Don't Lose the Progress: Keep Free Yoga Accessible in Oklahoma City
The Issue
Keep Myriad Botanical Gardens Yoga free and indoors so Oklahoma City residents can access fitness, wellness and community—regardless of the weather.
We believe free yoga at Myriad Botanical Gardens is more than a fitness class.
It is a community resource.
It is an opportunity for Oklahoma City residents to move, improve their health, connect with others and enjoy one of our city's most beautiful public spaces—without the financial barrier of a gym membership or yoga studio.
For many of us, free yoga is one of the ways we are able to prioritize our health.
And we want to keep it that way.
We are asking Myriad Botanical Gardens to keep free yoga accessible indoors year-round.
Currently, free yoga is being offered outdoors only.
We love practicing yoga outside when the weather is beautiful. But in Oklahoma, the weather isn't always beautiful—or safe—for outdoor exercise.
Oklahoma summers bring extreme heat. We experience severe storms, high winds, freezing temperatures and unpredictable weather throughout the year.
When the weather makes outdoor exercise uncomfortable or unsafe, an outdoor-only class creates a barrier to participation.
For those of us who don't have a gym membership, cannot afford one or simply rely on this free program as an accessible way to exercise, moving yoga indoors on extreme-weather days can be the difference between getting our workout in and not working out at all.
Free yoga should be accessible to everyone—not just when the weather happens to cooperate.
This is a community resource that serves hundreds of Oklahoma City residents.
On average, 70–100 people attend each free yoga class, twice a week.
That means hundreds of people each month are choosing to prioritize their physical and mental well-being through this program.
We believe that matters.
These aren't just numbers. They are our neighbors, friends, families and fellow Oklahoma City residents.
We are people who want to move our bodies.
We are people who want to take care of our health.
We are people who want to connect with our community.
And we are people who may not have the financial means to pay for a gym or yoga studio membership.
Free yoga removes that barrier.
Oklahoma City has worked hard to become a healthier city.
In 2007, Oklahoma City was known nationally as one of America's fattest cities.
Mayor Mick Cornett decided that couldn't be ignored.
He launched "This City Is Going on a Diet" and challenged Oklahoma City residents to collectively lose one million pounds. More than 47,000 people participated and, by 2012, the city had reached its one-million-pound goal.
But the campaign was about more than losing weight.
It helped Oklahoma City confront a bigger question:
How do we build a city that makes it easier for people to live healthier lives?
The answer included investing in parks, trails, sidewalks and walkability—creating a city where people have more opportunities to move and be active.
And we have made progress.
Oklahoma's adult obesity rate declined from 40% in 2022 to 36.8% in 2024.
That is meaningful progress.
Let's not lose it.
If we believe that physical activity and wellness are important, then we need to make opportunities to move accessible to everyone—not just those who can afford a gym membership or live in a home with space to exercise.
Free fitness is an accessibility issue.
Oklahoma has significant economic and healthcare barriers that affect people's ability to prioritize their health.
Nearly 15% of Oklahomans live in poverty, and approximately 14% of Oklahomans under age 65 are uninsured.
For many people, a gym membership or yoga studio membership is simply not an option.
Free fitness programming fills an important gap.
It gives us a place to move without a monthly membership fee. It provides a welcoming environment for people who may not feel comfortable in a traditional gym. And it creates an opportunity to build healthy habits and connect with others.
That makes free yoga more than a recreational amenity.
It is accessible wellness.
It is preventive health.
It is community connection.
And for people who cannot afford other fitness options, it can be an essential resource.
Outdoor yoga is wonderful. Outdoor-only yoga isn't accessible.
We aren't asking Myriad Botanical Gardens to choose between outdoor yoga and indoor yoga.
We love the experience of practicing yoga outdoors when Oklahoma weather cooperates.
We are asking for both.
When conditions make outdoor participation uncomfortable, inaccessible or unsafe, residents should have the option to move indoors.
Myriad Botanical Gardens has three indoor spaces. We believe that on extreme-weather days, one of those spaces should be available for free yoga.
We propose a simple, predictable weather policy:
Free yoga is held indoors whenever the forecasted temperature at the scheduled class time is below 65°F or above 90°F, rain is forecast during the class or severe weather creates unsafe outdoor conditions.
This would allow Myriad to continue offering the beautiful outdoor yoga experience while ensuring that Oklahoma City residents can reliably access free fitness and community year-round.
Our request
We are asking Myriad Botanical Gardens to:
- Keep Myriad Yoga free.
- Maintain a reliable indoor option for free yoga year-round.
- Establish a clear weather policy that moves yoga indoors when the forecasted temperature at class time is below 65°F or above 90°F, rain is forecast during the class or severe weather creates unsafe outdoor conditions.
- Continue seeking sponsors, donors and community partnerships to sustainably fund free wellness programming.
- Oklahoma City once rallied around a million-pound challenge because we recognized that the health of our city matters.
Since then, we have invested in becoming a healthier, more walkable and more active community.
Free yoga at Myriad Botanical Gardens is part of that progress.
We should not make healthy choices harder for the people who are trying to make them.
We should make them easier.
Let's keep building a healthier Oklahoma City.
Let's keep wellness accessible.
Let's keep our community connected.
And let's not lose the progress we've worked so hard to make.
Please sign this petition and ask Myriad Botanical Gardens to keep free yoga accessible indoors, regardless of the weather.
Free yoga should be for everyone—not just for people who can afford a gym membership or happen to have perfect weather.
Together, we can keep this valuable community resource free, accessible and available to everyone.
