6 THE TOWER
THE TOWER
April, 2015
HEALTH
Department of Communication Kean University Center for Academic Success 1000 Morris Avenue Union, NJ 07083 Telephone: (908) 737-0460; Fax: (908) 737-0465 Email: thetower@kean.edu; www.kutower.com
Yoga/Hot Yoga vs. Bikram Yoga By Dr. Josh Palgi It is said in the bible “Be still and know that I am God.” In these few words lies the key to the science of yoga. Yoga is an ancient Indian body of knowledge. The word yoga came from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means “to unite or integrate”. Yoga then is about the union of a person’s own consciousness and the universal consciousness. Ancient yogis believed that in order for man to be in harmony with himself and his environment, he has to integrate the body, the mind and the spirit. It’s harmonizing the body with the mind and breath through the means of various breathing techniques, yoga postures (asanas) and meditation. Yoga is about creating balance in the body through developing both strength and flexibility. This is done through the performance of poses or postures, each of which has specific physical benefits. The poses can be done quickly in succession, creating heat in the body through movement (vinyasa style yoga) or more slowly to increase stamina and perfect the alignment of the pose. The poses are a constant but approach to them varies depending on the yoga traditions in which the teacher has trained. There are various paths of yoga that lead toward this good, each one a specialized branch of the comprehensive system and they are hatha yoga, Karma yoga, Mantra yoga, Bhakti yoga, Jnana Yoga and Raja yoga. As yoga becomes increasingly diffuse and diverse, a simple common definition is all but impossible. The different styles of yoga are vast and varied, such as Bikram Yoga and Hot yoga not to be confused mention two. Like with “regular” yoga, hot yoga comes in all kinds of different styles. Bikram yoga is considered the original incarnation of the form. Bikram Choudhury is an internationally renowned yoga teacher from India. He took his system to the U.S. in the 1971 at the invitation of the American Medical Association. Bikram yoga is a combination of Hatha Yoga and other yoga techniques. Any Bikram yoga class lasts 9 minutes and provides you with a set of breathing exercises and 26 unique poses in a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius (95 for degrees Fahrenheit) and 40% humidity. Bikram yoga will teach you how to love your body and treat it with pride. It will improve your balance, flexibility, strength and mental health. It will invigorate and detoxify your body through the release of toxins in your sweat and clear your mind and heal your spirit. Hot Yoga is inspired by Bikram Choudhury, the original hot yoga gura. The yoga consists of a sequence of postures scientifically designed to work into the next posture so by the end of the sequence the whole body is worked out. The heat allows the body to detoxify and cleanse through sweating in addition to making the body more pliable. Hot yoga brings its own external heat source
up a room to around 100 degrees. However, you produce your own internal heat when you exercise (moderate exercise). Hot yoga uses static holds (and some flow) which lengthening specific parts of the body depending on what pose you are in and isometrically contracting the muscles that are keeping you stable.
Check the list that makes a class Hot or Bikram Yoga:
Editor-in-Chief: Bryan C. Kuriawa
• Bikram yoga consists of the same 26 poses and two breathing exercises performed in the same order every class for exactly 90 minutes.
Managing Editor: Kristen dematos News Editor: rebecca panico
• Hot yoga can be comprised of many different poses that vary by class and studio.
FEATURES EDITOR: annalise knudson
• Bikram yoga studios, what Choudhury calls “torture chambers,” must be heated to 105 degrees with 40 percent humidity.
Arts & Ent. Editor: Adilene Rodriguez
• Hot yoga rooms can vary in humidity and are generally heated to anywhere from 80 -100 degrees.
Sports Editor: Mak Ojutiku
• The floor of Bikram yoga studios must be carpeted with mirrors on the front wall and bright lighting.
Online EditorS: anthony muccigrossi Yayona Bangura
• Hot yoga may be performed with dim lights, by candlelight, and on any surface. • Bikram yoga instructors must be trained by Bikram Choudhury himself and their studios must be affiliated in order to be considered true Bikram yoga. • There can be no music, clapping, or hands-on instructor adjustments in Bikram yoga.
