What is Yoga Club?

Portage Northern’s new Yoga Club has gained a lot of attention from students and teachers since it first started. Yoga Club began in October and the leaders of the club are Megna Joshi (11)and Kyra Kothawala (11).  Yoga Club meets every month, usually on Thursdays, from 3-4 in the community room. The club has become a hit and many students come to it in order to enjoy a relaxing experience with their friends. The club is taught by Carolyn Freeman, who has been a professional Yoga Instructor for seven years and currently teaches at Intentional Yoga. “My favorite thing about teaching yoga is seeing students begin to understand the power of the breath and how good it feels to connect breath with movement,” said Freeman.
Why was Yoga Club started?

“I started doing yoga about two years ago, and I realized that Yoga made me feel relaxed and helped me distress. Yoga was a way for me to clear my mind and make me feel good. I realized that I wanted to share this feeling with other people,” said co-founder, Kothawala (11). She along with Joshi started Yoga Club in order to share a way to relax with students at Portage Northern. “We think it is important for people to try yoga,” said Kothawala . “ I think it was a good departure from a normal workout routine, and I did things I have never done before,” said first time yoga club participant Zaid Ahmed (9).

Can anyone do Yoga?

“It’s something that everyone should be doing on a daily basis to keep their body healthy; the atmosphere at Yoga Club is quite calming and relaxing which allows you to take your mind away from things in your life that are stressful,” said Ryan Melgar (11). Yoga is a something that is easy, fun and can keep you healthy without working out intensely. “Before I started doing yoga at school, I didn’t really do yoga much, but this [yoga club] really made me realize the importance of yoga,” said Zainab Fayazz (9). Yoga is something anyone can do and it is easy and fun to learn. “I’ve always wanted to try yoga club because it sounded fun, and it is!” said Breanna Greer (11).  Yoga club is not a strict atmosphere- it is more a place for people to relax and enjoy. “I love teaching Yoga Club. When the students come in, there is a busy chatter buzz throughout the room as they are still full of energy. It is so fun to witness students move from this busy high energy to a more centered and grounded state,” said Freeman.

Why should you come to Yoga Club?

“ I love coming to Yoga Club when I can!” said Madz VanWinkle (11). The club is meant to be a relaxing experience and not a intense workout. A typical Yoga Club meeting starts with light stretching which leads into a little cardio and ends with “Savasana,”  which is pretty term for lying on the floor. Another reason students like to attend Yoga Club is because it costs no money. Thats right, it’s FREE! “Yoga club is free and I don’t have to pay for a Yoga Class. The instructor is brought to me and I dont have to go to them,” Collin VanBuskirk (11) stated. Yoga Club is also a great way to breathe and relax after a stressful day at school.“The worries of the week flow away and I have an hour without stress,” said Sullivan Cummings (11). People of any age with any body type can do yoga, even people with no background in yoga at all. “I have little experience with yoga, but it sounded so relaxing and this [yoga club] was the perfect way to try,” said Abbie Burtis (12).  Yoga also has great health benefits like increased flexibility, increased muscle strength and tone, better focus, prevents cartilage and joint breakdown and improves your balance. “Yoga increases muscle mobility and stretching through various poses and routines, it is more of a workout than you would think but everyone should give it a shot,” said Melgar.

Where can you find out about Yoga Club?

Yoga club meetings are displayed on the monitors in the hall and are said on the announcements. If you want a place to relax, stretch, and hang out with your friends, bring a yoga mat and come to Yoga Club