Staying flexible

Staff

Published Monday, February 28, 2005

By Linda Kane, Tribune staff writer

When Clemencia Gujral first introduced yoga to Albert Lea, people thought it was some kind of cooking class.

"I went from recruiting people to now where I have a waiting list," Gujral said.

Gujral, a senior herself, has been doing yoga for 31 years and leads a class once a week for senior citizens. Her class encompasses the entire body, starting with the feet and moving throughout the body all the way up to the eyes.

JoAnn Everhard of Albert Lea recently started taking the yoga classes at the Senior Citizens Center and said she can already feel a difference.

"It relaxes me," she said. "I learn how to breathe properly and how to work with my aches and pains.

"My son-in-law has been after me for years to do this."

Now, she'd encourage other seniors to try it.

Lavonne Olson of Albert Lea particularly enjoys the class because it doesn't require work on the floor like many yoga classes. The senior sessions take place in a chair.

She also takes exercise classes twice a week at the center and said yoga coordinates well with that physical activity.

"Yoga's very good to keep all your muscles flexible," Olson said. "It helps with sleeping and everything."

Gujral emphasizes the importance of positive thinking during her class.

"The body listens to the messages of the mind," she told her class last Wednesday. She recommends yoga be done at least three times a week in a quiet environment.

"I love silence. I think when you're quiet, that's when you really connect with your inner self."

Her senior class is relaxed and comfortable as Gujral gently guides her students through the exercises.

"Start in an attitude of gratitude," she told them. "Bring to mind all the blessings that we have. It creates a beautiful energy that can heal your body."

Breathing is an integral part of yoga and Gujral constantly reminds her students to breathe deeply while participating in yoga.

"Stiffness is illegal in my class," she said. "You have to be nice and comfortable and relaxed. Yoga is such a wonderful, wonderful therapy."

Gujral encourages people at any age to get involved in yoga. She said one of her more rewarding experiences involved watching a yoga class whose participants were in wheelchairs.

"The visualization of the stretch was very therapeutic," Gujral said.

Members of the Senior Citizen Center can join the yoga class for $1 per class. The classes are held at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays. The next 10-week session begins March 23.

Sign up at the Senior Citizens Center office or call 373-0704 for more information.

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