Prolonged periods of work or study can cause physical and mental strain. Free online yoga sessions offered by the Brock University Library encourage students, staff and faculty to take a midday break to mindfully move.

Library Yoga sessions are set to take place from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. on select Wednesdays over the next several months. Liaison and Collections Librarian Chelsea Humphries developed Library Yoga in fall 2020 as a wellness program to help the Brock community alleviate some of the stress of studying and working remotely.

“Yoga in a library might sound a little unusual, but thinking of libraries as spaces for research, reflection and insight, yoga might just be a perfect fit,” said Humphries, who is also a certified yoga instructor. “Yoga is an introspective practice that grounds us in our bodies and minds in the present moment. The physical practice of yoga asana is intended to prepare the mind and body for meditation. Similarly, I believe it can help us to be more mindful in our research — creating space in which we can pause, process and prepare for academic experiences.”

Library Yoga is an easy-to-access and beginner-friendly program designed to take place in any space without any equipment or special clothing. Attendees do not appear on camera and may choose to have their microphones on or off. Variations for standing, seated and reclined postures are provided. Although no props are required, it may be helpful to have a chair or mat available for seated stretches or postures.

Humphries said yoga offers many benefits to participants, including relieving stress and physical tension, and calming the mind and body while also simultaneously increasing energy and focus.

“Yoga can stretch out some of the areas that get really tight during long study and work sessions, such as the neck, shoulders and back,” she said. “Yoga can also be an opportunity to tune in to our current thoughts and feelings (both emotional and physical) so that we return to the tasks at hand with new energy and focus — more mindful of both what our mind and body needs and what we need to do.”

Upcoming Library Yoga sessions are listed on ExperienceBU. Brock students, staff and faculty are welcome to participate in the live sessions and are asked to register in advance:

• Wednesday, Jan. 12
• Wednesday, Jan. 19
• Wedneday, Jan. 26
• Wednesday, Feb. 16
• Wednesday, March 2
• Wednesday, March 4 (a special, one-hour, in-person offering from noon to 1 p.m. if COVID-19 restrictions allow)
• Wednesday, March 30
• Wednesday, April 6

Recordings of the 30-minute online Library Yoga sessions, as well as Library Yoga ‘shorts’ of two to five minutes in length, are available to the public on the Brock University Library’s YouTube channel.

As part of the Brock Library’s commitment to supporting wellness at Brock, many additional library resources, such as reading lists, board games, therapy lamps and more, are listed on the Wellness at the Library web page.