Gro Huntington and the MU Sustainability Department will sponsor a beginner’s yoga class in Marshall University’s student garden Oct. 1 at 3 p.m.

The class is open to beginners, kids and dogs, and yoga mats will be provided to attendees. The one-hour session will be instructed by executive director of Gro Huntington, Jeannie Harrison.

Amy Parsons-White, sustainability coordinator for the MU Sustainability Department, said anyone who attends need not worry about any lack of yoga experience.

“Most of us (attending) have never done yoga before, you won’t be alone,” Parsons-White said. “Everyone has to start somewhere, why not in a group of like-minded individuals?”

Parsons-White said she will be among those in attendance who are just beginners when it comes to yoga.

“I have a very limited knowledge of yoga,” she said. “I wish that I knew more, but I’m in the beginning stages myself.”

Parsons-White also said the class is one of many activities Gro Huntington and the Sustainability Department have collaborated on over the years, and it is going to focus on the fundamentals of yoga in an attempt to help students relieve stress.

“Too often stressed students participate in unhealthy and sometimes even destructive behaviors to alleviate stress,” Parsons-White said. “I wanted to offer a healthier and more sustainable stress relief option that really works.”

Huntington resident Dylan Parsons said he thinks the program is a fantastic idea.

“It really sounds like a great way for students to take a second and calm down in the middle of the semester,” Parsons said. “Anything like (yoga) that can take you away from your daily responsibilities for a second is always going to be really beneficial.”

Another Huntington resident, Marshall alumnus Chase Bailey, said he shares the same sentiment.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Bailey said. “College can be really stressful, so yoga classes and other ways to relieve stress are so important.”

Bailey also said while it is a little too late for him to reap to full benefits of such an event, he would still consider attending, and he hopes other functions centered around relieving stress become the norm around Marshall.

“I would love to see things like this keep popping up as the school year goes on, because you never know when students are going to need it most,” Bailey said.

Derek Gilbert can be contacted at [email protected].