As a public health graduate student at UNCG and a brand-new yoga instructor, I find many of my passions and interests from the two arenas have collided to create a greater understanding of both subjects. In fact, public health and yoga have many of the same ‘objectives.’ Most notably is promoting and fostering the health of individuals and communities through education and practice.
Just like public health is a broad, encompassing subject, yoga is the same. It is hard for anyone to describe in a few words the meaning or purpose of yoga or public health.
Both public health education and yoga are focused on creating an awareness of and a mindful nature about our communities and ourselves. While many people probably think of yoga simply as the physical practice, also known as ‘asanas’ or body postures, it is much deeper than that. Asanas are just one limb of yoga. Other ‘limbs of yoga’ include: universal morality, personal observances, and cultivation of perceptual awareness. In our health education courses, our professors embrace the same global awareness that yoga fosters. This is a huge professional and personal ‘skill’ that is invaluable in our world and which will make us wonderful, compassionate health educators.
After completing the first year of the MPH program, it is obvious to me that each individual in our cohort has a passion to educate their community on various public health issues and concerns, whether it be advocating for sexual health, finding a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease, or promoting athlete wellness. The diverse gifts and strengths that each student brings to the program contributes to a more complete understanding our community’s, state’s, country’s, and world’s state of health.
Article by: Rachel Pisula