“You’re sitting in front of an aquarium window. You’re comfortable, you’re dry, you’re safe and you’re looking at the fish that are swimming past you. Those fish represent your thoughts. Some are big, some are small, some swim back and forth,” says Joan Herzing, as she rotates her head left to right, back to front, rounded black sunglasses obscuring most of her face. “You're just dry, observing,” she adds.
On this Monday evening, while Herzing and her participants were not at an aquarium, she stands patiently on a platform on Monona Terrace waiting for the crowd of people to arrive and settle in for Rooftop Yoga, a free, occasional session sponsored by Monona Terrace. Her blonde hair hangs by her shoulders, the most colorful part of her all-black workout set.
Today’s participants—an eclectic mix, some in yoga leggings, others in jeans or summer dresses—lay down colorful mats and towels across the dark cement. People question their outfit choices as the sun scorches the ground without shade.
For Herzing, yoga is more than a practice; it’s a form of expression. After two decades of personal practice and six years of teaching, she has come to see yoga as her way of offering peace to others. Although she would love to teach full time, financial realities have kept her working as a marketing director for a local hotel. Today, she’s left early, taking her first steps as an instructor at Rooftop Yoga, eager yet mindful of her goal: to inspire participants to join her classes at Perennial Yoga, a yoga studio for all levels located in Fitchburg and Madison.
“It does kind of smell like I’m at a mall, a touch… ‘chloriney,’” one participant says as she rolls her yoga mat down on the warm ground.
Nearby, a fountain, the source of the pool-like scent, occasionally splashes, sending cool droplets onto sun-warmed necks. The water plays unpredictably, at one point startling an older couple easing into a gentle downward dog position, at another, drawing giggles from a trio of teenage girls posing for photos.
“Take the left leg straight back. Inhale, exhale, round the back, knee towards the nose,” Herzing says softly. Everyone present follows along at their own pace.
Herzing’s love for music has always intertwined with her yoga. A musician since childhood, she initially majored in saxophone and now plays in a few local bands. Her musical background inspires her to bring sound into her classes, a practice she finds essential for creating a holistic experience of relaxation.
As the session winds down, Herzing introduces a unique closing ritual: a 15-minute sound meditation. She gently strikes her handpans, their rounded, metallic surfaces dotted with shallow dimples that produce soft, bell-like tones resonating through the space. Nearby, her tongue drums—steel instruments with distinct cut out “tongues” arranged in a sunburst pattern—emit deeper, grounding notes. Each strike releases a gentle vibration that seems to hover, carrying a soothing energy over the participants as they relax into the beaming late-day sun, letting go of lingering stress.
“Did it work?” she questions one participant at the end of her session.
For two students, yes. “We just wanted to ask your name in case we decide to visit the studio,” they say.
Herzing smiles and shares details about her upcoming class at Garver Feed Mill, painting a picture of their potential next afternoon together filled with yoga, relaxation and connection.
