(December 11, 2007) — “ Before taking yoga, I was more easily stressed out and the amount of work I had usually felt overwhelming. I also felt more tired during the day even if I had a full night’s sleep,” senior Andrea Martin said. “After I took yoga I noticed that my mood was less variable and I became more patient. I also noticed a significant increase in my energy during the day and I stopped depending on my daily cup of coffee as much.” She first joined a yoga class because she heard about the positive effects of yoga and wanted to experience it herself. Martin realized that the stretching and resistance exercises that she performed in class increased her mental and her physical strength. For the past few years, yoga and Pilates have been gaining popularity in the West. Celebrities, such as Madonna and Oprah Winfrey, have been taking Pilates for better mobility and appearance. People are also turning to yoga, the spiritual exercise that originated from the Hindu religion of India, as a means of managing stress and maintaining a healthy, balanced body. S enior Hermine Gevondyan also took yoga classes over the summer and joined with a friend who told her that yoga was relaxing. Gevondyan discovered that yoga did relax her and made her feel better. “ I had trouble waking up early in the morning so I was also sometimes grumpy,” Gevondyan said. “After taking the yoga classes, I realized that I was a lot happier and I felt a lot more relaxed. I also noticed that on the days I took the classes, I felt a lot healthier.” Gevondyan felt that while the exercises she performed were challenging at first (because they required much flexibility), the exercises became easier as her endurance increased. Her exercises were done in the dark and she meditated by imagining things that would make her feel relaxed. Yoga has also gained the attention of schools. According to a recent article The New York Times , Needham High School in Massachusetts made it mandatory for seniors to take a yoga class to reduce stress and increase student’s performance. Psychology teacher, Dianna Jaynes also wanted to create a yoga club at Clark. “There are many misconceptions about yoga. You don’t have to bend your body into a pretzel,” Jaynes said. “The goal of yoga is to experience being in the present moment. Many people are too concerned of the past and the future. It’s very relaxing. I love it.” Yoga, meaning “to unite,” creates harmony, health and balance of the body, mind and sprirt. It accomplishes this through exercise, breathing and meditation. There are many forms of yoga but the most common form is Hatha Yoga. It uses Asana, “sitting posture” and Pranayama “breath control” to restore well-being, flexibility and vitality.