Today: Mar 28, 2024

Free yoga offered at the Fitness Center

Adrianna RochesterGeneral Assignment Reporter

Free yoga classes are being offered at the SCSU Fitness Center for students who are non-members. The classes are offered twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays from 12:30-1:30 p.m., according to Denise Zach, instructor of the free yoga sessions.

Zach said, “This isn’t the first time the fitness center has offered these classes, but they’re a great way to get non members involved with the center.”

According to Zach, the classes focus on helping students make mental connections through body and breathing exercises that also help them to relax and put them in a calm physical and mental state.

“Working out isn’t about what exercise is better than the other, it’s all about what you want to get out of it,” she said. “So, if you want to work on building a stronger core or find a workout that helps you relax, then yoga is an exercise that can be for you.”

The types of classes that Zach teaches are the more intense and fast paced yoga sessions that consist of harder poses, such as the extended leg pose, and warrior I and II poses. However, she said she encourages everyone to try the classes for themselves to get a feel for which level of yoga class fits their body needs best.

Senior, Briana Shea, said she buys her gym membership only to take the yoga classes the center offers.

“Since my freshmen year I’ve been going to these yoga classes and I can honestly say they help,” Shea said.

For Shea, she said the yoga classes help her de-stress from her life as a college student and they give her two hours periods to forget about the outside world.

Even though the yoga class Shea usually takes is more on the beginner’s level for members of the fitness center, she said every student should become members and utilize the center’s many workout activities.

“Even if you’re not a member still take advantage of the free classes that are offered,” she said. “Students won’t regret it.”

“Students live such stressful lives being in college, so they need ways to help manage all that stress,” said Lyn Baumgartner yoga teacher for fitness center members.

“These yoga classes are a judgment free zone for anyone,” she said.

Each of the four classes—two for nonmembers and two for members—teaches self-control, Baumgartner said, and the breathing exercises that are designed to help give the body balance.

“Breathing is key and I’ve found these breathing techniques are useful to students outside of the sessions,”  Baumgartner said.

She said students can use to help with anxiety, panic attacks or to just settle their nerves, especially when they have to do presentations in front of a group of people.

“I encourage all students to sign up with the gym,” she said. “Even if all they take is yoga, and for 45 dollars a semester, that’s honestly a good deal,” Baumgartner said.

Photo Credit: Adrianna Rochester – General Assignment Reporter

Latest from Blog

Don't Miss

New Year’s leads to increase in Fitness Center membership

Joseph Vincenzi – Reporter After the new year, some plan to lose

Fitness Center offers students racial healing through yoga

Ellie Sherry — Reporter This month there have been many events centered around