Yogathon 2019 is an annual event put on by Iowa State Recreation Services and Hindu YUVA that took place from Jan. 29 through last Saturday. 

Yogathon is a national sun-salutation yoga campaign that has been at Iowa State for over five years. Their mission is to promote diversity and combine the western style of yoga, while also providing a holistic approach by involving meditation and other elements of yoga.

“I thought that it might be fun to do yoga with other people,” said Guliz Tokadli, a graduate student in industrial engineering. “I don’t actually really know that much about yoga, so I wanted to see what type of yoga it is.”

The event takes place over the course of two weeks where the Yoga club, the Iowa State yoga instructors and Hindu YUVA work together and hold daily workshops to help students learn basic yoga techniques in preparation for their grand finale.

Resy Verma, the current president of Hindu YUVA, said that for Hindu YUVA, yoga is more than just about stretching, it is a way of life.

Each session typically has around seven to 10 students, while the grand finale is a combination of all the different sessions together.

They integrate simple yoga postures and easy deep breathing techniques for the physical, mental and spiritual well being of an individual.

“I’m here to try and get some more flexibility and see what they have to offer,” said Chelsea Fairleigh-Jones, a professional student with the College of Veterinary Medicine. “I know that there is three different types of yoga and I’m not familiar with all three, so I’m just looking to broaden my knowledge.”

Nora Hudson, the Assistant Director of Fitness, works closely with Hindu YUVA and Iowa State Recreation Services to set up the event and find space to hold it.

“It is a great opportunity for us to present a cultural experience of yoga,” Hudson said.

Verma said that Yogathon is an inclusive event for anyone interested in yoga and learning more about how Hindu YUVA integrates it into their everyday lives.

“Out at the university, we have a group that will come out and either help us with yoga or we will have yoga instructors,” Farleigh-Jones said. “ It was nice to be able to see what is beyond what we have and if there was something that I could do to broaden my practice.”