EMMA REID, Staff Writer—Often times students go into college hearing the infamous line “college is the best four years of your life.” With this in mind students set out to have the most enjoyable experience, which is not hard to do here at Denison. However, it is easy to get overwhelmed by school work, jobs, clubs, and keeping up with the social scene. It is not difficult to start feeling like a chicken with its head chopped off, running from one activity to the next. This is where the beauty of moonlight yoga comes in.

    This past Tuesday, moonlight yoga was held in Shepardson Hall lounge located on east quad. The class starts at 8:30 pm and lasts around an hour. The instructor, Kritsten Boyles, is a professional yoga instructor hired by Denison to teach Tuesday classes. She is from Columbus, Ohio where she teaches at a yoga studio. The time is a mix of muscle strengthening, various poses, and stretching with a main concentration of breathing intentionally and releasing tension throughout the body. Boyles focuses on teaching her classes in a very holistic way, generating the most benefit for the student. At the end of the class, there is a period called savasana when the students lay on their backs and try to meditate. This can be very challenging as our minds are always processing new thoughts and wandering away. So Boyles takes the time to walk the class through breathing exercises to help them center their thoughts and begin to understand the process of reaching meditation. 

    There are no more moonlight yoga classes scheduled this semester. Students seem to love the break from the busyness of school and would like the classes to continue. John Faller ‘22 said “I really look forward to the yoga classes. They are such a great way to check in with myself and relax.” He is not the only regular wishing the classes would continue, “I am so bummed the classes are over. They make me look forward to Tuesday and I always sleep so well after them,” Elizabeth Sullivan ‘22 mentioned when hearing the classes are over. Another student, Charlotte Koonce ‘22 never took a yoga class before coming to Denison but discovered it as an interest after attending moonlight yoga. “I am so happy I found yoga when I did. It is so beneficial for college students to take an hour out of their day to recenter themselves and get their minds off school.”While there are no more classes on the books now, Boyles wants to come back to teach during exam week, a time when students could definitely use a break.