Jennifer Chen never knew what a downward dog, half moon, or sun salutation was.
But after her first few yoga classes, she became familiar with these names by the poses that they represent.
“My experience with yoga gets better each time that I practice,” Chen, a UW sophomore, said. “With each practice I am able to focus on just myself and all the good energy in the room.”
Like many other University of Washington students this year, Chen began practicing yoga as an alternative way to exercise and combat the stressful time of being a college student.
A new outlet for stressed students
In order to share with fellow students her favorite stress-reliever, UW junior Alysha Greig founded the university’s first yoga club, Yogis at UW (YUW) in the fall of 2011. The club’s goal is to make yoga affordable and accessible for college students, and to familiarize members with its mental health benefits. [http://www.facebook.com/yogisatuw]
Greig firmly believes that college people need yoga now more than ever.
“College students are under serious pressure,” she said. “We are surrounded by people who expect us to have a plan. Yoga teaches you to be okay with just being where you’re at. Not worrying about what happened, or what’s going to happen—something that I think a lot of college people spend time doing.”
Since its creation, YUW has been more successful than Greig ever expected. Over 100 students signed up on the first day, so Greig had to adjust her original plans to accommodate more students. She offered more weekly classes, and added workshops that include meditation, acro-yoga, thai-yoga massage, stand-up-paddle board yoga, and mantras and chanting.
“Being in college is stressful,” said psychologist Chris Grant, Associate Director of the UW Counseling Center. “Students come to college feeling like it’s supposed to be the best time in their life—and it can be, but it’s also stressful. There’s a lot of growth and change that occurs during these years.” [http://counseling.uw.edu/]
Grant said that stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship issues are common among UW students who visit the Counseling Center. She said that students burn out after extensive school work and studying, causing a lack of sleep, nutrition, and relaxation.
“Yoga is probably the best stress reliever I’ve found,” YUW club member Chen said. “When I’m stressed I’ll sometimes try to come up with some excuse not to go to yoga class, but yoga class is the best place to just be in the present and away from the busy lives we all have as college students. Through my practice, I’ve learned to find a part of me that is more open and more grateful about everybody and everything that I have around me.”
According to Grant, yoga can center people, make them feel balance, and is meditative.
“People aren’t just students—they have other needs for relaxation, exercise, and connection to others,” Grant said. “We suggest attending to the whole person. We want to make sure they’re getting some benefit and support to their mind-body connection.”
Alternative methods to battling stress and anxiety
In research conducted by Liz Owen, a yoga instructor in the Physical Education, Recreation & Athletics Department at Wellesley College, yoga was proven to ease the symptoms of anxiety and depression. The study, titled “Effects of Yoga Versus Walking on Mood, Anxiety and Brain GABA Levels: A Randomized Controlled MRS Study,” was published in the November 2010 issue of “The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.” [http://web.wellesley.edu/web/detailview.psmlrcFilePath=/content/departments/publicaffairs/news/102610lizowen.xml]
A random sampling of 34 mentally and physically healthy young adults were studied over a 12 week period. One group practiced yoga for one hour three times per week, and one group walked for the same amount of time. The group who did yoga reported more improvement in mood and decreased anxiety than the walking group.
The goal of Owen’s research was to show people that they don’t need prescription drugs to treat their anxieties, but can use healthier and more organic alternative methods.
UW junior Katherine Gwynn, a member of YUW, said that the challenge of yoga is what makes it rewarding. She tries to make is more of a mind/body practice than just a physical work out.
“My whole family has issues with anxiety, and I definitely could see myself falling in that pattern, but with yoga I have been able to combat any anxiety issues,” she said. “It’s an hour where you can just focus on yourself, mind and body, in the day, which is very rare in today’s society.”
Along with battling anxiety, Gwynn has also gained physical and mental strength.
“I have learned that I can sometimes give up easily, but the more I practice, the more I learn to push myself through—not pain, but strength,” she said. “I have also learned to spread peace more throughout my life, not just in the yoga studio.”
[Audio supplement of a YUW member: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErakTl1px2s]
The yoga journey continues
While the majority of YUW club members were new to yoga when they joined, Greig said it’s been a special journey watching the growth of each of her students.