STAFF Jamie Alicea Phil Anthony Timothy Awojobi Vera Boateng Nicole Brown Sade Cox Alyssa davis
• Hot yoga often has music playing during the class and is followed by a round of applause. • Students are not permitted to talk during Bikram yoga. • Hot yoga students are allowed to interact with each other and with the instructor. • All Bikram yoga is hot but not all hot yoga is Bikram.
Krzysztof kucza Daris Mendez Anthony muccigrossi ryan norton Marco Rodriguez celeste simmons bhriana smith
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If you are interested in becoming involved in yoga as a way to strengthen both your mind and body, you owe it to yourself to discover more about this unique exercise method. No matter the type of yoga you indulge in, you will be doing great things for your body and soul.
Count the cones on the Cougar Walk By Rebecca Panico You won’t look attractive strutting your stuff down this catwalk -- or rather, Cougar Walk. Kean University’s main thoroughfare, which stretches from Vaughn-Eames Hall to Harwood Arena, has taken a hit after snow and ice ravaged its pavement this winter. The bad weather was nearly a weekly occurrence, as the campus closed its doors five times from January to March. As spring slowly inches forward, traces of abrasive salt still linger on the Cougar Walk as a not-so-friendly reminder of this winter’s grueling conditions. Bright orange cones liter the campus marking loose bricks, large cracks, and uneven pavement. The condition of the pavement is especially troublesome for Kean’s skateboarders and longboarders. Stephanie Marchetti, an education major at Kean, described how she copes as a skater. “I noticed that the bricks are getting more and more uneven and there are certain areas where the bricks are actually out of place in front of the Starbucks,” said Marchetti, who dorms and uses her board to get around campus frequently. “It’s impossible to even skate over. I’ll have to either ollie or jump over it or literally get off my board and walk.” To compensate, skaters are starting to use skateboards with larger and softer wheels to roll over cracks. The heavier wheels may make skating around campus easier, but the trade-off is that performing tricks becomes more difficult. According to Kean’s spokeswoman, Susan Kayne, repairs to the Cougar Walk will be made soon.
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Photo: Rebecca Panico
Try to avoid the cones in the University Center’s plaza.
“The University is committed to making all the necessary repairs, however, the work cannot be done until the ground has completely thawed,” Kayne explained. “Some repairs will be made over Spring Break while pedestrian traffic is light and others will be made on an on-going basis around campus.” More snow fell upon the campus the first day of spring, March 2. All the cones that were put in place early March still remain, with some now tipped over and forgotten. So who will fix the Cougar Walk’s unsightly appearance? According to Kayne, the Office of Facilities and Campus Planning will oversee the repairs and an experienced masonry contractor will head the work. Minor repairs to the Cougar Walk began on March 26, mostly fixing loose bricks. As of publication of this article, most of the cones still remain.
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Parking
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The interactive and audience-collaboration system can allow up to 100 students to post content simultaneously from a variety of electronic devices to the auditorium’s main screen. “A 30-foot-wide by 7-foot-high interactive iTouch wall, planned for Photo: Annalise Knudson the building’s main The view of the North Avenue building from North Avenue and lobby, will allow stu- Morris Avenue. dents to draw, research, play games 1,444 spaces in the Vaughn Eames and search online with a mere swipe parking lot are being used for conof the hand,” according to Gruskin struction. Group’s website. Of the 188 spaces, about 60 spaces Even though the Green Lane buildare being used for the Vaughn Eames ing just recently opened, Ford conScene Shop project, which will be comfirmed that because Kean continues pleted by May, and the spaces will again to grow and expand, it has an ongoing be available to students. The other 128 need for new educational and research spaces are being used for the North Avfacilities for its students. enue Academic Building project. Tyler Piazzolla, a senior Physical “When the project is complete, all Education and Health major, believes but about 10 spaces will be available that it is a good idea for Kean to build to the students once again,” Ford said. the new North Avenue building. “The 10 spaces that will not be avail“It takes away parking, but it’s also able are because we will be adding a good to expand the programs,” he said. trolley stop at the front of the build“The students who are in the program ing.” will benefit further for their educaKean students can expect to find the tion.” building finished when they return to Currently 188 spaces out of the Kean for the fall semester.