Newhouse Namaste
Coming back to Syracuse post-Thanksgiving break is hard. I was, and still am not in the mood for all that’s left for me to complete. Nevertheless, I’m putting things into perspective and realizing that my time in Syracuse is quickly coming to an end. Next semester I’ll be interning and finishing my program in Washington, D.C. There are a few things that I’ll miss about Syracuse, but there’s one Newhouse experience that I’ll probably miss the most: free yoga classes.
I’ve written before about things to do on and around campus, but everyone that knows me knows that Mondays at 4 p.m. in the Miron Room have been my sanctuary, my challenge and my most important self-care practice for the past year and a half. I’d practiced yoga before starting grad school, but is was haphazard and inconsistent. Sometimes I’d go to a class and sweat for my life. Other times I’d go and leave feeling emptier than I did when I arrived. I wasn’t sure how anyone truly practiced yoga and got anything out of it.
When I found out about the class offered here at Newhouse, I figured I had nothing to lose because it was free. During the first class, I practiced alongside four other people as Dara, the instructor, calmly walked around adjusting all of us and explaining why we were doing certain poses. I wasn’t completely overwhelmed when class was over, but I didn’t feel like I was in shape to really practice yoga either… I kept going anyway. After a month, I’d not only gotten used to seeing familiar faces, but also felt like a halo of calm followed me after class for the rest of the week. Yoga slowly became a necessity to keep me focused and centered. Mentally and emotionally I felt stronger, and by the end of the fall semester I saw physical gains as well. This routine was so ingrained that in the spring I actively sought out classes around Syracuse to diversify my practice beyond Newhouse, but nothing compared to my foundation with Dara on Mondays.
Fast-forward to the present, my halo of calm has grown to feeling more like an anchor, grounding me through both exciting new experiences and unexpected challenges. Yoga kept me centered amidst the hustle and bustle of navigating French, Dutch and German while living and interning in Brussels this past summer. I even went to a class that was taught completely in French and loved every second of it. When I unexpectedly lost a close friend a few weeks ago, yoga was one of many things that helped me release.
The last yoga class of the semester is this coming Monday, and it’s definitely going to be bittersweet for me to lay my mat down and listen to Dara guide me through poses. Of course this won’t be the end of my practice since I’ve been actively researching yoga studios in D.C. and referring to Dara for guidance. Still, practicing yoga at Newhouse has been a unique, challenging, and rewarding experience beyond the classroom.
