It was time to get outside with some yoga.
In celebration of Earth Day, the Student Fitness Center hosted a yoga class outside on the Mini-Quad. The campus recreation team had arrived early to provide mats and blocks for those attending.
Christa Gooris, the assistant director of fitness at the Student Fitness Center, spoke about what inspired the event.
“We always try to do some sort of Earth Day event,” Gooris said. “We really wanted to incorporate a practice that was giving back to the Earth and a way for people to ground with the Earth.”
The sun allowed for a warm and relaxing yoga practice despite high winds. Gooris said that if the weather was worse, the team would have moved the practice inside to their regular classroom.
Multiple students arrived around noon to participate. A few students nearby had noticed the practice and joined, while others leaving the gym paused to watch momentarily.
The yoga practice consisted of several different series that slightly challenged the body to find a deeper stretch. Common moves such as downward dog, forward fold, chaturanga and cobra poses were all featured.
“We’re going to keep our format for yoga pretty consistent with an extra emphasis on listening to the sounds of nature and incorporating all of our senses,” Goorin said.
Nearing the end of the practice, the instructor incorporated nature with balance. The classic tree poses challenged students to hold their balance as they pretended to be tall trees while transitioning into a warrior three pose.
The final minutes of the practice had students lying with their backs flat to the earth. This allowed the participants to breathe deeply and feel the ground beneath them. The instructor encouraged the participants to close their eyes and feel the energy that surged through the body and the earth.
The practice concluded at 12:45 p.m. Junior nursing major Emily Brownlie spoke about what she enjoyed most about the practice.
“Warrior One was my favorite, it was very relaxing and therapeutic,” Brownlie said. “I also enjoyed the series that they had like the sun salutations.”
VIVI HUGHES is a News and Features Reporter. Hughes can be reached at [email protected].
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