To linguistics sophomore Natalie Kalafatis, yoga is about more than stretching and painful-looking positions, it’s about relaxation and becoming balanced with one’s self.
Saturday morning, students and adults began stretching out yoga mats across the floor of the Union, preparing for the MSU Medical Yoga Jamboree — an event where people could experience a variety of yoga styles as well as get medical questions answered by yoga professionals.
“We have been holding this event for 20 years,” said MSU Medical Yoga Administrator Rob Eschbach. “Depending on the weather, we usually draw a couple hundred people to this event.”
The” MSU Medical Yoga Club”:https://www.msu.edu/~medyoga/ emphasized simple yoga techniques during the jamboree so more people would be able to participate in the event. From low-impact yoga, to the traditional style of Rishi Amar and a question-and-answer segment, those attending the Yoga Jamboree were able to see a wide range of what yoga offers.
“We wanted to get our name out there and let people know that there can be a cure for their ailments with yoga,” said Eschbach.
No experience was needed to participate in the jamboree and it was free to anyone who wanted to join in on the festivities.
The Lake Superior Room at the Union was filled with 17 people during Rishi Amar’s “Finding your inner chakras” class. Those in attendance were taught how to loosen muscle groups and to allow their chakras to open. Chakras are part of an Indian thought that there are centers of spiritual power within the human body.
“It can have a spiritual effect,” Amar said. “Yoga can alleviate many medical problems and relieve stress, it’s a wonderful thing.”
With various positions, those attending the event were able to activate their solar plexus, a grouping of nerve cells located behind the stomach. The instructor informed the students that working to loosen their solar plexus’ would help fix digestive problems as well as reduce their appetites.
“People can and have used yoga to overcome chronic medical conditions that modern medicine can’t even touch,” Eschbach said. “It’s about becoming balanced.”
Some use yoga as a way to prepare themselves for an upcoming test or to get themselves ready for their trip to the gym.
“It definitely helps reduce stress,” Kalafatis said. “It relaxes you and helps you to focus, not to mention it’s addicting.”
Those attending were taught to breathe deeply and to isolate the muscle groups that would alleviate any discomfort that they were previously feeling.
“I had taken yoga classes with the (MSU Medical Yoga Club) before and I really liked them,” Kalafatis said. “I try to make it to as many of their weekly events as I can.”
Amar emphasized to his class the importance of yoga and the benefits that it can have if they continue to do it.
“When you take care of yourself through yoga, you can fix all kinds of problems,” said Amar.
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