On any given day, you can see Loggers roaming around campus with a yoga mat somehow strapped to their person.
On Monday and Wednesdays, those yogis are probably coming from the yoga class taught by Tiffany Fields in the Fieldhouse. Fields teaches two sections of yoga, the first at 10:00 a.m. and the second at 11:00 a.m. Due to the popularity of the class and the huge wait-lists that form during registration, a third section has been added for Spring 2011. Giulia Leggett, a current student of Field’s 10:00 a.m. class attests to popularity of the class. “I’m new to yoga this year, but I have really enjoyed the combination of meditation and movement with my body, not to mention I feel way more flexible,” Leggett said.
The class provides students the opportunity to step back from the hustle and bustle of the day and take time for themselves. Some students have expressed critiques of Fields describing her voice as harsh and her manner somewhat unapproachable compared to other teachers they have practiced yoga with. However, a yoga teacher and their personalized class are like ice cream flavors: some suit your tastes more than others, but none is “better” than the next.
In addition to the yoga-for-credit class offered on-campus, the yoga club has recently teamed up with the Expy to offer two yoga classes a week. Abi Phillips, who is a co-organizer of the yoga club along with Micaela Cooley, said that “teaming up with the Expy has been a wonderful thing because the room is packed every Thursday night… Last year I think people were confused by the changing location for the club and turned off by the small spaces we found to practice in.” The Thursday night session became so popular that a Tuesday morning session at 9:00 a.m. was added and is taught by Evan Skamarock. Phillips said that they “mostly focus on asana (pose) practice, usually including pranayama (breath work), vinyasas (pose sequences/flows) and a time for shivasana (relaxation/meditation)” and “the best way to get involved is to just show up!”
The “yoga trend” can be seen off-campus with the many studios which have been in the area for several years and by all the new studios popping up. Source Yoga on 21st Street just celebrated its 5th anniversary and is always packed for Saturday and Sunday morning sessions where you leave feeling relaxed and smelling of lavender. It is the perfect way to begin or end (or both!) a weekend. Some new studios on 6th Avenue include Samdhana Karana, which offers affordable classes on a sliding-pay system, and Ashtanga Yoga Tacoma, which has an introductory course for beginning-yogis. Both studios’ class schedules can be found online.
There are many different styles and instructors available in the surrounding neighborhood to practice yoga with, but no matter your skill level or time commitment, there is definitely a yoga class for you. In a fast-paced college environment, time to breathe and relax can be extremely beneficial to your health as well as your academic success.
[PHOTO COURTESY / KEVIN CARLTON]