In the last edition we spoke to Stephen Harper about his life of sobriety within the student community. This time we interview Laura Goldthorpe, the Social Secretary of our very own Yoga Society at York and Matthew Rahtz, last year’s President. We discuss the burgeoning population of yogis on campus. Is it any wonder many students are choosing to place academic, financial and social pressures aside in favour of some peaceful posing time?
Why did you take up Yoga?
Laura: My mum got me into it. The style she practises – a branch of hatha – is very different to the Ashtanga and Dynamic Balance offered by uni yoga which has more of a focus on the step along the path to meditation. It helped me find a focus when I was wondering what to do with my life.
Matthew: Having been a bit of a computer addict in teenage years, I had pretty awful posture. Doing yoga, things are gradually improving.
Do you see it as a lifestyle choice?
Laura: It can be. Most of the serious yogis I’ve known have been vegetarian and although I love meat I’ve got a sinking feeling I’m going to be one one day too because for me yoga is about balance, and vegetarianism fits with that a lot more than meat eating. Anyway that’s off topic but yes, it is. Yoga actually means something like ‘union with the divine’ and originated as a way to find peace and stillness.
Where is the strangest place that you’ve ever
practiced Yoga?
Laura: In a circular clearing by Lake Atitlan in Guatemala – there were just two of us and the teacher – and it felt like we were the only 3 people for miles around even though just beyond the trees there was a whole bustling town.
Matthew: On a kayak, in the middle of Scarborough bay. (Didn’t go well – looking upside at the sea while trying to balance isn’t a good idea.)
Are there different types of Yoga?
Matthew: A lot of different kinds! Some place importance on absolutely correct posture, holding each one for 5 minutes in perfect alignment. There are even some you do in a room heated to 40 C!
Can you describe a typical session at Yoga Soc?
Laura: Well Ashtanga Vinyasa sessions involve a lot of movement, and they’re typically very sweaty. Dynamic Balance is a lot more about core strength, but again, fairly sweaty. The best part of a session is when you’re lying down on your mat at the end and you feel all the good energy you’ve just made flowing through your body.
What’s your favourite position?
Laura: Headstand! My mum always told me it was good for you to be upside down and have the flow of your blood reversed but I’m not sure how scientifically accurate that is.. “One who practices headstand three hours daily, conquers time.” – Yoga Tattwa Upanishad. I like doing all kinds of inversions though and a personal goal of mine is the scorpion pose.
Matthew: Downward-dog. The stretch through the upper back is wonderful.
Is there a spiritual element or does it focus on the body?
Laura: For me there is definitely a spiritual element, as my beginnings in yoga were spent viewing it as a step along the path to meditation. Yoga in its origin was about finding peace and stillness more than exercise. But the sessions we hold are also a good workout, and it’s fine to just see it as that. Surfing and yoga go really well together – the muscles you need to arch your back in surfing are developed really well and used in pretty much no other activity. I know some surfers who practise yoga solely for that reason!
Matthew: Depends on the person. With Ashtanga in particular, I think the focus on the body actually forces a very strong focus with the mind – it’s the only way you stop yourself from collapsing, panting on the floor.
Why do you think that Yoga Soc is so popular at York?
Laura: A lot of people tell me they’re hooked after one class on the wellbeing rush and a sense of peace you feel afterwards.
What benefits does it give to students in particular?
Laura: Mental focus and physical relaxation. I guess it reminds me that uni is not the be all and end all. It’s very good for stress.
Matthew: It sounds cheesy, but I think it’s a great way to bring a bit of rhythm and calm to the otherwise crazy experience that is student life. Knowing you’ve got yoga to look forward to every week and feel fantastic and get better helps you stay sane.
Can Yoga help with other challenges in
different parts of your life?
Laura: For me, definitely. I always feel better after practicing and find it helps me focus mentally. One teacher I yogged with in Morocco always used to say: “feel your body thanking you for the practice” and that combines with my mum’s yoga teacher who always finishes sessions saying: “feel the positive energy you’ve created in your body. This is yours to keep, to take with you into the day and coming week.” I think both of them are so true! Taking yoga seriously helps you develop a mental attitude that lets you take things in your stride more, problems are problems and you’ll deal with them.
Matthew: On a psychological level, it makes a big difference to your confidence in yourself. Knowing that you can do what a typical session takes you through, you’re much more willing to believe you can adapt to other challenges.
Is Yoga a sport?
Laura: Yoga isn’t competitive, it’s personal and about what you can achieve for yourself rather than anyone else. Rob is constantly telling us not to look around the class. It’s not about who can contort themselves into the most interesting shape, it’s about the feeling and mental state you create for yourself after a session.
Does the Yoga Society run socials?
Laura: Yes! We aim for 3 a term, we do a lot of group meals to interesting restaurants around York (El Piano, Krakatoa and Ambiente in the past), pot luck dinners, etc.
Would you ever visit an Ashram Eat Pray Love style?
Laura: If I had the time and money I’d like to go to an Ashram. Might give me a chance to try out vegetarianism!
Matthew: I haven’t read the book, but I think in general people place too much importance on where they are. Even if you go to an Ashram in the middle of the Indian mountains, completely changing the place, that in itself isn’t going to change you. Sometimes it can help to be surrounded by people with similar motivations, but isn’t that the easy way? The challenge is integrating it into a normal life.