Yoga For Every Body
During the 2019-2020 academic year at the University at Buffalo, the Office of Inclusive Excellence along with various campus partners sponsored a range of inclusive yoga events through a yearlong program entitled Yoga for Every Body. These events brought visibility and awareness to issues of inclusion through yoga.
On this page:
Ongoing Events
Chair Yoga
Date & Time: Every Wednesday through December 2020 (Links to yoga videos will be emailed each Wednesday morning)
Intended Audience: UB Faculty and Staff
Chair yoga is similar to a universal yoga class however, a chair is incorporated with each pose. When standing poses are included in a Chair yoga class, the chair is used to help with and improve balance. Chair yoga may also include pranayama breathing techniques and meditation to promote focus, mental clarity and relaxation. Visit here to register.
Presented by Human Resources and Recreation & Intramural Services
Mindfulness Meditation Tuesdays
Date & Time: Every Tuesday, 12:00-12:45pm (via Zoom)
Intended Audience: UB Faculty & Staff
Join Christopher Wilson each and every Tuesday for a 20 minute guided meditation to restore your body, reduce your stress and calm your mind so you can perform at your best. For more information, and to register, visit the HR Virtual Workshops webpage.
Sponsored by UB Human Resources
Yoga to Manage Moods
Date & Time: Thursdays, 1:00-2:00pm (Online)
Intended Audience: UB Students
A co-ed Hatha Yoga group that provides a holistic approach to mood and symptom management. Using a combination of gentle physical poses, breathing and relaxation techniques, this group allows participants to feel more connected and balanced within the body and mind. A trauma sensitive, person-centered approach will be utilized and no previous yoga experience is necessary. Please contact UB Counseling Services at 716-645-2720 and ask to speak to a counselor about joining the group.
Sponsored by UB Counseling Services
iRest Meditation
Date & Time: Tuesdays, 2:00-3:30pm (Online)
Intended Audience: UB Students
iRest meditation recognizes that we interpret our human experiences through our constantly changing thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations.This yoga-based meditation practice also incorporates psychology and neuroscience in training group members to welcome and engage these changing states while in a relaxed state. Members will learn to focus and release attention in a way that cultivates concentration, letting go when feeling stuck and tapping into their unchanging wholeness of Being.This can lead to a stronger sense of feeling secure and safe with themselves, while also feeling more connected to themselves and others. No previous meditation experience. Please contact UB Counseling Services at 716-645-2720 and ask to speak to a counselor about joining the group.
Sponsored by UB Counseling Services
Remote Yoga & Wellness Resources
These are virtual resources offered by the yoga and wellness specialists that either visited UB for our Year of Yoga, or were planning to visit before COVID-19 cancellations. Stay tuned as we reschedule some of these terrific speakers!
Dianne Bondy
Dianne's Youtube Channel with yoga videos where she breaks down classic asana and makes the poses more accessible
Dianne's Yoga Blog with short video tutorials and other content on wellness, and on her new book
Michelle C. Johnson
Podcasts with Michelle C. Johnson on activism, yoga and social justice
TEDX Talk by Michelle C. Johnson entitled "There is No Neutral"
Sharon Salzberg
Podcasts with Sharon Salzberg on wellness, and on her new book
COVID-19 Resources from Sharon Salzberg, including a survival guide, a lovingkindness meditation, and links to other resources
Matthew Sanford
Mind Body Solution's Hub has videos with mind-body insights, stories of transformation, adaptive yoga teaching/training, and full length yoga classes
Fall 2019 Events
Fall 2019 DIFCON: Yoga, Meditation and Cultural Appropriation
This Difficult Conversation (DIFCON) event focused on the variety of debates and controversies surround the growing popularity of yoga and meditation around the globe. In particular, some are concerned that yoga in the West has developed into an elitist, anti-diversity practice. Panelists and attendees discussed the following question: Is practicing yoga and meditation a form of cultural appropriation? Can these mindfulness exercises be practiced in more culturally appropriate ways?
