EDC offering free afternoon yoga classes
Danica Taylor, CONTRIBUTOR
The tingsha bells are used at the start and the end of the yoga class. THE PROJECTOR/ Danica Taylor
The tingsha bells chime as Linda Caldwell’s yoga class at Red River College comes to a close. After the lights turn back on, the six participants, none of whom are students, leave the classroom after the hour-long session.
Yoga is the only fitness class offered at RRC’s Exchange District Campus, and despite free admission, many students don’t know about it. Students who do know don’t like the time the class runs.
“I’m tired after school ends, I just want to go home. But if there was yoga at 8 a.m. and I started class at 9, then I’d do yoga in the morning,” said Shelby Joss, an RRC student.
Participants of Caldwell’s yoga class on October 18, 2016 do the chair pose. THE PROJECTOR/ Danica Taylor
Cole Skinner, athletics and recreations coordinator at RRC, has seen this dislike of after-school classes.
“We’ve tried starting evening classes but they’re not well attended,” Skinner said. “The remaining classes average six to eight people during the day, sometimes going as high as 10 or 12. That’s the highest it’s been so far.”
Yoga is the only fitness program offered at the Roblin Centre. Skinner said it’s hard to start new programs at the downtown campus due to the lack of space.
“At Notre Dame, we have the gym, which is where most of the programs are held. Downtown, you only have the fitness room,” said Skinner.
Athletics and recreation coordinators are looking into other solutions for the downtown campus, but options are limited. RRC has teamed up with Sport Manitoba, allowing RRC students and faculty to participate in their spin and yoga classes reserved for in-house staff, as long as they pay $125 for the 12 classes.
The walk across Main Street in the winter may also prevent students from participating in these classes.
“It’s easy to say ‘No, I’m not going to do anything because it’s cold outside,’ but the trick is to find other ways to bring healthy living and being active into your day,” said Caldwell, a fitness teacher for 25 years and a member of Manitoba Fitness Council. She encourages students to take advantage of the facilities RRC has to offer, including the fitness room with its weight machines and stationary bikes.
“If it’s free, try it,” said Caldwell.
Yoga is offered at RRC’s downtown campus on Tuesdays from 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., while the fitness room is open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
