YOGAtta check this out!

Hello, Bruin Movers and Shakers! Hope your quarter is wrapping up nicely as we make it to the end of finals. But just because our brain is getting a workout doesn’t mean we should forget about our bodies! And what better way to get some movement into your day than some free mindfulness yoga? Courtesy of the Healthy Campus Initiative, UCLA offers *FREE* yoga (yes I did say free!) on Fridays, both on campus and on the Hill!

The Flexible Fridays classes I attended were an absolutely refreshing experience! The instructor, Marco, is positively wonderful and makes the whole yoga session relaxing. After signing in, Marco verbally checks in with everyone and then gets on with the show! He does a marvelous job at guiding the participants through different poses and yoga movements. He uses a very positive and cheerful tone that simply encourages students to do their best, while still pushing their yoga limits. The classes, in my opinion, are magnificent, even if yoga is not typically your preferred movement!

Last Friday, I also had the opportunity to speak with a few of the Flexible Friday yoga students about their experiences. Some have been coming for years, while others have only dropped in once or twice. Here is what some Bruin yogis had to say:

“I love that it is good exercise and it feels good after. I like that it always leaves you less stressed than before. It is definitely relaxing and is a time where I can be with my own thoughts. It helps me to feel happier, along with relaxed too. Yoga is also really amazing because along with mental benefits, it definitely has physical benefits, such as preventing injury and strengthening the core.”

“I think that [yoga] helps me become more flexible and less stressed. This class is especially helpful with reaching relaxation because the class is outside, which makes me feel even better. It helps with my mood but also keeps me more active by encouraging movement that is not so work intensive.”

“Definitely helps that UCLA offers free yoga! I don’t want to pay a lot of money when I’m still unsure about the class. Also, if the price is too high, I might not be able to afford it, as the class could be $40/quarter from the Wooden Center. It’s really helpful that I can try out yoga more, without having a huge strain on my budget.”

(All quotes are from anonymous testimonies.)

So if you want to feel the amazing effects derived from yoga (like feeling happier, relaxed, and less stressed) or just want to take your first *FREE* yoga class, please swing by and check out Flexible Fridays!

The classes are:

• 12-1pm at the Court of Sciences
• 2:30-3:30pm at Sunset Rec Lower Lawn/Pool
• 3:30-4:30pm at Sunset Rec Lower Lawn/Pool
• 5-6pm at Hedrick Movement Studio

For more information about Flexible Fridays, check out the Facebook page here!

Tiffany Hu is an undergraduate student at UCLA majoring in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics. She is a blogger for Move Well of the UCLA Healthy Campus Initiative. She is the Assistant Commissioner of the Student Wellness Commission. Tiffany is also the Special Projects and Alumni Coordinator of the UCLA Care Extender Internship.