We do it with jazz

Sue folds herself into a lotus position.

In New Orleans, we do everything with jazz. We cook with jazz, walk with jazz, dine with jazz, drink with jazz, strut with jazz. But yoga with jazz?

The National Park Service thinks so. They've scheduled free yoga classes Saturday mornings at the French Market visitors center for locals and tourists to do something besides eat, drink and party. Relaxation exercises are accompanied by live jazz music.

While students stretch and hold poses, Peter trills on the piano. He doesn't play recognizable jazz tunes, but improvises to complement the slow motion "flow" yoga practice. The instructor, Sue, is a vision of continuous, joyful movement, as you can easily see.

P.S. That is not the real Louis Armstrong at the edge of the stage, but a cardboard prop. He would have enjoyed playing this gig though.