[101] MTSU yoga classes invite participants to stretch, focus starting Sept. 19

MURFREESBORO — It’s time to get limber with the fall 2015 session of yoga and meditation classes being taught at MTSU.

The classes will begin from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, in the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors College Building on campus. The classes will continue through Saturday, Dec. 5.

Instructor Walker Purcell is certified by the Isha School of Hatha Yoga in southern India, which requires some 1,500 hours of formal training above the industry standard. He has visited India four times as part of his professional development, and he has practiced yoga and meditation for 10 years.

“Everything is pretty beginner-friendly,” said Purcell. “Whatever class you come for, you always get a practice to take home with you. It’s very amenable to people of various flexibilities.”

           

The classes, which are open to the public as well as the MTSU community, are designed to accommodate both agile young adults and more mature adults who might have undergone knee or hip replacements.

“Within a single class, we had an 18-year-old student and three 70-year-old faculty/staff and members of the community, and they were all able to get something out of the class,” Purcell said.

Beginning Oct. 24-25, Purcell will introduce developing attention and memory classes, which he hopes will become popular with students hoping to improve their study skills.

Purcell describes the technique as “developing a different kind of attention and a different kind of focus, from within, from the body, from your own system.”

Another offering is Surya Shakti, which is a holistic process geared toward physical well-being by aligning the body with the cycles of the sun.

Prices are $30 for Inner Balance, $60 for Surya Shakti, $65 for Developing Attention and Memory and $70 for Surya Kriya.

A video of Purcell demonstrating yoga may be viewed at https://youtu.be/CuYZPw8kyGs).

For more information or to enroll, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/cala/classes.php or contact Dr. Shelley Thomas at 615-898-5757 or shelley.thomas@mtsu.edu.