By: Felicia Chua Sui Jin
Edited by: Crystal Hong
Photos by Natalia Chioang
UStretch and Pose, the latest addition to the series of USP Special Projects, took place last Monday in the Crespion Function Hall at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Professor Christina Chung, a Philosophy professor, conducted a yoga class for USP students as well as faculty professors with an interesting twist – incorporating philosophy with yoga.
“Yoga focuses not only on the physical part but also heavily on the emotional aspect, it is really about being present and noticing your experiences”, said Prof Christina. She kick-started the session by sharing her own inspiration for picking up the art of yoga. While she was in graduate school, Prof Christina met with an accident which left her unable to exercise and run for a period of time. During that period, she came across yoga and turned to it for comfort as she saw it as a more peaceful form of sport.
After the insightful and motivating sharing session, Prof Christina began demonstrating a few yoga poses for the class to follow. Graceful and poised, she executed the moves effortlessly, her years of experience clearly showing. Although there were many students who were amateurs in yoga, Prof Christina taught the class patiently and slowly, ensuring that everyone could learn at a comfortable pace.
“Yoga is actually pretty strenuous for those doing it for the first time, I was expecting it to be more [about] flexibility instead of physical ability”, said Rhonda Toh, a year 1 Sociology student. She expressed how trying out yoga was actually very different from watching others do it.
Dr Rebecca Nichols, one of the USP professors who joined the session, felt that the class was conducted very well for students who are trying out yoga for the first time. Although she has been practicing yoga on her own for six years, she felt that Prof Christina’s class offered something unique as the discussion on philosophy presented a different view on the art of yoga. “I think [it was] really fun for the students and faculty members to get together and have a professor in our community teach us something different from what we would usually be doing with her”, said Dr Nichols.
Nearing the end of the session, a short meditating session of five minutes was conducted. With the lights turned off, everyone laid supine on the floor with their eyes closed, focusing on their senses. The sound of steady breaths filled the air, projecting a sense of peace and serenity amidst that silent darkness.
“Meditation allows you to have time with yourself to converse and reflect, it really calms you down. I think that after this session, I may consider meditating during times when I feel stressed out,” said Xiao Zi Bang, a year 1 Public Policy and Global Affairs student.
The session ended on a high note with everyone feeling inspired and satisfied, both mentally and physically rejuvenated. Crystal Lim, a year 4 Business student, felt that the session was an eye-opening experience and she agreed with Prof Christina that yoga is an emotionally enlightening journey. She said: “Yoga is about finding the balance between the body, mind and soul. It’s about learning the value of patience and finding your true self.”
