5 Fab Things We Loved About runDisney's Princess Sunrise Yoga (And One Thing We Hated)

runDisney hosted it’s first-ever Sunrise Yoga event during the 2022 Princess Half Marathon Weekend. Yoga in front of Cinderella Castle? Say no more! We signed right up. But did it meet our expectations? We’ve got a review. Here are 5 fab things we loved about runDisney’s Princess Sunrise Yoga… and one thing we totally hated.

ferry boat rundisney sunrise yoga — Yoga participants on the Ferry to the Magic Kingdom.

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5 Fab Things We Loved About runDisney’s Princess Sunrise Yoga (And One Thing We Hated)

To say we were pleasantly surprised about the Princess Half Marathon Sunrise Yoga experience may be an understatement.

We were expecting very little enjoyment from the event, to be honest. We even joked that we’d likely just lay on our mats and nap.

But it was a new runDisney event and like the true princesses we are, we signed up to give it a go.

And spoiler alert: we loved just about everything about this new runDisney event.

Here are the 5 Fab Things We Loved About runDisney Sunrise Yoga (And The One Thing We Hated).

You can also listen to the No-Guilt Disney Podcast episode where we discussed all things Princess Yoga!

rundisney sunrise yoga at princess half weekend 2022

1. runDisney Sunrise Yoga: Location, Location, Location!

Truly, nothing beats spending time inside a Disney park outside of operating hours.

It’s a unique and special experience that not every Disney guest gets to have!

Being able to experience a peaceful and calming hour inside the same place typically filled with laughter, screams, music and frankly, chaos, was worth the price of admission for us.

After the event, we decided that Sunrise Yoga could also be amazing in front of the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom and around Spaceship Earth at Epcot.

We’re not sure if Hollywood Studios has a spot with the same vibe, but we’d still be willing to give it a go if it was offered at any of the other parks.

Disney Cast Members celebrated International Yoga Day at Animal Kingdom Park

2. Sunrise Yoga Review: The Instructors

As yoga novices, it was important to us that the instructor went slowly and didn’t overwhelm us with complicated moves or positions.

Dana Brady, the Disney yoga instructor, absolutely did NOT give us any cause for worry.

She has a soothing voice and knows how to teach classes with students representing a mixture of experience levels. You can follow her Insta page at @gowiththeflow_danabrady and she also offers virtual classes (as well as in-person for locals).

There were two other instructors on stages set lower to the ground as well, giving everyone a good view of the instructor nearest them.

obviously not the instructor shirt rundisney sunrise yoga

We didn’t want to confuse anyone, so we wore these shirts. Ahem.

(Buy your own using this affiliate link on Amazon)

3. Character Surprises At runDisney’s Princess Sunrise Yoga

Disney loves to keep their magic surprises secret and this event was no different.

runDisney’s Sunrise Yoga did not advertise any character sightings, so we were not expecting anyone to show up. (Silly, silly Princesses!)

In true runDisney fashion, they know what we want- and we want characters!

Yes, even at a yoga event.

After the workout was complete, we were thrilled when Cinderella stepped out on stage to congratulate us on a job well done.

She was lovely, as always!

As we made our way down Main Street, USA, we were in for one more character sighting surprise.

Minnie Mouse was up and out early to wave and blow kisses to all the yogis as they left Magic Kingdom.

Neither character was available for one-on-one photos, but it felt like the perfect added bonus to the fantastic workout we’d just enjoyed.

4. The Branded Yoga Mat Bag

You know we’re suckers for Disney branded items.

Slap a running Mickey or runDisney’s logo on something and it’s sure to fly off the shelf as the runDisney Expo Cast Members can attest.

At the end of the session, we rolled our yoga mat up and placed it into this carrying case.

It may seem trivial to some, but we appreciated it when it came to packing it into our suitcases. The mat stayed rolled up and neatly in place.

If you had a smaller suitcase, the sling bag would make it easier to carry the mat on the plane when you went home as well.

5. Firework Send Off

We had a hunch that fireworks might be on the agenda.

Look, when you runDisney as much as we do, you kinda come to expect a fireworks sendoff!

And sure enough: we got just that.

To close out the event, the yoga class was sent off with a short fireworks display behind Cinderella Castle.

As a general review of runDisney’s Princess Sunrise Yoga, it was a fantastic experience for the novice yogi.

This class was yoga for people that don’t really do yoga, but the couple next to me who clearly DO yoga seemed engaged and to be enjoying the event as well.

The One Thing We Really Hated About runDisney’s Princess Sunrise Yoga

There’s always something, right?

We loved most of the event and there were a few things we weren’t fans of.

In no particular order they are:

Lines upon lines leading into the event (but we aren’t mad, it’s Disney afterall, lines are a way of life!)
The tiny water bottles. Cmon, Disney, you can spring for the full size Dasani.
No merchandise for the yoga event. runDisney, know your audience! Princesses love them some merch and we certainly would have been interested in some branded yoga pants or flowy tanks to work out in back home. Set up a tent at the TTC and we’d clear it out as we head to the car.

But the one thing we really hated about the runDisney Princess Sunrise Yoga: THE YOGA MATS.

There was literally nothing special about the mat that came with the $95 registration price tag. And since there was no t-shirt or medal included, this was a bit of a letdown.

This blue mat was thin (ouch on that hard Magic Kingdom asphalt)! It actually tore easily.

We also expected something a bit more branded to the weekend- possibly pink or purple with a castle, tiara, or at least ‘runDisney’ printed on the mat.

But it was totally generic, plain, and truly awful when it came to comfort.

To be fair, we spoke to runDisney at the Expo about the mat and they cited supply chain concerns. They didn’t go into any detail, but it could be that we didn’t get what *they* hoped for either.

Let’s hope that if there are future Sunrise Yoga events the mat situation will also be worked out.

How Can You Participate In Disney’s Sunrise Yoga?

The next event will take place at the Princess Half Marathon Weekend on Monday, February 26, 2024. Yes, you read that correctly: MONDAY after the half-marathon weekend.

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