The full moon marks the end of the lunar cycle and is a time for people to release and let go. The Elizabethtown College Bowers Center for Sports, Fitness and Well-being held their first full moon yoga event on Sept. 10 on Wolf Field with instructor Stephanie Hall. The event was offered to all students and provided an opportunity to come together as a group to focus on themselves as individuals.

For an hour, Etown students were able to relax and unwind from the busy college week with friends and other college students. While the full moon was not visible due to cloud cover, the event was intended to bring people together to focus strictly on stress relief, stretching, relaxation and recentering themselves to prepare for the next busy week of classes, athletic competitions and the many other activities that keep the Etown student body busy.

When asked about her favorite part of leading the event, Hall said that she “really enjoys seeing so many new people come to the class since during normal weekly yoga classes, it tends to be the same group of people participating.” The full moon yoga event attracted a class of approximately 40 students. Everyone seemed to be having a good time while releasing stress from the week. Group yoga is a good way for students to connect with each other.

Hall also said that her one biggest takeaway from the event was to encourage everyone to be willing to try new things. There were people participating who had never done yoga before and students from many different backgrounds who may not have known any other participant. Hall said that “it is important to get out of your comfort zone in order to meet new people, let go of stress and take advantage of opportunities on campus.” This is good advice for other things outside of yoga too. Etown students are fortunate to have a college campus that offers diverse programming options and extracurricular activities. Participation is voluntary, but being willing to take a chance and try something new may lead to new friendships, new hobbies or even just a moment of relaxation or enjoyment in the midst of the stressors that college life can cause.

While all of the attendees at the full moon yoga seemed to enjoy the event, one participant was asked to describe her favorite part. First-year Kate Barbon mentioned that “it was really cool to be in a large group of students to enjoy the calmness that yoga produces.” While a lot of the event was quiet and relaxing, it was encouraging to see the students taking advantage of the opportunity to unwind. She said she left the event “feeling a sense of relief and with a renewed energy to face another hectic week.” When asked if she would participate in the event again, she affirmed that she would. She also mentioned that she would love to invite more of her friends in order to help them take a moment to focus on nothing except themselves for an hour.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this first full moon yoga event. There is hope that it continues and grows in attendance as people spread the word to have more events like this. Thanks also to Hall for leading students in yoga and encouraging them to focus on themselves. It can be difficult to prioritize the time to invest in self-growth and reflection when faced with so many demands in life. Yoga is a great way to remember the importance of this. Please consider joining for future events and always seek out ways to participate in other activities that Etown offers even if they take you out of your comfort zone.