48
The Issue
Keep Myriad Botanical Gardens Yoga free and indoors so Oklahoma City residents can access fitness, wellness and community—regardless of the weather.
We believe free yoga at Myriad Botanical Gardens is more than a fitness class.
It is a community resource.
It is an opportunity for Oklahoma City residents to move, improve their health, connect with others and enjoy one of our city's most beautiful public spaces—without the financial barrier of a gym membership or yoga studio.
For many of us, free yoga is one of the ways we are able to prioritize our health.
And we want to keep it that way.
We are asking Myriad Botanical Gardens to keep free yoga accessible indoors year-round.
Currently, free yoga is being offered outdoors only.
We love practicing yoga outside when the weather is beautiful. But in Oklahoma, the weather isn't always beautiful—or safe—for outdoor exercise.
Oklahoma summers bring extreme heat. We experience severe storms, high winds, freezing temperatures and unpredictable weather throughout the year.
When the weather makes outdoor exercise uncomfortable or unsafe, an outdoor-only class creates a barrier to participation.
For those of us who don't have a gym membership, cannot afford one or simply rely on this free program as an accessible way to exercise, moving yoga indoors on extreme-weather days can be the difference between getting our workout in and not working out at all.
Free yoga should be accessible to everyone—not just when the weather happens to cooperate.
This is a community resource that serves hundreds of Oklahoma City residents.
On average, 70–100 people attend each free yoga class, twice a week.
That means hundreds of people each month are choosing to prioritize their physical and mental well-being through this program.
We believe that matters.
These aren't just numbers. They are our neighbors, friends, families and fellow Oklahoma City residents.
We are people who want to move our bodies.
We are people who want to take care of our health.
We are people who want to connect with our community.
And we are people who may not have the financial means to pay for a gym or yoga studio membership.
Free yoga removes that barrier.
Oklahoma City has worked hard to become a healthier city.
In 2007, Oklahoma City was known nationally as one of America's fattest cities.
Mayor Mick Cornett decided that couldn't be ignored.
He launched "This City Is Going on a Diet" and challenged Oklahoma City residents to collectively lose one million pounds. More than 47,000 people participated and, by 2012, the city had reached its one-million-pound goal.
But the campaign was about more than losing weight.
It helped Oklahoma City confront a bigger question:
How do we build a city that makes it easier for people to live healthier lives?
The answer included investing in parks, trails, sidewalks and walkability—creating a city where people have more opportunities to move and be active.
And we have made progress.
Oklahoma's adult obesity rate declined from 40% in 2022 to 36.8% in 2024.
That is meaningful progress.
Let's not lose it.
If we believe that physical activity and wellness are important, then we need to make opportunities to move accessible to everyone—not just those who can afford a gym membership or live in a home with space to exercise.
Free fitness is an accessibility issue.
Oklahoma has significant economic and healthcare barriers that affect people's ability to prioritize their health.
Nearly 15% of Oklahomans live in poverty, and approximately 14% of Oklahomans under age 65 are uninsured.
For many people, a gym membership or yoga studio membership is simply not an option.
Free fitness programming fills an important gap.
It gives us a place to move without a monthly membership fee. It provides a welcoming environment for people who may not feel comfortable in a traditional gym. And it creates an opportunity to build healthy habits and connect with others.
That makes free yoga more than a recreational amenity.
It is accessible wellness.
It is preventive health.
It is community connection.
And for people who cannot afford other fitness options, it can be an essential resource.
Outdoor yoga is wonderful. Outdoor-only yoga isn't accessible.
We aren't asking Myriad Botanical Gardens to choose between outdoor yoga and indoor yoga.
We love the experience of practicing yoga outdoors when Oklahoma weather cooperates.
We are asking for both.
When conditions make outdoor participation uncomfortable, inaccessible or unsafe, residents should have the option to move indoors.
Myriad Botanical Gardens has three indoor spaces. We believe that on extreme-weather days, one of those spaces should be available for free yoga.
We propose a simple, predictable weather policy:
Free yoga is held indoors whenever the forecasted temperature at the scheduled class time is below 65°F or above 90°F, rain is forecast during the class or severe weather creates unsafe outdoor conditions.
This would allow Myriad to continue offering the beautiful outdoor yoga experience while ensuring that Oklahoma City residents can reliably access free fitness and community year-round.
Our request
We are asking Myriad Botanical Gardens to:
- Keep Myriad Yoga free.
- Maintain a reliable indoor option for free yoga year-round.
- Establish a clear weather policy that moves yoga indoors when the forecasted temperature at class time is below 65°F or above 90°F, rain is forecast during the class or severe weather creates unsafe outdoor conditions.
- Continue seeking sponsors, donors and community partnerships to sustainably fund free wellness programming.
- Oklahoma City once rallied around a million-pound challenge because we recognized that the health of our city matters.
Since then, we have invested in becoming a healthier, more walkable and more active community.
Free yoga at Myriad Botanical Gardens is part of that progress.
We should not make healthy choices harder for the people who are trying to make them.
We should make them easier.
Let's keep building a healthier Oklahoma City.
Let's keep wellness accessible.
Let's keep our community connected.
And let's not lose the progress we've worked so hard to make.
Please sign this petition and ask Myriad Botanical Gardens to keep free yoga accessible indoors, regardless of the weather.
Free yoga should be for everyone—not just for people who can afford a gym membership or happen to have perfect weather.
Together, we can keep this valuable community resource free, accessible and available to everyone.
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on July 21, 2026