By Papa Kojo Ampim-Darko
ampimdar@grinnell.edu
Grinnell College is experiencing a resurgence of interest in yoga, and with four options on campus every week, it’s never been easier to try out the experience.
Ilana Cohen ‘20, leader of the recently reformed Yoga Club, was inspired to start the group after taking a number of other yoga courses at Grinnell. “I got really into yoga and meditation on my own. I took a yoga teacher training course over the summer so I’m a certified yoga instructor now. When I got here, I [took] Jackie Hutchinson’s yoga course three times. … I’m just really passionate about yoga, I want it to be available to people at Grinnell,” Cohen said.
With the many committments that students tend to have, scheduling and other logistics can pose a problem. “I’m trying to make the club more accessible. It’s difficult to find times that I know work for people, we’ve been having them in the Bear Dance Studio. … It went really well for some time,” she said.
Cohen also talked about what makes her club stand out from the others on campus. “I teach more vinyāsa functional movements, core focus, … so I would also say if somebody has been to one type of class, and wasn’t really feeling it, I like to try out a different teacher, because it can be really different. And you know, different things work for different people.”
Cohen also stressed that this club is welcoming to all people of all skill levels and experiences “It’s really just like, free yoga class, [you] meet cool people. … Somebody told me he would be like really scared to go because he’s like, ‘I’m not good at yoga,’ … [but] that’s not what it’s about. I would encourage people to come to the club and an open mind and maybe experience yoga in a way they might not have before.”
Another option for yoga enthusiasts on campus is Minna Mahlab’s Hatha Yoga sessions on Tuesday nights in the Bear. Esther Hwang ‘19, a regular attendant of the class, has been involved with yoga in some capacity from an early age.
“I grew up doing yoga with my mom. … She had one VHS tape she would watch over and over again every week and then everybody would see my mom doing it and just join in, so I heard that Minna had a class, I went and then I kept going, because immediately, I was like, I feel better,” said Hwang.
Hwang also highlighted the importance of Mahlab’s approach to yoga. “The way Minna instructs yoga is about when you leave, how will you take what you have learned about moving slowly and being in tune with your body. … It’s about finding that balance between the line between when something is good for you and [when] it’s uncomfortable.”
Accessibility for Mahlab’s class is also extremely important. “It’s different because sometimes, Minna talks about yoga classes that she’s been to, and how she doesn’t like the way that they focus on not being with the breath but doing these poses, [where] you have to do this shape, but it’s not accessible to everybody, for example, or it’s kind of stiff, but she’s always trying to crack people up like getting us to make weird sounds and yeah, it’s really good,” Hwang said.
Regardless of the club one decides to join as they explore yoga at the College, it’s clear that it’ll be as part of a great community and in an accessible, enjoyable manner.
SPRING 2019 YOGA CLASS SCHEDULE
Mondays 12:15-12:50 p.m. with Monica St. Angelo in Faulconer gallery
Tuesdays 7-8:30 p.m. – Hatha Yoga w/ Minna Mahlab in BEAR Dance Studio (P103)
Thursdays 12:15-12:50 p.m. with Monica St. Angelo in Faulconer gallery
Thursdays 7-8 p.m. Deep Stretch and Yoga Nidra with Jackie Hutchison in Bucksbaum Dance Studio (FIN*181)
Fridays 4:15-5:30 p.m. Slow Flow Yoga with Ilana Cohen or Jackie Hutchison in BEAR Dance Studio (P103)
