The hardest thing to do as a teenager is waking up earlier than necessary and going to school but yoga club seems to be the only exception. Over 30 kids were in the dance studio at seven a.m. sitting on their mats ready to begin.
If you didn’t previously know it was a dance studio you might of mistaken it as a room made specifically for yoga. The aura as you step in the room engulfs you and sets you at ease straight away. With the lights set low and a soundtrack of spiritual music found on youtube, you’re ready to start your journey.
Some sports have taken it upon themselves to go as a group and loosen up as a team for upcoming games and getting a head start for practice. “I don’t know that I would ever try doing yoga on my own but it’s easier to get into it since I was there with my team and my friends.” Nina Yonan, senior, said. But others go for the sole purpose of relaxing and becoming more flexible and calm, “I actually feel more flexible now, like I didn’t think I was gonna like it. It was calming at the end too. At first it was annoying because I could barely touch my toes but by the end I liked it a lot.” Carolyn Dwyer, senior, said.
The class is instructed by Juliet Bluestein, an instructional life skill educator for special ed kids, who is also a certified yoga instructor and volunteered to share her skills through yoga club. “I do this because I feel yoga lends a sense of ease and peace to my soul that I want to share with other people. I have found greater strength with flexibility which I think is wonderful for everyone else to develope” Bluestein said.
Bluestein runs through a sped up routine, starting with some stretching and then going into basic yoga poses such as the downward dog, monkey, forward fold and low cobra. Between each set of pose she returns everyone to heart center to regain stability. As Bluestein has the class go through positions she explains the benefits for each one and even gives background on the name itself. Most of the words in yoga come from sanskrit, which is the language of yoga.
At the end of the class everyone joins and performs savasana, which is lying down flat in meditation and letting your body become aware of the work you just did. “I think it’s a very personal journey when you decide to study yoga because yes there’s the physical component of the asanas but good yoga teachers will tell you that only 10% of yoga is done on the mat and the other 90% is done is your life.” Bluestein said.
So if you’re looking for a way to become more centered in your life, or if you just need a good stretch and a great way to finish the week, come by Friday morning at seven to the dance studio and get your yoga on.
Image: http://www.nhyogamatters.com/7-Steps-to-a-Life-Long-Yoga-Practice-Youll-Love.jpg
