On Monday, Oct. 29, Guilford students came together in the Community Center for the Sleepy-Time Yoga event. The event was led by the Resident Advisor Self-Care Committee. Attendees were encouraged to come in their pajamas while they practiced yoga and meditation. They were also presented with Insomnia cookies and Sleepy-Time tea. This allowed students to take a break from their busy schedules and engage in self-care with their community.

“Sometimes it can be difficult to structure self-care for yourself, so an important aspect was putting everything together so students can focus on themselves,” said senior Amelia Wellman, a member of the Resident Advisor Self-Care Committee.

The committee worked together to divide the roles and responsibilities. These included making and hanging flyers around campus, purchasing the cookies and tea for the event and putting together a sequence of yoga poses along with a music playlist. For many students, this event as an opportunity to unwind from the stress of classes and assignments.

“I really enjoyed the event,” said junior Laura Allen. “I found the soft music and yoga really relaxing. It was very helpful in providing a healthy way to unwind from a long day.”

This event gave students a chance to pause, reflect and experience growth. Wellman even discovered a hidden talent while leading the yoga practice. She felt like a natural practicing and leading others in the activity.

“I was so proud and humbled all at the same time that I called my family afterwards to tell them all about it,” Wellman said.

Junior and fellow community member Shannon Petsch was impressed with Wellman’s leadership and with the success of the event.

“This experience was amazing. I was so incredibly impressed with Amelia’s leadership and dedication to the program. We had an excellent turn out and it was wonderful to have such a diverse audience,” Petsch said.

Beyond hosting an evening of relaxation, the committee wanted to bring students from different residence halls together, giving everyone a chance to meet new people and foster new friendships. Since they never hosted an event like this before, they had to work hard to make sure all these factors came together.

“I can’t emphasize how much I love working with this group of people,” Petsch said. “They are some of the most passionate, dedicated group of individuals and I am so honored to work with (them). I felt very prepared because of their constant communication, support and attention to detail. (It was) such a great experience.”

Petsch, Wellman and the rest of the committee received positive feedback from participants. Some of the participants asked if there would be more events like this in the future. Some even suggested having monthly yoga sessions.

“I would definitely attend an event like this again,” Allen said. “I really enjoy doing yoga, especially in a class setting. I also got to know other students who went to the event who live in other residence halls.”

Sleepy-Time Yoga helped students by promoting self-care and making time to unwind. Many students walked in feeling stressed and overwhelmed, and left feeling calm and centered.