Imagine your limbs aching, and your muscles burning as you contort your body into a new form. Now imagine that this feels good and you are getting credit for it. Welcome to Yoga class.
The word yoga is derived from a Sanskrit term meaning “to unite.” Yoga is a millennia-old Indian tradition whose practitioners believe that to live well one has to unite the mind, body and spirit. This is then practiced using a complex regime of breathing, meditation and rigorous exercises
Today, in the West at least, yoga tends to focus on physical fitness rather than following the exactitudes of the ancient traditions. Because of its immense physical benefits, yoga has become increasingly popular among people of all ages.
“When I first started, it was purely for the physical benefits which are amazing,” junior Anna Smith said. “I had a lot of back pain from scoliosis and it really helped with my pain. Yoga is so much more self-contained then going to the gym. You get stronger by working against the resistance of your own body.”
Suzanne Newton, Guilford’s current yoga instructor, started teaching classes in 2004. Originally she only taught one class a semester. To cater to rising demand she created both a beginner’s yoga course and an advanced yoga course. Newton says that yoga gives students with brains cluttered by homework and tough schedules a chance to clear their heads.
“People like yoga for the same reasons they take walks and go on vacation,” Newton said. “There is a classic definition of yoga as the calming of the thoughts,” and calm thoughts are something a college student can always use.
Senior Ben Doyle is a proponent of yoga’s anxiety-reducing abilities. “Yoga helps manage stress in my life, it allows me to step back and keep things in perspective,” Doyle said. “When I focus on my body, petty stresses seem more absurd and comedic. When I practice yoga regularly, I am better at getting my schoolwork done.”
Plenty of students who are not in Guilford’s courses harvest yoga’s healthy benefits. Sophomore Hannah Johnston, who transferred to Guilford this semester, has spent a month becoming a certified yoga instructor.
“I found that after about two weeks here that I was overwhelmed, utterly exhausted,” Johnston said. “I started practicing every morning for as much time as I can. I feel more centered and balanced already.”
There has been no lack of people who share her interest. “I’ve got people coming up to me and we talk for a bit and then they’re like ‘are you Hannah the yoga instructor?’ It’s this weird, interesting web of people. I’ve found tons of people to practice with, which is nice.”
There are many students involved with yoga in one way or another on campus and most of them are female. No one is sure exactly why this is, although it seems to have something to do with the perception of yoga as a feminine activity.
“Maybe it has something to do with a popular association between yoga and aerobics which is popularly considered a feminine activity,” said Doyle, the only male in the advanced yoga class. “Maybe the benefits are more attractive to women then men. It’s kind of a puzzle to me.”
“The number of men in class varies from semester to semester,” Newton said in an e-mail. “I have had as many as five in a class of 20 and as few as one.the men on campus are missing an opportunity to cultivate a life-long physical and mental health yoga practice from a young age.” Newton also expressed a desire to see more athletes take an interest in her courses.