“A lot of students say it’s nice to come to yoga after classes are over and just relax and not worry,” Greig said. “If you do this, it will help you in school too. You’re able to focus so much more after taking a yoga class. A lot of that mental fog we get sometimes clears up and you’re able to just concentrate.”
YUW hosted Yogapalooza, a flash-mob type of yoga event held in Red Square during the week before final exams.
“College students tend to pick up really unhealthy habits when they’re under a lot of stress,” Greig said. “We wanted to have Yogapalooza during dead week, a time where students are typically stressed, as a reminder that there are healthy ways to manage stress. Sometimes it’s necessary to literally get up out of your chair, take a study break and move around.”
Greig anticipates the same turnout and success of the club into next year. Her members will continue practicing yoga as a healthy way to combat stress and the pressures of college life.
YUW is offering affordable summer classes open to all students starting the week after finals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLNBmaEifpc&feature=g-upl
Rejuvenated. Awake. Alive.
That is how fifteen-year-old Alysha Greig felt after her very first yoga class. After that, she was practicing almost every day. Sometimes twice.
“At the time I was dealing with a lot of stress at home and yoga became sort of an escape for me,” she said. “By the time I was sixteen I was addicted. Something about that first class made me want to go back. My mind had never been so clear.”
Now a junior at the University of Washington, Greig has gotten through some difficult years transitioning from high school to college with the help of yoga. She carried the weight of family drama and depression on her shoulders, but found that practicing yoga lifted these loads.
“I would come to yoga with so much baggage,” she said. “Yoga was such an unusual, yet special and sacred time for me to be selfish for 90 minutes and tune out the rest of the world.”
After four years of practicing, Greig took the next step in her yoga career. She stumbled upon a teacher training program at a local studio. She knew this was the perfect opportunity and applied immediately.
The following month, Greig’s world came crashing down when her longtime boyfriend was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Everything else in her life seemed to come to a halt.
Literally an hour after his diagnosis, Greig received an email saying that she had been accepted into the yoga teacher training program.
With nothing on her mind but her boyfriend’s cancer, Greig met with the instructor to explain that the timing wasn’t right. But the instructor convinced her that there was actually no better time to go through with the training—it was exactly what she needed at a stressful, fearful time like this.
“My teacher training is the best decision I’ve made my entire life,” Greig said. “I formed friendships with people that are some of the most genuine I will ever have. I learned how to love myself unconditionally—and that has opened up so many doors for me it’s impossible to even describe.”
Since completing her teacher training, Greig has founded Yogis at UW (YUW) [http://www.facebook.com/yogisatuw], a yoga club for UW students. Her inspiration came directly from the training program and the tight-knit community that it created. The club’s goal is to make yoga affordable and accessible to college students.
“Although we do offer free yoga classes, I try to emphasize to people that the most important part about YUW is the community aspect of it,” she said. “There are a lot of people who get lost at UW—they feel like they don’t belong anywhere. I’ve tried really hard to know all of the members’ names because it can make someone’s day if you just simply remember who they are. It sends them a message that they are important, and you want them here.”
Greig believes that every college student can benefit from yoga. Practicing can relieve all the tension, stress, and pressure piled on to young adults.
“I think that college people need yoga now more than ever,” she said. “People say that college is the time for self-discovery, which is exactly what yoga is. It’s hard to explain until you really start practicing and experience it for yourself, but you learn things about yourself. Knowing who you are is so valuable. It just makes you a better person when you can understand, love, and accept yourself.”
Among many others, the main things Greig said she has learned through her journey with yoga are to love herself, to forgive, to be open minded, and to be patient. Her boyfriend is now cancer-free and life is good for this young yogi.
“I guess in a nutshell I would say yoga has not only changed my life, but it has saved my life,” she said. “So it’s obvious why I am so crazy and passionate about it.”
Most of the YUW club members were new to yoga when they signed up, so Greig has enjoyed watching their growth while experiencing her own. She is currently in the process of organizing Yogapalooza [http://www.facebook.com/events/310042142392615/], a campus-wide yoga event in the spring, along with a YUW retreat for the summer.
“This whole thing is a lifelong journey. It never ever ends. There will always be more to learn from yoga and from life.”
