MRC, SRSC offer yoga classes, massages

This semester at Texas A&M University-Commerce, the Morris Recreation Center (MRC) is offering group fitness classes and massages for health-conscious students. These amenities are free and open to any student or individual who has a membership to the recreation center.

Among the activities available to participate in are yoga, abdominal labs, Pilates, circuit training, step routines, and turbo-kick classes. Also available are swing and reggae dancing, as well as hip-hop fusion classes.

"If people find a fitness class they enjoy coming to, it makes it more like they are getting into a fitness program together instead of just working out," Assistant Director of Fitness and Wellness Moira Johnson said.

The majority of these groups take place every Monday through Friday from around 6:30 am to as late as 9:00 pm. Depending on the desired class, the instructors typically meet two to three times a week. The classes are a mixture of cardio, strength, and mind/body training that range in difficulty from beginner to intermediate.

On specific Fridays from 5:30 to 6:20 pm, specialty classes are offered that include kickboxing, sports conditioning, and swing and reggae dancing.

The program has been growing for approximately 5 years now and has progressed from classes simply watching DVDs together to having live instructors teaching them. Since last semester, there has been a large increase in the number of classes offered.

Currently, there are about 30 classes available every week, and there are plans to add an additional seven at the end of February.
The early morning and evening classes are typically fuller than the classes available during the day, with some having as many as 25 people per class.

Reaction to the classes being offered has been positive, as the enrollment numbers are very high this semester. One student believes the variety is one reason why.

"I think it is really cool they are offering different classes like that to get people interested," graduate student with a bachelor's in Business Administration James Harvey said.

Massages are also available from licensed massage therapists on Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:45 until 1:30 pm in the Leadership Lounge in the Sam Rayburn Student Center. Costs range from about $20 per half hour for students and an additional $5 is added for a deep tissue massage.

At least one student likes the idea of having services like these available to them in the SRSC.

"I think it is convenient for things like this to be offered in the student center. It is very centrally located for the staff and faculty too," senior history major Kevin Grubbs said.

For a full list of the classes and services, group fitness schedules are available at the MRC.