By Esra Al-Abduljabar (Contributor) – Email
Being a student can be stressful. Between classes, jobs, and trying to have a social life somewhere in there, it can be hard to stop and find time to relax. But the UFV yoga club has found a way to make that a little easier for students.
There are four students who run the yoga club: Chloe Smith (president), Mia (vice president), Emma Macmac (treasurer as well as instructor), and Nikki (secretary). They also have two additional instructors, Tam and Dasha.
Chloe explained that it was originally Vivian Beard and Asta Nakamora’s idea to start the yoga club in May of last year after attending a leadership conference. Beard and Nakamora saw yoga as a great way to get students at UFV involved.
In order to get people to know one another, the yoga club begins every session with an introduction of everyone who will participate.
“We want yoga to be a social event as well, and not only for fitness and relaxation,” Chloe explained. After everyone has been introduced, the instructor leads participants through relaxing yoga positions.
During this semester, the yoga club has had fewer than 20 people at each session. Although Chloe is happy with the club’s success so far, like any club president, she hopes to expand it in the future by having more sessions during the week.
Chloe says that being involved in the yoga club has taught her many things, not only about yoga but also about being in a leadership position, such as event proposals and how to make connections with different people.
In Chloe’s opinion, the yoga club allows UFV students to get together, and meet new people while taking a little break from studying.
“UFV is known as a commuter campus, so it gives students a place where they can get together and relax,” she said.
Although running a club on campus can be time consuming, Chloe says she finds running the yoga club not too difficult due to the help of her great team members and the support of the Student Union Society.
The yoga club’s weekly sessions are not only a nice break for anyone who’s feeling a little stressed from school, but also a great way to meet people and have a good time. Yoga sessions take place on Wednesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Great Hall in the Student Union Building. They even have extra mats if you don’t have one! Go and give it a try.
