College students are constantly looking forward to the weekend; it gives them a break from stressful chemistry classes and lets them take a nap or two without worrying about late assignments. One of the many activities that has been offered here at Elizabethtown College is sunrise yoga. The class has been offered twice this year so far and the students who attended are anticipating the next potential class. It’s the perfect way to ease into the weekend and prepare for the coming Monday.

The class has either been on a Saturday or Sunday morning, 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. on Wolf Field. It is taught by one of the wonderful fitness instructors at Etown: Alyssa Rio. She offers additional classes during the week, but sometimes, those ones are harder to make it to when students are focusing on classes. The weekend opportunity provides the perfect time for people who are too busy during the week. She flows through beginner and intermediate poses and even encourages those who are willing to try some advanced ones! She’s always sure to tell us how this benefits us and thanks every one of us for showing up to the mat that day.

I personally attended the first class held in August, right when classes were starting up. The Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-Being supplies mats and yoga blocks to the people who don’t have their own, so these classes are a great introduction to the practice. Rio begins and ends her practice with some short reflection work; she encourages us to set a goal for ourselves. My favorite part of the class is that she suggests different variations of each pose, so every person with every level of experience can participate the same. She also ensures variety. She doesn’t repeat the same exact flow every class, so there are new poses to try every time!

First-year Emma Rhoton attended the most recent class on a bright Saturday morning. She said that, “practicing outside in the fresh air is always relaxing and rejuvenating.” Practicing yoga in general is perfect for stress relief and for waking yourself up for the day, so this class takes it one step further by hosting it out in the beautiful morning weather. This event is just the experience that college students need to prepare our minds for the approaching school week.

All in all, the idea of trying something new can be scary, but the yoga classes here are catered to everyone! Everybody is compassionate on the mat and the instructor encourages people to try whatever they want. Plus, the benefits are endless. Whether you want to improve your balance, your flexibility or just engage your mind in something rewarding, I highly recommend signing up to try a yoga class! You can do this easily by going to the Bowers Center Group Fitness schedule on Etown’s website and clicking “register.”