Twice a week Cal State Monterey Bay students can step away from class work and responsibilities for an hour with free yoga sessions on campus.
Organized by Exercise is Medicine and OtterCare, yoga is offered on Wednesdays (Mountain Hall Dance Studio from 5pm-6pm) and Fridays (Meeting House 12pm-1pm). Mats, yoga blocks and bolsters are provided, so all students need to bring is themselves. To participate pre-registration is required on MyRaft.
At a recent Wednesday session, about 24 people filled the Mountain Hall Dance Studio. Participants ranged in experience with some trying yoga for the first time and others who regularly practice.
Soft instrumental music played throughout the room as instructor Robyn Docanto, also an OtterCare coordinator on campus, guided participants through each movement. As the session progressed, Docanto offered modifications and reminded participants to focus on what felt right for their own bodies.
The practice emphasized the idea that, “Yoga is for every body,” a phrase Docanto repeated throughout the session, and solidifying through variations of movement offered for each rotation.
Rather than focusing solely on physical movement, the practice allows students to slow down. Participants were asked to set an intention of community throughout the practice, uplifting each other as they moved through the hour together.
For CSUMB student Robert Udaldo the weekly practice has become a consistent part of his life on campus.
“The best thing CSUMB has going right now is Robyn Docanto and the yoga program,” Udaldo said. “I have been indoctrinated into the loving kindness of OtterCare, and now I get to come to yoga on Wednesdays. It’s a big part of my life now.”
With equipment provided and modifications offered throughout the practice, students of varying experience levels are able to participate. The free sessions give Otters a space to move, slow down and practice alongside their campus community.