Writer: Mikaela Gray
Cherry Goo, a yoga instructor with BYU-Hawaii’s Educational Outreach program, said, “Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self,” a line from The Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scriptural text.
Goo said how she has seen students grow and develop in her classes. “I’ve seen students get strong and flexible, more accepting of themselves, and become non-judgmental of others. I’ve also seen others who have overcome their fears. Students have cried in my class. They learned to really let go.”
The Educational Outreach classes are open to students and community members. Susan McCarthy, a community member from Kahuku, said she has been practicing yoga since her 20s, participating in BYUH’s Educational Outreach program for 10 years. “It helps to center you spiritually and emotionally.” McCarthy explained how yoga has helped her take care of herself, which allows her to take care of others.
Andrea Marlowe, a sophomore from Idaho studying biomedical science, said she has been practicing yoga for five years. “It’s a really good way for me to relieve my stress, find my balance, […] and clear my mind.”
Marlowe’s, Goo’s, and McCarthy’s stories of yoga’s emotional benefits align with a study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrated Health. This study found that yoga may help alleviate anxiety and depression.
Some people might be hesitant to attend a yoga class because they are not flexible or have never done it before. However, Goo said flexibility and skill comes with practice. Yoga is “just like any exercise,” she said. “If you consistently practice, it is beneficial in helping strengthen and tone the body. It increases flexibility.”
McCarthy shared the physical impact yoga has had on her life, in part by comparison to other non-yogis near her age. “I can touch my toes,” she said. “I can put my whole hand on the floor and half the people my age can’t even get to their knees.” According to McCarthy, yoga has helped her health, stamina, and her physical center of balance.
Cheyenne Wing, a TESOL sophomore from Idaho, said she initially got into yoga due to her deep interest in Buddhist and Hindu culture.
According to Wing, the yoga classes are suitable for beginners. Since she had a neck injury, she said this class was a good fit for her. “It’s a little bit more simple, so I like this one. Not because it’s focused on Hindu culture like the one I used to go to, but because it has been good for my injury.”
Another study sponsored by the NCCIH postulated, “A carefully adapted set of yoga poses may help reduce pain and improve function like walking and movement as well as reducing heart rate and blood pressure.” Marlowe said she is considering integrating her interest in yoga with her future career as a physical therapist, creating a sort of sisterhood between the two.
There are other styles of yoga that Goo teaches at BYUH, said McCarthy. “There are stability classes,” McCarthy explained. “They’re something where if you start you can do it for a long time, and it will increase your balance all your life.”Stability yoga uses varieties of yoga balls with a focus on mastering balance. “Balance is something you need during your lifetime because you see a lot of people my age falling because they just don’t have the balance,” said McCarthy.
Goo spoke of how some of her students have gone on to become yoga instructors themselves. She professed this to be a sign of the positive effects yoga has had on their lives.Goo teaches yoga twice a week in the evening in the dance room of the Old Gym.