Getting involved doesn’t have to mean joining a club or group. Think about getting involved by attending events, programs or workshops. This week I attended the Sweat and Learn Ayurvedic Diet and Yoga workshop!
Body Image Awareness Month at The Rec
In honor of February being Body Image Awareness Month, the Rec Center is hosting all kinds of spirited events dedicated to body image awareness. Each week in February is devoted to different themes including: “Love your Body,” “Spice it up,” “Gratitude and Self love” and “Buddy up”. Following each theme, there are several events listed for you and your friends to enjoy!
In addition, for every activity you participate in, you can earn a raffle ticket and be eligible for a prize at the end of the month! You can also stop by the FitWell Suite Monday through Thursday from 4-6 p.m. to check out the Love Your Body Board and grab a free snack!
My experience
I attended the Sweat and Learn: Ayurvedic Diet + Yoga event led by Mahmoud, a Rec Center yoga instructor. This experience was very unique to me because I have actually never participated in a yoga class before. We learned a cool meditation technique that I look forward to using! If you put your thumbs over your ears, cover your eyes with the rest of your fingers, close your eyes and hum, then you are able to block out everything else around you and get in touch with yourself.
Mahmoud also taught us about the Ayurvedic diet. He gave us small tips on how to listen to your body, which I found very useful. For example, if you’re experiencing bloating in your stomach, this means that there is a lot of air in it and in order to solve this problem you need to mix warm water with honey or ginger, which will make the bloating go away.
The main takeaway from this session is that “your body is the best teacher,” states Mahmoud. We should all be thinking about what we are putting into our bodies and listening to them; this will help make us feel better.
About the Ayurvedic practice
Ayurveda is a Hindu system of medicine. It consists of finding your “dosha” type, which is Hindu character type, then basing your dieting off of that. The three dosha types are “Vata” or air, “Pitta” or fire + water and “Kapha” or Earth + water. Each dosha type has different attributes, which is how people figure out which foods are good for their bodies and which are not. To figure out which dosha type you are, click here to take this quiz.
Why should you go
Everyone should step out of their comfort zone and try something new - whether it be yoga or a Zumba class, it felt good to break a little bit away from routine and learn something new. I had no idea how much of an impact this event would make, and I learned a lot from attending this event. A message that resonated strongly with me is that if you eat correctly based off of your dosha type, then you will physically feel better and you will see improvements in your sleep, dieting and you will feel more balanced. As a result, I can now better understand my body and know how to make adjustments if something does not feel right.
Check out upcoming Body Image Awareness Month events at The Rec!
