Drumming echoes from the walls and brings the tropical rainforest into the basketball court at the J.B. O’Keefe Fitness Center at St. Thomas University.
A group of people stand on yoga mats and start moving to the exotic rhythm.
Zsuzsanna Szabo-Nyarady teaches yoga dance classes at STU every Sunday afternoon. The class combines traditional yoga with fun, accessible dance moves.
“Yoga dance is based on Meditation in Motion, which was originated at the Kripalu Yoga Center,” said Szabo-Nyarady. She studied with Megha – yogic name of Nancy Buttenheim – the creator of this style of yoga dance.
The classes start with a short relaxation exercise and stretching. According to Szabo-Nyarady’s instructions, the participants move their joints in circles and stretch their bodies from fingers to toes. Afterwards, the group dances to Latin pop, country rock and tribal music.
“The good thing is that everybody can move at [their] own pace,” Szabo-Nyarady said. “There’s no pressure. You can discover your inner dancer. You can dance like nobody’s watching. I lead the class in such a way that allows for individual interpretation.”
Yoga dance is a playful way of creative and artistic expression. Through dancing, the body’s energy centers (the chakras) become activated, Szabo-Nyarady said, but participants don’t have to believe in the chakras in order to benefit from the class. She said students can benefit from better health and fitness as well as strength and well-being.
“It’s a nice break from studying,” she said. “You become more fit, comfortable and centered.”
Miho Akai, an exchange student from Japan, participates in the class. She had never done yoga before, but decided to try out Szabo- Nyarady’s program because she likes to dance.
“It’s good,” Akai said about the class. “It’s fun and I get in shape.”
Besides the yoga dance class, Szabo-Nyarady offers a yoga and pilates course on Mondays from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., a pilates class on Tuesdays from 11:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. and a yoga course on Thursdays from 11:20 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. It’s still possible to register for those classes.
Yoga dance classes take place every Sunday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. until Nov. 17. It’s $10 per class for students and $15 for adults. If you like the class and would like to continue for the rest of the session, you’ll receive a discount on the full-course price. Anyone interested in trying it out can register and get more information at the front desk at O’Keefe Fitness Center, or e-mail [email protected].
