Natasha Parekh took a deep breath and swan dived forward until her spine ran parallel to her legs.
The 25-year-old school psychology graduate student was one of seven students enrolled in the Art of Living Youth Empowerment and Skills Workshop that began Thursday evening.
The Art of Living is a national self-development program.
The class is sponsored by YES+ Gators, a UF organization that centers around stress management techniques for young adults.
“I see it as an overall wellness camp,” Parekh said.
The workshop is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m on Saturday and Sunday in the Reitz Union.
For $250, students can put stress aside for the weekend in a room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the amphitheater.
Nitin Garg, a volunteer weekly instructor, brought in two teachers from Miami for the session.
He said students will learn breathing techniques, yoga poses, games and meditation.
“It’s a very beautiful combination,” Garg said. “It makes students look inside themselves and gives them peace and meditation.”
For Parekh, yoga runs in the family.
She said her dad, sister and younger brother all completed the Art of Living workshop.
She said her father is a licensed yoga instructor.
“With all the violence going on,” she said. “People our age need to start taking better care of their wellb-eing and mental health.”
Contact Colleen Wright at cwright@alligator.org.
Camille Mekwinski, a 20-year-old UF environmental engineering sophomore, attends a holistic breathing course at the Reitz Union on Thursday evening.
