about this adventure.
Being a business owner was never anything I really saw myself doing, so stepping out of a comfort zone resulted in benefits of confidence and having to become a little bit more of an extrovert. I have been gifted with so many amazing opportunities doing some really quirky things, all in the name of yoga. And along that journey, the people I have met and become friends with have been nothing less than astounding.
Hot Springs National Park is such a treasure. It has been a privilege and a joy to live here for 20 years, to teach yoga here for 15 years, and to be a studio owner just shy of 13 years.
As with most major life changes, this one is definitely bittersweet. The bitter part includes, as previously mentioned, missing all the people and the beauty of this National Park, as well as the physical aspect of a move, which is definitely not fun! But the sweet part is that I’m going to a place where my son, daughter-in-law, and two youngest grandchildren want me to be.
They’ve been encouraging me for several years to make the move. I’ll also be an hour closer to my older son’s family. And that is definitely something to celebrate. I am so blessed to have such loving sons, daughters-in-law, and five of the most special grandchildren you’ll ever meet.
As a yoga instructor and author of this article for 95 editions, I’ve spoken frequently about “balance.” It is certainly an essential part of the yoga postures and our life off the mat as well. These past few weeks have brought many opportunities to balance out the bitter with the sweet. And if I can just maintain that balance, I know I will be OK.
NOTE FROM THE SPRINGS TEAM: Karen, we have loved getting to know you over these 95 poses, and feel blessed to have our friendship grow in so many different ways. We will miss you, but understand where your heart is at this time. We love you and namaste…Lynn & JoAnn
Karen Watson Reeves has called Hot Springs home since 2006. Owner of The Yoga Place, at 301 Whittington Avenue, she became a registered yoga/children’s yoga teacher in 2011. When not on the mat, Karen enjoys the beautiful outdoors of the National Park, especially from her bicycle.
{Karen’s yoga poses are archived on our website at thespringsmagazine.com/category/health-wellness/yoga/.}
