On Sunday, Sept. 29 the Student Union Board (SUB), in partnership with ND RecSports, hosted their annual yoga on the quad event. Students gathered on the south quad for a beginner-friendly morning yoga session with a scenic view of the Golden Dome. Following the session, participants were treated to smoothies to cap off the experience, making it a refreshing way to recover from Saturday's game-day festivities.
Senior Madison Chambers taught the Sunday class. Chambers is a yoga flow instructor at Notre Dame who enjoys teaching because it offers physical and mental health benefits that can not always be gained from other workouts.
“Our main goal with Yoga on the Quad was to spread wellness. We just wanted to spread the idea that fitness and wellness is definitely accessible for everybody,” Chambers said.
Yoga is a practice that combines physical postures, breath control and meditation to promote overall well-being. Regular yoga practice can improve flexibility, strength and balance, while also reducing stress and enhancing mental clarity. It has been shown to boost immune function and improve cardiovascular health, making it a holistic approach to physical and mental wellness.
“I think that yoga is a very nice workout for a lot of different fitness levels. It can be very versatile, which I like for athletes, or even people that just want to get in the gym. It is a great way to get a good movement for the day,” senior Colleen Murdock said.
Murdock teaches sculpt’d yoga for RecSports. She was first introduced to yoga in her high school physical education class and continued taking classes during her first year at Notre Dame. Ultimately, she decided to enroll in a program through RecSports to get her teaching certification.
As mentioned, SUB took the initiative in hosting this event to promote health and wellness, but that is just a bit of the work they do.
“SUB hosts on-campus events with the whole idea of student engagement. We just like to do things, whether it is stress relieving or entertainment, just those things where students know that they can have an escape from studying and take part in these fun events,” senior Maya Mehigan said.
Mehigan is deputy director of the Department of Health and Wellness in student government, chair of SUB's Community Engagement Committee and secretary of Active Minds Club.
Mehigan is passionate about promoting mental health awareness and views events like yoga on the quad as an integral part of that mission.
Students looking to get more involved with SUB’s wellness initiatives can join at the beginning of the school year or participate in activities throughout the semester. Freshmen can also engage through the ’First Look Into Programming’ (FLIP) or other campus committees.
