Women of K-State’s “Yoga on the Lawn” event took place Tuesday afternoon, but with a twist.
It wasn’t on the lawn.
Originally scheduled for 12:15-12:45 p.m., the exercise break was supposed to take place on Anderson Lawn. However, rain during the night and early morning hours created muddy, muggy conditions, so the event was moved to the Flint Hills Room in the K-State Student Union.
More than a dozen women took just over a half hour to stretch out their minds and bodies under the instruction of Megan Maransani, the assistant director for fitness and wellness with Recreational Services.Related:
Yoga: a workout for mind, body
Maransani took the women through different breathing exercises and poses while music played softly in the background.
“I’ve done a few events with Women of K-State in the past, my first couple of years here,” Maransani said. “They reached out to me to do a yoga-type event of some sort, and I love teaching yoga, so it seemed like a great opportunity to connect with other people on campus.”
Maransani, who oversees the personal training and group fitness programs as well as wellness programs for the Chester E. Peters Recreation Complex, said she likes these types of events and what they mean for students.
“They definitely bring some of the ladies together and there’s always different types of events; it’s not always a physical-based event,” Maransani said. “There are some educational type things, so it’s a great opportunity to bring students, faculty and staff together and learn something they may not have experienced before.”
While there are educational events hosted by Women of K-State, program coordinator Lauren McKnight said they are trying to include more events similar to yoga this year.
“In the past, it’s been more panels and speakers and kind of more focused on professional development,” McKnight said. “But this year, we’re trying to change it up and add more fun or social events like yoga.”
The social subcommittee in the organization came up with the event in hopes to attract students, faculty and staff.Related:
Yoga offers total body workout, focuses on individual abilities
“They just wanted something different, something more women could come during the day, either a break in their school day or in their work day and just come and relax and do something different,” McKnight said.
Most of the students who were in the room said they had done yoga before the event, like Shelby Day, freshman in kinesiology, who said she was looking for another opportunity when the email popped up in her inbox.
“I started doing yoga in my hometown, but I just really liked it when I started doing it there and figured I’d try and get back into it here,” Day said.
She said she had not started doing yoga through the Rec Complex yet, but plans to in the future.
As for Women of K-State’s future, the group hosts events every Wednesday. “WoKS Walks” encourages women to take a 50-minute walk around campus from noon to 1 p.m.
Additionally, the next big event, the Leadership Cafe-Roundtable Discussions,will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 27. Attendees will submit topic ideas and have 20 minutes to discuss a problem facing women with other people at the table. An RSVP is due by Sept. 21.
