I know I said that I’d be doing the 20/20 class for this week, but it’s only offered twice a week (Mondays at 11:15 and Tuesdays at 5:45), and it couldn’t happen before today. Sorry for anyone who was super curious, if anyone even reads this to begin with. Since I didn’t get to a new fitness class and scheduling is coming up, I thought I’d tell you about the for-credit yoga class Kines 77 instead.
Song of the week: Fix You by Coldplay
Healthy Food: Urban Garden salads 🙂
What You Need: workout clothes, your own mat if desired
For anyone who thinks yoga is just a bunch of stretching, I challenge you to try one of the yoga classes at Penn State. While it’s true that yoga involves a lot of flexibility work, it also works on strength throughout the body, overall concentration, and better breathing. The best thing about taking the for-credit yoga class is that you take it three times a week instead of once like in some other paid classes. If you can’t take the official course, there are fitness yoga classes offered almost every day.
I want to preface my yoga experience with the fact that I’m very inflexible and I’m not very strong. I had practiced yoga before, but in freshman year of high school, so I was out of practice. If you’re like me and considering joining the yoga class, be forewarned: it can hurt a bit. A typical ‘flow’ in practice is called a Sun Salutation, and the different varieties of this practice involve moving from planks through back and leg stretches through lunges and balancing postures. For a few hours after class, I’m usually sore or shaky, but it’s the good ache where you know that you did something good for you. I have noticed that I’m somewhat more flexible after practicing for half a semester, and I can definitely hold the poses for a longer period of time than I initially could.
The for-credit class focuses on more than just postures though, because it’s supposed to teach all of yoga, including components of mental health. We don’t work on this in class as much, but the course does include 3 reflective essays about personal work in mental practices. The first was about using yoga techniques to reduce stress, and the second is about implementing the idea of ahimsa or nonviolence into everyday life. They’re meant to improve our minds by forcing us to recognize where we have inner problems, what the roots might be, and how we can rethink things to be more positive or relaxed. The essays aren’t difficult, but self awareness isn’t fun to practice.
Here is what you can expect from one of the classes I’ve been to. Almost the whole class will probably be seniors since it’s one of the most popular health gen. eds and fills up very quickly. In class, be prepared to sweat from muscular exertion and to not be able to do many of the postures perfectly. The class is generally set up in a nonjudgmental atmosphere, so if you struggle there’s nothing wrong; generally other people are at about your skill level too, though others have different strengths. For me at least, the class has a comfortable atmosphere that I see having positive effects on me, physically and mentally. If you need a gym class and can schedule early, I recommend this course.