Yoga with Buckeye Paws Therapy dogs, during Pets and Vets on July 19, 2023. Credit: Courtesy of Haley Poole
Ohio State’s Alumni Association is hosting their first Buckeye Day of Wellness event at the Longaberger Alumni House Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., a day packed with activities, free refreshments and other amenities.
Buckeye Day of Wellness is a day meant to solely focus on health, both mental and physical. The Alumni Association has planned a full-day schedule, where registrars have the option to attend 45-minute classes doing yoga, strength training with Pilates, barre and more, per the registration page.
The event is $10 per class. If a registrar wants to commit to multiple, it would be $10 each time, said Lauren Isaacs, an event planner for the association.
“The price is for mainly everything they are receiving and the class,” Isaacs said.
Haley Poole, another event planner for the association, said the event is a collaboration between several organizations.
“We also are going to have our friends from Sports Med come and do strength testing and kind of give you what type of exercise will benefit you the most,” Poole said. “We also have our friends from [the College of Education and Human Ecology], who are going to come do body scans and go over results as well.”
Poole said the event is not limited to physical activity. She said there will be coloring sheets, a sound bath — which is “an experience where you’re immersed in deep sound vibrations, according to the Cleveland Clinic — and therapy dogs from Buckeye Paws, which are free to all, because prioritizing the mind is just as important for one’s well-being as physical activity is.
Reflecting on the event’s broader impact, Poole said wellness plays a strong role in achieving both academic and personal success. With the help of the Alumni Association, Ohio State can provide access to those who need a starting point in their wellness journey.
“Wellness is such a huge part of everything we do, and I think it’s kind of a base for your life,” Poole said. “Your physical and mental health are so important, [they] affect aspects of your everyday life, whether it’s work or personal. So, giving people access to [resources on] how to focus on those wellness pillars and how they can improve their own wellness, making it approachable, [is important].”
The event instructors are almost all Ohio State alums, making it an interactive experience for both the alumni and students involved in the event. Poole said wellness has grown astronomically in popularity, and the Buckeye Day of Wellness is trying to cater to the influence of these alums, allowing the event to flourish.
As the Buckeye Day of Wellness prepares for its first wave, Poole said the Alumni Association seeks this inaugural event to bridge communities through the importance of health and mindfulness.
With the alumni instructors taking charge, she said Ohio State is fostering a new sense of company in wellness. Attendees are invited to redefine wellness on their own terms. She said everyone needs a starting point.
“Community, reset and opportunity,” Poole and Isaacs said in unison. “That’s a nice sentence.”
