As we’ve noted here before on FitNotesNH, the yoga classes offered at the Wellness Center attract a broad range of participants in terms of age and ability. Some students can do more than their instructor, according to Janet Archer, long-time yoga instructor at the Wellness Center, while others need chairs or other props, or they could be in class to recover from injury or trauma. Still others attend for the rest and relaxation– a time to get away from responsibilities and commitments and the rat race.
About 70 percent of yoga participants are women, but the genders are probably more evenly balanced during the evening classes currently offered Mondays and Thursdays. Class size can vary considerably, with fewer people attending during summer months and a big burst of people coming in during January (New Year’s resolution time).
“Yoga” is a Sanskrit word related to the words “control,” “yoke” or “unite”—because yoga as a practice seeks to unite body, mind and spirit. Classes consist of a series of moves or “poses” that can improve balance, strength and flexibility. There are hundreds of poses and each one can benefit a particular part of the body. Each of the five instructors currently at the Wellness Center has a unique approach, but poses and postures are the foundation of each type of class.
Archer has noticed that the hardest thing for a newcomer to a yoga class is fear of entering the room in the first place. Participants worry that everyone else in the class knows so much more than they do, that they will look foolish, that others will notice how inflexible they are and will judge them. What they discover, however, is that they are not alone. Each class becomes a gathering of like-minded people who have the same fears and foibles, and doing yoga together provides encouragement, laughter and acceptance, Archer says. “All of our teachers at the Wellness Center promote this kind of acceptance and encouragement in every class.”
Secondly, newcomers may want to push themselves too much to “keep up” with the others. However, the whole point is to pay attention to what your body wants, needs and is capable of doing. Participants need to “look within” for guidance, rather than to any outside authority.
Archer lists these physical benefits of doing yoga on a regular basis:
Mental health benefits:
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