Photo courtesy of Creative Commons
Sofia Galiano/ Asst. News Director
A monthly treat for yogis returns this week, getting their mats and water bottles outside the recreation building and on the lawns near the bay.
The second installment of “Yoga by the Bay” this term is on Friday, Feb. 6, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., on behalf of Student Health Services’ Wellness Center and Biscayne Bay Campus Recreation.
“When you’re outside, the air is much cleaner, clearer and fresher,” said Bonnie Quiceno, Rec Center yoga instructor of 15 years and founder of the University‘s yoga program. She added that the air quality is an integral part of breathing.
Quiceno said that several years ago, outdoor yoga classes were held once a year. Roughly a year ago, the Wellness Center asked her to host classes outside each month due to its popularity and attendees have been requesting outdoor sessions more and more ever since.
She said being near a body of water like the Biscayne Bay, or at the top of a mountain, is the ideal place to do yoga because it is where you will find the best air.
Joshua Carrasco, a Rec Center employee and Higher Education graduate student, said that is the reason why Campus Recreation also found outdoor yoga sessions a great idea.
Carrasco attended his first and only yoga class in 2012 and said it was a great way to recuperate and release his weekly stresses.
Students like Beth Whitman, a Marine Biology graduate assistant who has attended Quiceno’s classes for over two years, said the classes held outdoors are a unique experience, but the teacher makes it that much better.
Whitman said Quiceno is her favorite instructor, remembering attendees’ names and catering to each person’s needs.
“She’s awesome, and I’ve had a lot of instructors,” said Whitman, who has practiced yoga since 2007.
Occasionally, Quiceno incorporates Chakra Sound Bowl Meditation, which is a technique used to tap into a person’s chakras through various vibrations and sounds.
She said there are new people in her classes, so she may refrain from bringing the bowls to avoid intimidating fresh faces – just depends on her mood.
If it rains the day of the class, yoga is held in the Group X Studio in the Rec Center.
However, Quiceno said her yogis will withstand almost any weather conditions.
“There are breathing techniques to warm or cool your body,” she said.
Other than being surrounded by nature, Quiceno said the most beneficial component to her classes has been the sense of comradery among her fellow students.
She said teaching yoga at FIU for so many years has allowed her and her yogis to build lasting friendships, forming their own yoga family.
“I don’t know what the University does, but they must bring in the most amazing human beings on the planet,” she said.
“Yoga by the Bay” is held the first Friday of each month. However, Quiceno teaches yoga four times a week in the BBC Rec Center, not including Thursdays or weekends.
A full schedule of yoga classes, including other Group Exercise classes, can be found on the BBC Campus Recreation’s website at bbcrec.fiu.edu.
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