It’s 8:30 a.m., and the alarm clock pierces the morning silence signaling the start of a busy day jammed with classes, homework, part-time or full-time jobs, sports and other extra- curricular activities. Learning to manage time and to just take the chance to breathe and relax amid all the commotion is a hard concept for college students to adopt.
However, one Ohio State student keeps balanced by practicing yoga two-or-three times a week.
“It really helps to relieve stress and allows you to relax and focus on yourself for a while,” said Jen Ross, a junior in art education.
Ross, who began practicing yoga in high school, said the noncompetitive aspect of yoga is one thing that is most appealing about the ancient tradition, and that it is an exercise anybody can do at their own pace.
“Yoga is an individual based practice,” she said. “There is no competition, and you work with what you can do. You don’t have to push yourself too far.”
Ross personally enjoys the whole package of yoga because it is more than just exercise. She benefits from it mentally, physically and spiritually.
“It clears my mind, but at the same time it strengthens my body,” Ross said. “It also teaches you to accept your body and who you are.”
Darcy Lord, stress reduction consultant and former yoga instructor for OSU, said yoga is one of the oldest, if not the oldest living wisdom traditions in the world. Its origin can be traced back to India somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 years ago. She said while most people think of yoga as a genre of exercise, it is actually much more.
“Yoga is actually a huge system, philosophy or discipline of conscious living,” she said. “When we say yoga, we are talking about a particular branch or part of yoga that deals with movement and postures called Hatha yoga.”
Lord said the three main parts of yoga are the postures and movements, breathing and meditation. The combination of these three parts help individuals benefit in many ways. Yoga helps build strength, increase flexibility and provides a sense of relaxation without feeling lazy.
“Students along with faculty have too much going on right now,” she said. “Yoga really just helps the mind slow down and become clear and focused.”
Anyone who has attempted to take “Yoga 1” knows that the waitlist is in the hundreds. Those students do not have to wait any longer to begin practicing yoga. Starting May 6, Lord will be holding open yoga classes every Tuesday in the Scarlet D room of the Ohio Union. The classes are $8 a session and are offered at 12-1 p.m., 4:15-5:15 p.m. and 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Marianna Klatt, “Yoga 1” instructor and educational coordinator for the Integrative Health and Wellness Initiative, has been practicing yoga for over eight years. Klatt will also be the instructor for the new follow-up course, “Yoga in Depth,” which is slated to be offered this summer.
This new yoga course is designed to further explore the theory behind yoga, the health benefits and the spiritual, meditative and breathing components of yoga. “Yoga in Depth” will meet two times a week and is three credit hours, opposed to “Yoga 1,” which meets once a week and is one credit hour.
“It’s hard to incorporate the philosophy and the postures in meeting once a week,” Klatt said. This way the students get more of both.”
Klatt also said yoga helps center a person in the moment, and the meditation and relaxation techniques learned can be used in other areas of life.
Pam Pfeil, a junior in biology, and Christina Barton, a senior in speech therapy, are enrolled in “Yoga 1” this quarter. Pfeil said the deep breathing exercises she learned help her sleep and can even be helpful before taking an exam or quiz.
At first, Barton was skeptical about taking the class, but Pfeil insisted that she enroll.
“At first I thought it would be corny, but I really do feel more relaxed,” Barton said.
At the end of each “Yoga 1” class the students lay in a corpse pose – stretched out flat on the floor – to relax for five to 15 minutes. Klatt and Lord both said this relaxation period is the students’ favorite part of the class.
Ross, who has already completed the course, agreed. “During the relaxation period it almost feels like you are a little kid again,” she said. “You have a chance to be carefree for a moment.”
Yoga is much more than a series of strange pretzel poses. The word “yoga” means to “unite or connect.” The 1,000-year-old practice helps individuals become centered within their own bodies, but also in their environments.
“For me yoga is a spiritual thing,” Klatt said. “It’s about living mindfully. It’s not like students have to adopt that or anything, but they’re really not getting the yoga unless they understand that.
