Glow yoga gave University of New Hampshire (UNH) students an opportunity to become mindful and relaxed practicing yoga under Thompson Hall while wearing glow sticks and supporting the end of sexual and domestic violence before Take Back the Night last Thursday night.
Through a collaboration with UNH Campus Recreation and the Sexual Harassment & Rape Prevention Program (SHARPP), glow yoga was planned and is exactly what it sounds like. At the event there were glowing, purple lights making a perimeter on the grass where the yoga was and everyone was provided purple glow sticks to wear in support of ending violence and supporting National Domestic Violence Awareness month in October. There was also lots of apple cider to combat the cold.
Campus Recreation Coordinator of Fitness Margaret Rodgers told The New Hampshire that glow yoga is very popular at other universities; thus, they decided to bring it to UNH for the first time in support of Take Back the Night, an annual march against sexual and domestic violence at UNH. While glow yoga was advertised both on social media and with fliers in the recreation center, it was still a small crowd compared to the many people that participated in the Take Back the Night march.
Campus Recreation yoga instructor Elyse Harris began glow yoga by discussing the importance of ending sexual and domestic violence and then went on to explain why mindfulness is vital to healing for many people.
“Yoga is the perfect vehicle for healing,” Harris said.
Harris instructed everyone that they would be standing most of the time to keep warm in the cold air and made sure to explain every move to the yogis.
Senior environmental conservation and women’s studies major Hayden McDermott said that they thought “it was cool, definitely cooler than their other yoga classes.”
Harris, a UNH alumna, said that she enjoyed teaching glow yoga because it was for a good cause and she likes to bring yoga outside the studio for a more relaxed ambience. She said she attended Take Back the Night when she was at UNH.
Junior nutrition and dietetics major Alex Papadakis, who works at the Hamel Recreation Center, said, “It was so relaxing and so nice to be outside.” She was also attending Take Back the Night and thought it was cool that UNH had glow yoga for the first time and hoped they will hold it again in the future.
