At the beginning of every class, before assuming the poses, or asanas, Hurley helps her students get in the mood for getting mellow. The studio, with its cream-colored walls adorned with stenciled violets, has the look of a Mediterranean terrace that coaxes the 13 yogis away from their worldly worries. New age music plays softly in the background. Hurley advises her students, who sit barefoot in crossed-legged rows, to release all their tension. She is sitting at the front of her room, facing the class.
All eyes are closed.
Relax the need to be anywhere but in this moment. Relax, relate, release Yoga, which originated in India more than 6,000 years ago, is a discipline that promotes physical, mental, and spiritual growth. Once relegated to the fringes of the athletic world, this practice of self-improvement has now become a hip new trend. The resurgence in popularity has also occurred among teens who are looking for effective ways to relieve stress, gain flexibility and increase concentration. For junior Laura Cloher, the YMCA yoga class she took at the beginning of the school year had both a relaxing and rejuvenating quality.