The UTD Mercury

Free hour long yoga lessons were offered in the Galaxy rooms from Jan. 12-28 as part of a 16 day yoga marathon organized by the Hindu Student Council in conjunction with Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS).

Vice President of the Hindu Student Council Aditi Saran, a Cognitive science and psychology junior, practices yoga for 30 to 60 minutes every morning and said she was excited to bring yoga to UTD.

"Yoga is a personal, not competitive, and I think a lot of people feel they must be flexible to do yoga, but that's not true," Saran said. "You do as much as your body will allow you to do."

HSS marked the January 14 Hindu celebration of Makar Sankranti by coordinating Surya Namaskar Yagna 2008. According to HSS's website, "Makar Sankranti is a day that marks a change of season as the sun enters the sign of Capricorn."

The goal for HSS is to have one million Surya Namaskar performed in the 16 day period. Surya Namaskar is a combination of yoga postures which are performed in appreciation of valuable solar energy, according to HSS's website.

The first day of the event brought 15-20 students, but on the remainder of the days 6-10 participated in the morning yoga sessions.

"Yoga calms you down in general so it's just a good baseline to start the day with," Saran said. "Most people wake up with the immediate onset of stress, but if you start from a peaceful level your mind will be clear and you can think logically and not feel hurried."

Saran said the yoga at the sessions was kept to basic positions which included a ten step sun salutation, so less experienced attendees would not find the positions challenging.

"I wanted to try yoga so I could be stronger and more flexible," Melissa Kenfield, a sociology sophomore, said.

She participated all 16 days of the marathon and said she enjoyed her experience.

"The amount there is to know about yoga - both mentally and physically - is amazing, even though trying to learn the order of the poses and timing of the breathing was a bit overwhelming at first," Kenfield said.

The benefits of yoga might be worth the time for some, with yoga said to increased flexibility, increased lubrication of joints, ligaments and tendons, detoxify and contribute to muscle toning, according to healthandyoga.com

"Before the start of this, I couldn't touch my toes without bending my knees," Kenfield said. "Partway through the exercises on the fifth day, I realized that I was touching my toes and my knees were straight - it really is an amazing feeling being able to bend in directions that you never thought you could bend in."

Other campuses, such as UT Arlington, are participating in the national event and Saran hopes that student who took advantage of the 16 day taste of a yoga-incorporating lifestyle will continue practicing yoga on their own.

"Based on how the last week has gone for me, I would definitely encourage more people to do yoga, but not just try it for a day," Kenfield said. "Commit to doing it for a week or two before saying that it's not for you."

To learn more about HHS go to www.hssus.org.

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