A total of twe
nty staff members from the Graduate School (SPs) of UGM participated in a Yoga session held in front of the Graduate School Building at UGM on Friday, November 22nd 2024. Typically, Friday mornings are filled with group exercises, but for the past two weeks, the group exercises have been replaced with Yoga, and this marks the second week, after the first session was held in the same location last week.
The regular Friday morning exercise activities are a routine event at the Graduate School of UGM to help employees maintain physical fitness amidst the numerous tasks they have to complete each day. This is also the aim of the Yoga session.
Yoga, according to Wikipedia, is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning “Union,” symbolizing “Union with Nature” or “Union with the Creator.”
In addition to these two goals, Yoga can also reduce or even heal certain physical complaints if practiced regularly and consistently. As explained by the Yoga instructor on this Friday morning, Leliana Yuni Astuti, or often called Leli, from Imogiri Bantul, Yogyakarta:
“Yoga is actually good for those who have issues with their body, such as problems in the waist, back, legs, knees, shoulders, scapula, including asthma, vertigo, and breathing problems, of course, each with different movements according to the complaint. Besides breathing, the muscle stretching movements are beneficial,” she said.
“Yoga, although not a cure, can help address discomfort in the body through muscle stretching, including breathing exercises. But it does require patience and perseverance,” she added.
After the Yoga session, one of the participants, Ariyanti Winarsih or Ari, was guided to perform movements to relieve discomfort in her lower back. “It hurts, but afterwards, it will feel comfortable,” she said.
Yoga also provides a quicker reflex response in sudden situations, such as slipping or falling. The Yoga session at SPs this morning was still at a basic level, as almost all participants had never practiced Yoga before.
This activity is also aligned with the implementation of SDG Goal 3 on Good Health and Well-Being, Goal 16 on Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, and Goal 17 on Partnerships to achieve these objectives.
Author: Arni Wistiatun
Editor: Ana Anggraini