Yoga it Out at GSDM
Since November, 2015, Ms. Jennifer Cooper, a Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) Patient Coordinator, has been leading special yoga sessions on most Fridays to all staff members at GSDM as an interest group within the School’s Staff Forum.
Ms. Cooper’s yoga sessions, called “Yoga it Out,” take place on most Friday’s in room G-718 of the School of Dental Medicine from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. While the “Yoga it Out” sessions last an hour, staff members (of all skill levels) are welcome to join at any time that their schedules permit.
Ms. Cooper has been a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) since 2011 when she completed the Yoga Alliance’s 200-hour RYT training program. After becoming a RYT, Ms. Cooper taught yoga at various locations and, in 2014, opened her own yoga studio in downtown Wichita, Kansas (her previous city of residence) which she closed down shortly before moving to Boston in the summer of 2015. At this studio, Ms. Cooper and her staff of certified yoga teachers taught about four classes a day, seven days a week.
Ms. Cooper says one of the reasons she loves teaching yoga is that she gets to introduce yoga to people who wouldn’t otherwise try it.
“I love bringing yoga to people who are scared of yoga,” she said.
The “Yoga it Out” yoga sessions at GSDM started in November of 2015, less than two months after Ms. Cooper began working at the School as a Patient Coordinator. She initially got the idea of starting a Staff Forum interest group focused on yoga at the 2015 Staff Forum Fall Meeting and Social, at which Staff Forum Representatives urged staff members to create their own interest groups.
After working with Staff Forum Representatives to get the ball rolling, the first “Yoga it Out” session took place on November 20, 2015. Six sessions have taken place since then, and five more are scheduled between March 4 and April 29. For a complete schedule of all “Yoga it Out” sessions in the spring of 2016 click here.
At noon on most Fridays, you can find members of the GSDM staff from all offices and departments in room G-718 practicing yoga. Ms. Cooper—at the front of the room—instructs the GSDM staff members on how to perform various yoga positions, all of which are designed for beginners of all ages. Ms. Cooper says the theme of the “Yoga it Out” session is to “be mindful, even when your mind is full.”
“The response from the staff has been wonderful,” said Ms. Cooper. “Staff members of all skill levels come to yoga and have a great time while relaxing and staying healthy.”
While the “Yoga it Out” sessions currently take place in room G-718, Ms. Cooper said that this may change if more staff members become interested in the sessions. In the late spring and early summer months, the sessions could be held outside, perhaps on the Talbot Green.
Ms. Cooper also instructs yoga at various locations around Boston and is working to create a mobile yoga instruction group in the city.
For more information on the “Yoga it Out” sessions, please contact Ms. Cooper at jenncoop@bu.edu or visit the Yoga it Out webpage.