Yoga in DLSU: Stretching the possibilities

In a fast paced academic program such as the one that De La Salle University offers, students are always on a hunt for that perfect outlet for their stress. Besides the other luxuries presented to college students nowadays, yoga has been the recent trend for its unique ways on finding balance, strength and inner peace.

Just recently, the second floor of the Enrique Razon Building at DLSU has become the home of Yoga+ Express where several students are welcome to unwind.

Best of both worlds

Studio Manager of Yoga+ Express and DLSU alumna Roxanne Piad says that yoga allows its practitioners to acquire both physical and mental benefits.

“It’s actually good for building or toning up your muscles and because you’re actually carrying your own weight most of the time, yoga introduces the physical benefits of the flexibility, good balance, and just strengthening your bones,” Piad comments.

“…Balance poses really need a lot of mental clarity. Once you have that mental stability or mental clarity inside, you get to focus more as you step outside the mat,” says the four-year practitioner.

In addition, Yoga is one of the best ways for DLSU students to spend their free time. Piad recognizes the cluttered schedule of students and comments that doing Yoga would complement their activeness during classes, “The good thing about Yoga is that after every class, you still feel very energized. That’s one thing I love about Yoga, I don’t feel drained or draggy.”

The former La Salle student further remarks on one of the essential skills that yoga practitioners possess, “Yoga creates more flexibility. They always say that flexibility is strength. So the more flexible you are, the stronger you are. Because the more flexible you become, you are less prone to injuries. That’s just another thing about it.”

A balancing act

With Yoga+ Express being a separate firm, the studio and its facilities are also available to the general public, including alumni and outsiders. Some nearby residents also find it convenient to have a place to practice yoga, considering that beforehand, the nearest yoga studio was a 45-minute drive away. Working people need yoga for their personal well-being and having a place to practice Yoga closer to home would ease their schedule a little bit more.

Katherine Atienza is a teacher at Yoga+ Express and is a proud La Salle alumna as well. She expressed her delight at introducing yoga to more college students. “I wish they had this when I was still in college here. I feel like it is such a good idea to already teach college students about yoga. Most of us picked up yoga later in life so I’m very happy about it,” says Atienza.

She further explained that college students are experiencing the transition from being teenagers to becoming young adults. Subsequently, duties such as homework and thesis writing can take a toll on a student’s mental and physical health and yoga can help a student in managing these sources of stress.

In a sense, the idea of Yoga could come off as very intimidating, especially for beginners and those who are merely looking to venture out for new hobbies. “I’m going to be honest. There are no judgments in yoga. The good thing about yoga is that it has a great community. There are lots [of practitioners] here that have practiced together, and actually became friends. And that’s how we build and hopefully expand that community here at Yoga+ Express,” Piad concludes.