Plastic bags and aluminum cans replaced fabric and thread at the UW’s first ever trash-based fashion show. The Trashion Show was performed in celebration of Earth Day last Friday at the HuskyFest Pavilion in Red Square.
The Trashion Show’s primary focus was to raise awareness to our problematic “one-time use” attitudes about materials in an entertaining way. It also encouraged thinking about how to reuse things in innovative ways.
The Office of Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability (ESS) hosted the Trashion Show in order to change perspectives on waste. Each outfit was made entirely from what we deem “trash”—one dress was composed of plastic bookstore bags, while another was made from used metro cards.
UW junior Adam Fahlstrom, ESS Marketing Coordinator Intern, said that the Trashion Show was expected to be a fun way to illustrate how much waste can actually be re-used outside of ordinary purposes.
“Providing entertainment, the event doesn’t bore passerbys and through engaging them the message becomes more effective, even if these particular re-uses aren’t all that practical,” Fahlstrom said.
UW junior Joshua Cowgill, in charge of Community Environment and Planning for the ESS, organized the Trashion Show to show people how they can get involved in campus sustainability projects.
“I wanted this to be a fun and interesting event where environmental groups, students, and community members could send a message and also promote themselves,” Cowgill said. “There are plenty of things that are thrown away because they are deemed useless, even though they can be reused. Plastic water bottles are a great example. They can be refilled, but people throw them away instead.”
The event attracted students, staff, and spectators. As the fashion show went on, more and more people were drawn in by the high-energy atmosphere.
UW senior Meghin Spencer came to support her friend, who modeled in the fashion show.
“My friend was in the show so I wanted to see her show off her nice trash bag dress,” Spencer said. “I thought it was really cool and I hope they do it again.”
According to the ESS, at last year’s Trash-In, an event where volunteers sort through trash from around campus, only 21% was trash while the rest was either compostable or recyclable.
Spencer said that she does little things to stay environmentally friendly.
“I always try to recycle as much as I can and use small amounts of water when showering and things like that.”
Cowgill said that out of such a large student body, the UW has a very environmentally-focused student presence. However, the hardest part about maintaining a sustainable campus is finding a way for environmental groups to reach out to students.
“It’s actually quite surprising how many students actively seek these sorts of projects,” he said. “Even though there might be thousands of students interested, they don’t inherently know of all the different projects and clubs around the school.”
The upbeat mood of the Trashion Show generated a fun event for audience members and organizers alike.
“The show itself was very organic,” Cowgill said. “I was quite pleased with the outcome.”
Students looking to get more involved in campus sustainability projects or join an environmental group can look into the Office of ESS, [http://f2.washington.edu/ess/] the EcoReps program [http://www.facebook.com/UWEcoReps], Earth Club [http://students.washington.edu/uwearth/], or the UW Farm [http://students.washington.edu/uwfarm/].
Life in a small town is anything but dreary when you’re one of three reporters at the community newspaper.
In the seemingly uneventful town of Issaquah, Warren Kagarise stays busy.
Kagarise is the news reporter at The Issaquah Press, which was recently honored as the best community newspaper in Washington. Kagarise was named News Writer of the Year, which is a top honor for a Washington state community newspaper reporter. [http://www.issaquahpress.com/2011/10/08/the-issaquah-press-is-best-in-state-warren-kagarise-is-top-reporter/]
Hailing from Florida, he had never been to the Seattle area. His advice to us aspiring journalists? Challenge yourself. Move wherever you have to move for a job and don’t look back.
Kagarise gave us some tips on event coverage, a common practice for him. He said that a mundane event can turn into an enterprise piece based on someone you talk to that may have a personal anecdote that creates an interesting angle on the story. An example he gave was of a woman at a fire station opening who came to personally thank firefighters who had saved her life.
At an event, Kagarise said it’s important to give readers a “flavor.” This means telling them the basics—who was there, what were they doing, what was going on. But he said it’s also important to look for varying perspectives to add spice to this flavor. A 12-year-old child will have a much different outlook about an event than a 70-year-old.
