An eastern New Providence development is encouraging yoga enthusiasts to partake of its waterfront classes as part of its effort to "build community" at the $200 million project.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, the faithful show up, rolled mats in hand, hair tied back, ready to flex, stretch and meditate as they go through the poses - locusts, lunges, bows and plows - as the sun sets over the oceanfront at Palm Cay.
They're there for fitness guru Colleen Carey's Yogi Isles class seaside at Palm Cay, the award-winning community on New Providence's southeast coast. On average, there are more than a dozen participants. The numbers have been as high as 25. Given the space, Carey says there is always room.
"The environment is very peaceful and calm," she said. "You hear the waves and the wind and the trees. Being by the beach brings a whole different element to yoga. People love it at Palm Cay."
The setting may be special for New Providence, but it harkens back a very long way. Yoga reportedly started on the beach 5,000 years ago and in places like The Bahamas, where more people are turning to Eastern-inspired meditation to relieve stress, the beachfront is again gaining favor over wooden floors in air-conditioned gyms. The reasons are plentiful - fresh air increases oxygen, builds the immune system, improves metabolism and boosts Vitamin D. Yoga directly on uneven sand strengthens secondary muscles. More celebrities are turning to mats and sand, forsaking smartphones, for an hour of restoration.
For the developers of Palm Cay, adding yoga to the mix of activities was one more way of building a sense of community.
"We always say that Palm Cay is not just a development, it's a community where residents and guests enjoy the best of life in The Bahamas," said Zack Bonczek, sales and marketing director. Last year, Palm Cay became the first community to win the Bahamian Contractors' Association Award for Excellence, an honor that in the past had been reserved for a contractor or construction-related firm, and was never presented to a development. In its presentation, the association noted opportunities Palm Cay had afforded Bahamian companies and the inclusive community atmosphere it had created. The nearly 70-acre community features a two-story restaurant, the Billfish Grill, a 194-slip, full-service marina, tennis courts, swimming pools, a family playground, 24-hour security and full infrastructure. It will include some 300 homes when fully built out.

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