Lie down with your palms raised and toes turned out, take a deep breath, and repeat to yourself, "I love my body."
This was the essence of this year's Mind and Body Week, hosted by the Lerner Health and Wellness Center which offered free yoga and pilates classes to students.
The class schedule included past favorites like aromatherapy yoga and instructor Gregory's muscle pumping pilates classes. The addition of love your body yoga classes, which focus specifically on appreciating one's own body, add a unique dimension to the yoga experience and fall in line with this year's theme-eating disorder awareness.
"We are going to be covering the mirrors in order to allow people to focus on their inner strength," said Melissa Hendricks, assistant director of Recreational Sports at the Health and Wellness Center. "Through this event we hope that people become aware of what a 'healthy' body actually is and ways they can maintain that."
Freshman Lindsay Rosenwald agreed that Mind and Body week helps promote positive body image, especially since the mirrors are blocked out.
"It sounded relaxing and I have a test later," said Rosenwald on why she attended her first yoga class at HellWell during Mind and Body Week.
Hendricks said about 60 percent of Mind and Body Week attendees are new to the yoga classes.
"The biggest thing is to open up yoga, to help students tap into a different side of fitness," she said.
"I think it's a really good opportunity for people to look beyond health and fitness and develop the mind and body aspect of heath," said senior yoga instructor Nathalie Wessel, who began to frequently practice yoga her freshman year.
Practicing yoga has numerous proven health benefits, including improved balance and flexibility, lowered stress levels and even reeducations of pain.
Josh Bloomberg, a freshman, enjoyed his first yoga class, despite admitting he felt nervous beforehand.
"I'm here because I had back surgery and I've been going through rehab," Bloomberg said. "People told me yoga is good for that."
This was the essence of this year's Mind and Body Week, hosted by the Lerner Health and Wellness Center which offered free yoga and pilates classes to students.
The class schedule included past favorites like aromatherapy yoga and instructor Gregory's muscle pumping pilates classes. The addition of love your body yoga classes, which focus specifically on appreciating one's own body, add a unique dimension to the yoga experience and fall in line with this year's theme-eating disorder awareness.
"We are going to be covering the mirrors in order to allow people to focus on their inner strength," said Melissa Hendricks, assistant director of Recreational Sports at the Health and Wellness Center. "Through this event we hope that people become aware of what a 'healthy' body actually is and ways they can maintain that."
Freshman Lindsay Rosenwald agreed that Mind and Body week helps promote positive body image, especially since the mirrors are blocked out.
"It sounded relaxing and I have a test later," said Rosenwald on why she attended her first yoga class at HellWell during Mind and Body Week.
Hendricks said about 60 percent of Mind and Body Week attendees are new to the yoga classes.
"The biggest thing is to open up yoga, to help students tap into a different side of fitness," she said.
"I think it's a really good opportunity for people to look beyond health and fitness and develop the mind and body aspect of heath," said senior yoga instructor Nathalie Wessel, who began to frequently practice yoga her freshman year.
Practicing yoga has numerous proven health benefits, including improved balance and flexibility, lowered stress levels and even reeducations of pain.
Josh Bloomberg, a freshman, enjoyed his first yoga class, despite admitting he felt nervous beforehand.
"I'm here because I had back surgery and I've been going through rehab," Bloomberg said. "People told me yoga is good for that."