Social media is as prevalent as ever in news media, and The Issaquah Press is no exception. Kagarise said that the website is updated daily. Twitter and Facebook are used as platforms for the newspaper staff and consumers to comment back and forth. [https://twitter.com/#!/issaquahpress]
The Press tweets only during breaking news events, Kagarise said. He said that Twitter is a great starting point for sources, but is not a reliable source to take direct quotes from. This means that if someone tweets about something happening in Issaquah, Kagarise can follow up with this person over the phone or in person and then that individual becomes a valid source.
Kagarise said it’s important to get a different angle on an ordinary story. For example, The Issaquah Press covers Salmon Days every year, but with a different take on the story. [http://www.issaquahpress.com/2012/04/10/salmon-days-nets-state-festival-honors/]
I’m really glad Warren spoke to our class. He was friendly, personable and helpful. Community journalism isn’t something I’m particularly interested in, but he made it seem like a great environment for someone serious about reporting.
Entering the field of journalism can be intimidating for a post-grad.
Scratch that. It is intimidating.
But for Ilona Idlis, Almeera Anwar, and Azusa Uchikura, this transition has been an exciting one.
Both are seniors in the UW journalism department, and both have made the most of their undergrad careers. Through various internships and enthusiasm in classes, Idlis, Anwar and Uchikura feel prepared to progress in the journalism industry.
Idlis and Anwar have recently been involved in UW Election Eye. This is a blog created by UW students that follows the national election process and is linked through The Seattle Times’ website.
The duties for UW Election Eye interns vary each day. Idlis and Anwar said that they could never predict what they’d be reporting about. Sometimes the women would tweet all day rather than writing a traditional story.
One story that sticks out for Idlis was about mothers marching against gun violence in Myrtle Beach. She sort of stumbled upon this story while looking for something else, and realized its importance. While larger news organizations were focusing on the larger picture, Idlis decided to go in-depth for an overlooked group of protesters.
Anwar found that the human aspect of politicians was brought out when they spoke about personal issues that affected their opinions. She was proud to share that UW Election Eye was first to tweet that Santorum dropped from candidacy. Anderson Cooper and The New York Times reported this news seconds later.
Idlis said that Seattle is a very like-minded place in regards to politics, and that it’s important for us to know how other places in the U.S. think.
Anwar doesn’t have a desire to report about politics, but said her experience at UW Election Eye was extremely valuable for her journalistic endeavors.
Uchikura is just starting at UW Election Eye. She recently returned from the Olympia 2012 program. While intimidated at first, Uchikura said that she learned so much from the experience. She now knows more about politics than she ever had, and realizes that politics are not all boring.
It was inspiring to see these three women succeed in journalism after taking Com 361. I’ll take their advice and guidance into account when I’m ready to seek opportunities in the industry.
News Consumption Plan
The Seattle Times
I try to pick up a Seattle Times whenever I can- usually at a news stand in the dorms or on the Ave. I try to stay up-to-date with local Seattle publications because I want to enter this work force someday, so I also read The Seattle Weekly and The Stranger whenever I get a chance. Most of the time I pick these up from news stands downtown or on the Ave. Even though it’s so easy to get all my news online, I’m a lover of print journalism and a very visual person, so having a hard copy of this information is always favorable.
The Daily
I work at The Daily, so naturally I pick it up everyday- it has become habitual to always have one in my hand. I usually pick one up at the first news stand that I pass on campus, and read it on the way to class, during breaks, or whenever I have a free moment. This source is how I stay up to date on all the happenings on campus.
The New York Times Magazine online: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/magazine/index.html
This is my favorite source for features and entertainment/arts pieces. I usually read the NY Times online from my laptop when eating breakfast/lunch, or on my iPhone walking to campus. I’ll usually skim the NY Times homepage and news section for the top headlines of the day, then cruise over to this section for fun reads. Some of the stories that I read come from my Twitter feed, where the NY Times tweets brief descriptions and links to a featured article.
Press release distributions
I already receive quite a few press release distributions per week- on my personal email, I get updates on Pacific Northwest concerts, things happening at UW and in my home community of Sammamish, and many other things based on previous purchases or subscriptions. On my Daily email, I receive hundreds of press releases per week from organizations all over the country. The vast majority of these would not be appropriate for a story in The Daily, but sometimes there is one that involves someone in the UW community that we can work with.
>> I also use Twitter on an hourly basis.
lbech361 