Lilly Library on Dec. 17.
Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis
NORTHAMPTON — With the new year right around the corner, Lilly Library wants to remind the public of its offerings and weekly events that are further establishing the library building as a space for the community.
Of note is the library’s weekly yoga classes hosted every Friday morning at Lilly Library from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Each class incorporates gentle yoga postures, relaxing breathing techniques and a short opening meditation.
The class is hosted by Lex Major, a resident who lives in close proximity to the library. Major told Reminder Publishing the library was already a major part of her and her children’s life, and when asked to pick up the yoga classes at the library for the first time since before the pandemic, it was an easy choice.
“I come in and I feel like I’m really just sharing my time with my local community. That tends to be the way that I teach,” said Major, who began instructing the return of yoga classes at Lilly Library a year ago. “I really believe that yoga can be very healing for many people.”
Major study and practiced yoga in India 25 years ago and has used her foundational knowledge to teach classes since. Teaching gentle yoga, Major explained the style allows people the opportunity to move through the class at their own pace. The foundation building practices allow for class attendees to have the options that work best for them.
“They have this way of getting into and finding a comfortable relationship with their body. Then they can find healing, stretching, release, whatever it is their body needs,” said Major. “It’s a lot about exploration of the body. I tell people that their relationship with their bodies — when you move and when you feel a sensation — the practice of yoga for me is noticing that sensation, and then deciding how you’re going to react to it.”
Major said the library’s second floor space where classes are held provides a perfect sunlight backdrop for morning yoga classes, and a perfect setting for those looking to also practice yoga beyond just the physical aspects.
“Yoga is really the practice of the body. Some American yoga studios only focus on the body, but I like to focus on the body, the breath and also the mind,” added Major. “Sometimes when we’re moving our body, we come up against mental blocks, and that just allows people to approach those things with a lot of softness, a lot of compassion, being gentle with ourselves. I try to stay true to my roots.”
Other programs happening at the library
Lilly Library Director Adam Novitt told Reminder Publishing he has always worked on programming through the lens of the library’s status as a community space that can be utilized by everyone.
“I’ve really found that what works and what people want in library community is they want community. The traditional book group forms a community when people get to know each other over a period of time,” said Novitt.
With that said, Novitt added there are still many great book clubs through the library that help establish the library as the communal space it is. Specifically, Novitt mentioned the library’s fantasy book club, the graphic novel book club, the LGBTeen Book Club and the Queer Voices book group. He added these options are great for the overall health of the library and conversations from these clubs help build community further.
“I think the queer experience is really different if you’re 19 or if you’re 65,” added Novitt, on the Queer Voices book group. “When we get people together in a group like that and they can have discussion, that’s a really meaningful discussion that’s important for people, and it’s difficult for people to find that outside of their homes.”
Another event that has maintained popularity for several years the library is Dungeons and Dragons. Novitt said this program is very popular for young people at the library because of the nature of the game. D&D at Lilly Library happens every month on the second Sunday at 5 p.m.
“If I could hire five more dungeon masters, we would fill all those tables,” said Novitt on the event’s popularity. “I think that structure is really interesting to kids because it draws on something bigger than their school or their town.
Novitt added, “I gotta say, I’m Gen X and grew up in the [19]80s, and everybody was just super mean all the time … [so]it’s really amazing for me to see how sweet those kids are. It’s very, very moving.”
Novitt also highlighted the library’s Scrabble Club as another consistent program that continues to help build on community.
With yoga classes now having returned as well, Novitt said the combination of these events and activities within Lilly Library are important for the library’s community and the community at large.
“That community is meaningful to everybody involved. When you play a game with somebody, it’s a really special kind of socialization because everyone has agreed to a set of rules. It’s a sophisticated form of interaction,” said Novitt. “If you look around, there’s the VFW, Lion’s Club, Moose, Rotary, people are not really joining those at the same rate. By in large church attendance has also decreased. People are really searching for a place that they can interact with other people, and the library’s a place where you don’t have to spend any money to do that.”
Novitt reiterated that he sees the idea of a library as being very expansive and able to offer the community more than just the surface level of books.
“It’s not just the books. It’s not just the building. it’s not just the staff. It’s the community and the grounds,” added Novitt. “If you invented libraries tomorrow, the idea is so utopian that people would laugh at you. They’d be like, ‘oh, wait, we’re going to build a beautiful building in every town? We’re going to circulate copyrighted materials and maybe charge people a dime if they return late?’ The whole thing is insane, but the other thing is too that this has been going on in this building, right here, since 1890. I’m just a little link. There’s an eternalness to this. A book is actually still a pretty good piece of technology. It does its job really, really well.”
To learn more about Lilly Library’s various programming heading into 2026, visit lillylibrary.org.
