Stretching across the globe to the other side of the world is the birthplace of yoga, India. Yoga had been practiced for thousands of years to counteract mental tension and stress, something with which high schoolers have experience.
The Outdoor Yoga club was created by seniors Olivia Bullock and Hannah Karst this year. After Bullock and Karst traveled to India with the club sponsor, health science teacher Kathryn Barnett, they decided to take the practice of yoga to the high school.
“I just wanted to start the club so more people could learn about yoga and how it could help their bodies,” Bullock said. “In high school everyone experiences a lot of stress from all the AP tests. I just feel like it gives students an opportunity to go and do something fun.”
Both Bullock and Karst knew that Barnett was an avid yoga practitioner and came to Barnett with the idea of starting a yoga club. Barnett has practiced yoga and said she believes that it’s beneficial as a health measure.
“It’s a great way to become more centered [and] it’s a great way to exercise and get toned and flexible,” Barnett said. “When I was in India I did several yoga classes [and] it was kind of cool to practice yoga by the Himalayas.”
That experience inspired Bullock and Karst to create an outdoor yoga club as opposed to an indoor one.
“It’s more peaceful [outside] and you can hear all the nature, and the natural light is also better [because] it just relaxes you,” Bullock said. “Yoga is basically connecting with your body and spiritual mind, basically releasing all that energy inside of your through different poses, [so] you can release the tension inside your body.”
Senior Genevieve Pages found out about the club after talking with Bullock.
“I have been doing yoga on and off for about a year-and-a-half now,” Pages said. “I started practicing yoga to alleviate the pain in my back and neck from my scoliosis and I also wanted to become more flexible.”
Meetings begin with Shavasana and meditation where students lay on their back and connect with the body and soul. They then do a variety of positions that help flow with the body. The meeting ends with Shavasana and meditation again.
The Outdoor Yoga club meets every fourth Monday at 4:45 p.m. at Celebration Park for an hour. The next meeting is Oct. 15. The club is open to both students and faculty members. Anybody interested in joining can contact Barnett by email @[email protected].
