In New England, chances are you’ve seen one of these groups before: an instructor leading dozens of neighbors as they dance merengue or flow through tai chi in a park. A group of hikers meeting for the first time at the base of a mountain. A yoga class gathered in a local library or community center.

These public, accessible activities blend the benefits of physical activity with something just as powerful — social connection. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that strong social ties can lower the risk of chronic disease and serious illnesses such as dementia, stroke, and heart disease. Group activity can also help participants start and stick with healthy routines.

Across the region, New Englanders are finding creative ways to keep moving together, from yoga in libraries, to outdoor adventures designed for healing, to buddy hikes in the White Mountains. 

Here’s how communities are making these fitness programs possible and how you can join in.

Massachusetts: Trauma-informed yoga, wherever people are

Lotus Yoga Studio founder Lauren (“Ren”) Farenga-Kosmidis turned to yoga as a teenager coping with trauma. It instantly eased her insomnia.

“Because of my own experience, as well as what I learned as a social worker, it has always felt really important to bring yoga out into the world and just make it accessible to everyone,” she says.

The studio brings the practice to parks on summer weekends in Arlington and Somerville, Mass. and weekly to Arlington’s Robbins Library year-round, free of charge. The studio is currently reaching out to more libraries and community centers to expand their weekly community programming, Farenga-Kosmidis notes.

“It’s a great way for people in the community to try yoga. It’s very, very welcoming. If you just want to sit in the grass and enjoy that and breathe for an hour, cool. If you want to move your body, here’s some suggestions,” she says. “We try to encourage people also to talk to each other…Over time, you see people exchanging numbers, or now they’re arriving to class together, which is really beautiful to just build community and bring people together for health and wellness.” 

Classes are trauma-informed and choice-based. On any given day, participants might practice in a chair, standing, or lying down. “It really just invites people to be where they need to be in the moment,” Farenga-Kosmidis explains. “There’s no gatekeeping, there’s no exclusivity. Everyone deserves to access the healing that yoga offers.”

Maine: Conservation land as a public health tool

In rural western Maine, the Northern Forest Center’s Maine West collaborative — a cross-sector partnership of local and regional organizations tackling rural challenges — has turned the region’s success in conserving land into a catalyst for enhancing community well-being.

“One of the early things that we considered was there’s a lot of data out there showing that time outside, being active, is good for our physical health, mental health, and emotional health,” says Amy Scott, program manager at the Northern Forest Center. “In a rural area like this, we don’t have YMCAs or gyms … So in what ways can we think about land conservation as an asset to be used for public health?”

That question led to the Second Nature Adventure Challenge, which encourages Mainers to get outside to raise money for local organizations, and programs designed for people facing barriers to the outdoors. Youth summer camps teach local high schoolers outdoor skills and teamwork. For adults who didn’t feel confident exploring alone, the collaborative launched walking and hiking programs. Collaborative partner Western Maine Addiction Recovery Initiative offers monthly Recovery Outings — including paddling, skiing, hiking, fishing, and more — led both by an activity expert and a recovery guide. The outings are open to adults in recovery and their friends and family, with attendance ranging from a handful to dozens, including participants who travel more than an hour to join. 

“With all of these, it is not just about getting outside and being active. It’s also about being in community with others,” Scott says. Programs are free and continuously refined. And because the collaborative includes partners from education, health, conservation, and economic development, ideas travel between sectors. “There’s just a richer understanding of the role of these kinds of outings in the community at large,” Scott notes.

Rhode Island: Free fitness for the city, by the city 

Providence’s Fitness in the Parks makes movement easy to find, with hip-hop aerobics, tai chi, yoga, run clubs, dance classes, and more offered across the city.

“We offer a variety of free fitness programs that are held at the same time, day, location, and with the same instructor year-round,” says Rachel Colaiace, director of health and wellness programming for the Providence Parks Department. 

In summer, classes fill the parks with up to about 80 people. In colder months, the program shifts indoors to spaces like the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center and Gateway Center, where attendance averages about 20. The department is exploring more outdoor winter options too, supporting the health benefits of an “outside every day” attitude.

Fitness in the Parks is designed for everyone, regardless of age, level of fitness, or experience with group exercise. Instructors offer modifications for beginners and challenges for those who want to push themselves.

“The strongest person at a gym is the one who may be overweight and self conscious, not wearing fancy workout clothes, maybe feeling some shame or trepidation about exercising at the gym for whatever reason,” Colaiace says. “The Fitness in the Parks program is designed to fuel that person, to smash those barriers. We want all ages, all abilities, all socioeconomic backgrounds to have access to inviting, high-quality health and wellness programming.”

Partnerships power the model. City Hall, Senior Services, AARP Rhode Island, local instructors, and organizations like Walk With a Doc all contribute to making community fitness possible — and in turn, strengthening the community. 

“When you exercise together in nature, be it walking, running, dancing, yoga, whatever, everyone leaves that class in a better mental state. That collective sense of well-being extends out to the community at large by positively impacting how we engage with each other,” Colaiace says. “And it’s the best preventative medicine out there.” 

New Hampshire: Finding your pace (and your people)

What began as a Facebook page created by founder Ben Pease to find hiking partners in the White Mountains has grown into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving more than 20,000 hikers. Today, Hiking Buddies helps members connect for free group hikes and facilitates safety-focused events. “Hiking Buddies is dedicated to reducing avoidable tragedy through education, impactful projects, and fostering a community of support,” says acting co-chair Lynn Swezey.

Buddy hikes are social and skill-sharing. For anyone worried about slowing others down, “turtle hikes” are led by an experienced hiker in the group and set a gentle team pace so no one is left behind. 

“We would love for everyone to consider themselves a hiker, no matter how much hiking they do,” Swezey says. “Your abilities and the way you feel, it’s all valid, and we want to welcome all of it so that you can become stronger through your peers and learn together.”

The nonprofit also runs hands-on educational events like the Snow Safe Summit and the Shoulder Season Shake Down, and leads a Headlamp Initiative to give away free headlamps — helping to prevent the number one avoidable cause of mountain rescue calls. 

The group’s impact is both physical and social. “Number one is the relationships that you build,” Swezey shares. “We’ve had everything from best friendships to marriages and even babies through Hiking Buddies.”

Across New England: Health plans can keep you moving

Community energy is the spark; benefits can be the tailwind. Many health plans offer fitness reimbursements for gym memberships or classes, plus nutrition and wellness programs. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, for example, offers eligible members fitness reimbursements and Healthy Weight, a personalized nutrition program. They also have member-only discounts and perks geared towards physical health, including ways to keep families more active together. And anyone, whether a member or not, can join Harvard Pilgrim’s Living Well virtual fitness and wellness classes, a free way to supplement what’s happening in your neighborhood. 

Start local: search your city or town’s parks page for free or low-cost classes; peek at library calendars; look for like-minded buddy groups on social media. Check your health plan for rebates or programs.

Most of all, look for places where people make it easy to begin. As Scott of the Northern Forest Center puts it, “It’s not just about being active, but being connected to other people and feeling that sense of community and support.” 

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, a Point32Health company, provides nationally ranked health plans and care-based programs and services to nearly 900,000 members in New England and beyond. Founded by doctors more than 50 years ago, it builds on that legacy and partnerships through an expansive network of doctors and hospitals nationwide to improve health outcomes and lower costs through clinical quality and innovative care management.  A leading, not-for-profit health and well-being company, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care guides members — and the communities it serves — to better health each day.