Students get active while winding down at Goodnight Yoga
The Independence Blue Cross Student Recreation Center, fondly known as the IBC by Temple University students, hosts a myriad of different group fitness classes that are accessible to all students.
The most popular of these classes is Goodnight Yoga – a group yoga class instructed by Claire Hirst, second-year Physical Therapy graduate student, on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at 8 pm.
“It’s a really slow yoga class that’s meant to help students relax and stretch everything out. It’s also a really nice stress reliever,” said Hirst.
The class has recently soared in popularity, causing an additional class added to the 2023 Fall group fitness schedule. In some instances, students are turned away from the class because the maximum attendance is 55. Hirst believes that the rise in participation is due to many reasons, but mainly because of the time and the needs that this class meets.
“It’s late at night, so a lot more people are free, and I think most college students are stressed, so it’s a nice way to combat that,” said Hirst.
Though an increase in flexibility and mobility is the main purpose of most yoga classes, Hirst believes that what is most important is the mental health factor of it.
“At Goodnight Yoga, there’s a lot of time for self-reflection in meditation and breathing exercises. Moving at a slow pace while connecting it to your breathing and focusing on yourself is good for your mental health,” said Hirst.
Layla Jafferis, a freshman Psychology major, started attending Goodnight Yoga because she wanted to get back into the activity after participating in high school. The slow pace of it appealed to her.
“It’s very calming and a good way to get exercise in. It’s just a lot of fun to do,” said Jafferis.
Jaffries loved her first experience with this class, and she was determined to make her attendance a weekly occurrence.
Natalie Knox, a junior English major, felt that attending Goodnight Yoga would be a great way to end her workout for the night. She saw many others follow this same routine.
“I thought that it’d be a great way to wind down after I finished my workout. I actually see a lot of people at the IBC doing this,” said Knox.
Students believe that Group fitness classes are incredibly beneficial. Many find that the group atmosphere allows students to feel more relaxed. Going with friends can also make the workout experience more fun.
“I feel like a lot of people are embarrassed or feel awkward to work out by themselves, but doing it as a group makes it feel a lot less intimidating,” said Jaffries.
Knox believes that group fitness classes are great for students who were athletes in high school but aren’t continuing this into college. She also commented on the nostalgia factor that comes with group fitness.
“We’ve been doing group fitness classes in some capacity our whole lives. There was the excitement of P.E. in Kindergarten to joining after-school sports teams in high school. Now that we’re in college, having group fitness classes like these helps kind of bring back that fun we all experienced in getting exercise with a group,” said Knox.
Goodnight Yoga is a resource for students who want to get active in a relaxed environment while practicing mental well-being.
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