Wellness and Mindfulness Series kicks off with morning yoga
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) - Breathwork, full body stretching, and meditation via sound bath; that's what yoga instructor Leslie Landin said her Saturday morning class focused on.
The class took place in Cleveland Square Spark as the first event of the Wellness and Mindfulness Series from the Downtown Management District.
Participants of all ages were guided by Landin through every stage, beginning with armband stretches to warm up as she directed their deep breathing.
After the warm up, they went in and out of position after position, then it was onto the meditation phase.
Organizers say this series is meant to bring movement and mindfulness to El Paso through outdoor activities.
Yoga instructor Landin said yoga gives you the time to know yourself better more than other practices.
"Nobody teaches us how to have a healthy mind, we're just thrown into the world and told to figure it out," Ladin said. "Yoga, compared to other practices gives us the time to sit down and feel every pose. You feel it, you don't have time to think of other things."
Landin also said being in the moment helps the mental benefits of yoga.
Participants put on eye masks to block the sun while Landin helped them relax with sounds from instruments she brought with her.
"The present moment is underrated, a lot of times we're not conscious of what we're thinking so yoga helps bring yourself to the moment to remind you to breath," Landin said. "That oxygen helps with mental health. The more healthy people are in their mind and body, the healthier society develops."
Something Landin says is more important in today's age of constant stimuli, which is a reason why she added meditation to the class.
"We're definitely overstimulated now, and our attention span keeps getting smaller," she said. "An hour on social media goes by quick, but one hour meditating or exercising feels like a whole year, right? One hour of yoga feels like you've lived for a whole month of goodness and joy and and expansion and presence."
She referred to yoga as a similar experience to 'going on a date with yourself.'
"You know when you meet someone that you're excited to know and you want more of them, It's the same in yoga," Landin said. "I'm excited to know what's happening with me, what's going on today with me. What changed from yesterday? What changed from an hour ago?...Yoga gives me that time to sit down and say this is me, this is who I am."
For information about future events in the Wellness and Mindful Series, you can go to the Downtown Management District's website here.
