Forget about the Gym; UNH Community Embraces Yoga As Sustainable, Accessible and Affordable Fitness

By Austin Sorette

These days college students are turning away from the traditional gym and looking for more stimulating, rewarding and sustainable options to stay physically fit.

So it’s no surprise that one of the most popular modern trends is also one of the greenest forms of exercise.

If you're a college student, it can also be one of the most affordable as well.

Yoga stimulates the body, the spirit, and the mind. No wonder, then, that more and more young people are being drawn in by this ancient tradition.

“There is definitely something cool about yoga and how it looks and feels challenging.” says Lona Kovacs, owner of the Dover based Green Lotus Yoga Studio. “It's interesting to hear all of the things that make people walk through our door.”

Green Lotus Yoga Studio is one of the most prominent, active yoga studios on the Seacoast. Since it's 2009 founding, the studio has offered a way to filter out all the chaos of the outside world through the intensely focused practice of Ashtanga, a system of yoga often couched in terms of promoting the “sustainability of the individual.”

Kovacs believes Yoga's stimulation of the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of life is ideal for the growing minds of the future generation, and the ideal structure for the development of a positive mental attitude.

“Yoga creates a surrounding that influences and supports yourself and your peers,” says Kovacs. “You're building to make better decisions with people and wellness.” And, it just may be this combination of physical and mental benefits that has the university crowd actively practicing yoga; a routine perfect for the often times high stress life of a student working to achieve the best grades.

Inspired by this ethos, Green Lotus has created a program granting college students unlimited studio time in exchange for volunteer work within the community. Called Seva, the program is similar to a work-study program, and gives students a behind-the-scenes look at Ashtanga while helping to improve both the studio and community.

“[The program] allows one to develop a state of mind where work and yoga aren't mutually exclusive,” said Kovacs. “Both are still built on love, care, and compassion.”

Green Lotus also offers discount prices to college students; with little more than a student ID, practitioners can get great deals on everything from a “drop-in” class to a one-month membership and even a one-year plan – the last of which can save students upwards of two hundred dollars. And with many UNH students living in Dover, Green Lotus provides the perfect location for a collegiate practice.

“Green Lotus has always been consistent with college students,” said Emily Klein, a Green Lotus and UNH student. “They do a lot of things to help students pay for classes, which in turn helps build a really strong community and a dedicated outreach.”

Klein, a practitioner of yoga for almost a decade, had been drawn to Ashtanga because of its intense yet consistent practice. Starting back in college, she became an active member in the seacoast yoga community through Yoga East in Portsmouth and, later, Green Lotus.

“There is a lot of support for beginners,” said Klein. “With the kind of strong practice that you get from programs like Ashtanga, you can get into it a little more. The local yoga studios and those involved are practicing yoga on and off the mat. For a lot of people in the community, it really is a lifestyle; one that is very conducive to the stresses of college life.”

Along with their devotion to helping out students, Green Lotus is also committed to supporting its community – the same drive that encourages body and mind to become one is not unlike the desired unity that local businesses want to achieve with one another.

“We like supporting community events and doing retreats for the locals,” said Kovacs. “Raising money for charities and supporting community action are some of the most important things we do. We work actively with farmers, artists, musicians, and vendors to show our dedication to our local community.”

Green Lotus is a business partner with the Green Alliance, a local green business union that specializes in promoting local businesses who are environmentally conscious, and also offers a wide variety of discounted green products and services to their card-carrying members.

Card carrying members of the Green Alliance will also receive discounts at the yoga studio, including thirty dollars for the first thirty days of classes. Additionally UNH students can join the GA for a reduce rate.

“Yoga in general is a 'green' exercise, part of the healthy planet, body, and mind.” said Kovacs. “I want yoga to be for everybody; students included!”

To learn more about Green Lotus Yoga Studio, visit www.greenlotusyoganh.com

To learn more about the Green Alliance, visit www.greenalliance.biz