Recharge Your Mind and Body with Unplug Yoga

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – May is national mental health month. “Unplug Yoga” is a class at Gainesville Health and Fitness that focuses on the mind.

“You get the breeze, you are breathing the fresh air, and you have the birds chirping and the sun shining and the green leaves,” said an Unplug Yoga participant.

“It really just centers you back to nature.” Another yogi said, “I feel peaceful and stretched, and being outside is just amazing,” when she takes the class. “It feels like you are away and on vacation.”

Unwind from your worries with Unplug Yoga.

“Especially in the world that we live in, that’s high stress and high demand and we are always plugged into something’” explained GHF Unplug Yoga Instructor, Melissa Baker. She added, “yoga and this class specifically, this class can help them plug into themselves and recharge their own battery.”

The class incorporates body, mind, and spirit, with a focus on breathing and sound. A variety of instruments are used, including crystal singing bowls, and a flute to help participants unplug.

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“This ancient technology which has been around for thousands of years, of yoga and mediation,” mentioned Baker. “And incorporating it into newly research, and best practices in health, in digital wellness, and all the information coming out; with how technology can effect our health if its not managed properly and integrated into ones life in a healthy way.”

According to World Health Organization, there has been a 13% increase in mental health issues over the past decade. Yoga and mediation can provide people with the escape they need to improve their mental health.

Baker explained, “it increases and enhances this chemical already in our body called gabba, and it can elevate our mood.” She added, “yoga also helps our limbic system, which is the part of our brain that works with emotions, so when we have a better emotional balance, we are able to make decisions with more clarity.”

Unplug Yoga is held at Gainesville Health and Fitness Main Center, at Echo, the outdoor fitness pavilion. The class is on Friday at 12pm, and Sunday at 5pm. For more details, visit GHFC.com for more info or call the gym at 352-377-4955.

This segment is sponsored by Gainesville Health and Fitness.