Sitting completely still for an extended amount of time is almost a taboo in a society where forward motion seems to be the only constant, but some MSU students are learning how to take time out to do just that.”Yoga, if you take it literally, is a Sanskrit word which means union, and the ultimate reason to do yoga is to join the body and the mind,” said Aneva McMinn, who teaches hatha yoga in the Sanderson Center.
The hour-long sessions, which are held Mondays and Wednesdays at 5 p.m. in Studio C, begin with a short meditation. Students sit straight back so that their spines are aligned. They keep their eyes closed and focus on taking deep breaths. Every part of the body is stretched out, from the toes to the neck. The object is to reach complete relaxation and awareness simultaneously, McMinn said.
McMinn points to yoga, which originated in India 5,000 years ago, as the oldest science of life, and credits improved posture, balance and breathing technique as just a few of the benefits gained from its practice.
“You breathe in rhythm with your movement, or ujjayi [a type of yogic breath],” she said. “It’s a deep breath that starts in your diaphragm. When you inhale, your stomach goes out, and when you exhale, your stomach goes in.”
Before moving to Mississippi, McMinn lived in Greece, where she taught yoga for eight years. She was instrumental in starting Yoga Moves at MSU three years ago. The group is open to anyone interested in yoga.
“Yogic breathing increases vital energy and concentration, and this practice can become part of the students’ lives,” McMinn said.
Yoga Moves president Glenna Wasson started doing yoga in high school when her physical therapist told her how wonderful it made her feel.
“My favorite part about yoga is how good it feels to give my body a good stretch, particularly stretching my legs, because I used to play sports until I hurt both of my knees,” Wasson said.
Wasson describes yoga as stretching the body while maintaining union with the mind.
Barry Youngblood, a fifth year physics major who has been practicing yoga for nearly two years, finds it to be a sanctuary in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
“Yoga gives you time to yourself and allows you to organize your thoughts and be more productive and efficient when you do mental tasks,” he said. “You’ll come into yoga stressed about tests and all that stuff, and you’re forced to clear your mind and breathe.”
McMinn said yoga is practiced in a noncompetitive environment without strain.
“In yoga, this no pain, no gain theory is not adhered to at all,” she said. “Yoga means unity, joining the body and the mind, so if we stress our bodies to the point of pain, we’re doing the exact opposite, setting up a dichotomy between the body and the mind when what we want is unity.”
McMinn said the greatest benefit of practicing yoga is learning how to breathe properly.
“When I started practicing yoga 31 years ago, I was stressed out, and my breathing was shallow,” she said, “but after learning to breathe properly and practicing yoga, my life began to change in positive ways.”
While McMinn said yoga has rewarded her with improved physical aspects, such as flexibility and balance, the greatest rewards have been internal.
She said students should practice yoga on an empty stomach and wear loose, comfortable clothing.
The Yoga Moves class concludes with the corpse pose, a position in which the participants lie in complete spinal alignment with their arms 45 degrees to the side, palms up.
Starting from the tips of the toes, participants focus on relaxing each part of the body one at a time until everything is completely relaxed.