Exercise can take many different forms, from playing on campus sports teams to personal workouts at the ARC. However, staying active can also look like taking classes at Hatha Yoga & Fitness — an off-campus yoga studio and personal training gym in Champaign.
The studio offers six different yoga classes of varying intensities, as well as barre, pilates, strength foundation and meditation. According to Hatha’s website, the practice, which it says translates to “sun-moon” in Sanskrit, focuses on building strength, mobility and flexibility not just physically, but emotionally as well.
Among the team of instructors at Hatha are a few University students who have used teaching as an outlet for their interests in yoga and fitness. These students have also found community, emotional support or career inspiration through their experiences.
Daria Kuznetsova, freshman in the DGS, teaches a sculpt flow class. It combines yoga and strength-training like squats, lunges, bicep curls and core exercises.
“Yoga sculpt is choreographed to music, that’s how you’re instructed — everything is on beat,” Kuznetsova said. “There’s something about that that’s so beautiful in a way … you get put into a trance, and when you’re in the class you forget what you’re doing, and then an hour later you’re like ‘Oh my God, I just did an hour workout?’”
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Kuznetsova plans to someday open her own yoga studio, and her experience working at Hatha has helped her visualize what she wants her own space to look like.
“I’ve always been kind of a leader and as soon as I took my first yoga sculpt class, I was like, this is what I want to do — I need to teach this,” Kuznetsova said. “I DIY a lot of stuff for my class to spice it up, and Hatha gives me the space to do it, so in some areas it’s inspired me because I kind of play around a small setting of what I would want in the future for my own studio.”
Emily Jugovich, junior in AHS, is also an instructor at Hatha, who started as a student looking for both a way to stay active and relieve stress.
“I was just dealing with a lot my freshman year, and I wanted a healthy, productive outlet, so I found myself at Hatha,” Jugovich said. “Yoga had such a positive impact on my life, and I wanted to share that experience with others who also needed that same outlet.”
The way Hatha combines physical activity with emotional release has made it a popular spot for people in Champaign-Urbana, particularly University students.
Although people of all genders attend classes at Hatha, the studio especially draws in women seeking a way to stay active while alleviating some of their stress.
“I’ve watched so many young women walk into the room so stressed out and so tense, whether that be over personal problems that are going on or maybe it’s like, there’s a lot of pressure we put on ourselves to maybe look a certain way,” Kuznetsova said. “I watch these ladies leave feeling empowered, stress-free and confident, and it’s something that I wish I could give to everybody.”
Gina Kagan, senior in Business, started out at Hatha teaching barre classes and says she’s found a community through the studio, especially among the fellow University students who regularly attend her classes.
“(My favorite part) is the community; I love the people that come in. The best part of any instructor job is the people that keep showing up,” Kagan said. “Also, when I’m on campus and I see people that go to my class and they come up to me and tell me how much they love my class. Or it’s like new friendships I’ve made from it, with students and also the other instructors.”
Hatha’s variety of classes ensures there is something for everybody, meeting individuals’ differing needs for physical activity.
Classes can focus on intense workouts, like the more demanding Ashtanga yoga or higher-level sculpt classes. They can also be a more relaxed way for people to simply move their bodies, like the tranquil Candlelight or Yin Yoga classes.
“Working out doesn’t always look the same for everyone,” Kagan said. “Embracing health and wellness doesn’t mean you have to run a bunch of miles every single day. Movement can come in different forms, and it can be a lot of fun. It doesn’t have to be something you’re dreading — it can be something you look forward to.”
Hatha is a bus ride away from campus and open to people of all ages and fitness levels, providing a welcoming environment for anyone looking to move around and find a community of people with a shared interest in yoga.
“A word of advice for anyone who feels intimidated trying yoga: you don’t need to be flexible or fit, you just have to be willing,” Jugovich said. “Every teacher was a beginner at one point. Anyone who’s scared of not being flexible enough or not being active enough, just show up and start because we all have to start somewhere.”
