New Westwood yoga studio provides relaxation, fitness for students
Second-year international development studies and Spanish student Bridget Bruggeman said she became hooked on yoga during high school but did not start teaching until college. She said coaching helped her become a more loving and compassionate person. (Bailey Greene/Daily Bruin)
By Erica Washington
Oct. 13, 2015 12:52 a.m.
Yogi Bridget Bruggeman slipped into the tree pose, imagining roots were growing from the bottom of her feet and into the ground.
A second-year international development studies and Spanish student, Bruggeman said the grounding exercise helps center her, whether she is teaching a yoga class or taking one.
Students have practiced yoga by taking classes at the John Wooden Center and joining an on-campus club; however, as yoga’s popularity expands, so does the market for new types, Bruggeman said.
She said Yoga Sculpt, a class she attends at CorePower Yoga in Brentwood, incorporates weights and cardio for a more rigorous workout. CorePower Yoga will open a Westwood location later this year, and Bruggeman said she thinks the new outlet will suit the needs of UCLA’s student body as yoga classes range from relaxing to intense.
Nicole Pham, a UCLA alumna and the studio’s manager, said because classes are 60 to 75 minutes long, she anticipates students will make time for yoga in between their studies.
Pham said the studio decided to open a Westwood location when they realized much of the clientele at their Brentwood studio consisted of UCLA students interested in yoga.
In addition to intense classes like Yoga Sculpt, the studio also has more traditional, meditational yoga classes, which have been popular on campus in the past for students looking for a way to exercise.
Bruggeman became hooked on yoga during high school, but she did not start teaching until college. She said leading the exercise has helped her to become a more loving and compassionate person.
“When you’re teaching a yoga class you notice that everyone’s bodies’ capabilities are so different, but at the same time everyone is doing the class for a reason,” Bruggeman said. “You realize, we’re all in this together. It’s just a very unifying act.”
Suhaa Dada, a second-year world arts and cultures and communication studies student, said Bruggeman recently taught a lesson that helped offset the long days of rush week at their sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.
She instructs the girls in her sorority how to focus purely on their breathing in order to clear their thoughts.
“It’s not (about) getting upset with yourself because you are having other thoughts, because that is all part of the process,” Bruggeman said. “It’s just the act of trying to concentrate that’s really important.”
Fourth-year sociology student Alexandra Onea also currently practices yoga on campus as president of UCLA’s Yoga for Flexible Futures. The club is dedicated to teaching children about the importance of being mindful about their health. Members visit elementary schools to familiarize kids with basic yoga poses, as well as educate them on nutrition.
“I’m just hoping that later on in life when they hear about things like being mindful, things like being healthy, they’re going to be excited about these things, instead of scoffing at the idea,” Onea said.
Through yoga classes at the John Wooden Center at UCLA, fourth-year psychology student Hale Ahangi said she has undergone a rewarding growth process.
“When I first started doing yoga, one of the things I would do is compare (my poses) to everyone in the class,” Ahangi said. “But I realized later on that I would find more strength in my poses if I did the level of the pose that my body was ready for.”
While yoga has offered an outlet for relaxation for students, Bruggeman said students will benefit from the new CorePower Yoga studio in Westwood. She said classes she takes in Brentwood at CorePower Yoga not only offer a good mental and physical exercise, but also have a fun, social aspect to them.
For Bruggeman, CorePower Yoga’s young demographic will keep students coming back. Glow-in-the-dark yoga classes and the Hot Power Fusion series offer alternatives to typical meditation practiced around campus.
“UCLA students have a tendency to become over-involved,” Bruggeman said. “Yoga is a great way to just take a second, come back to what’s really important and realize that your breath is something you always have with you.”
