ISAAC BOND
Sports Writer

While taking religious studies at the U of S, Ryan Leier had an epiphany.
 
He was talking to his Tibetan Buddhist professor about aiding the humanitarian cause of one of his teachers, Father Joe Pereira. Father Joe founded the Kirpa Foundation, an organization with over 50 locations around the world, which promotes yoga as a means of overcoming alcohol or substance addiction. 

Leier had planned on joining Father Joe in India to help with a project aimed specifically at helping people dealing with HIV and AIDS and addiction to drugs and alcohol. This aspiration led his professor to ask, “Well, what experience do you have working with drugs and alcohol?”

Leier laughed as he gave an honest answer that resonates with many students.

“None. Except drinking and smoking.”

He had no experience with HIV or AIDS, either. So his professor suggested he promote yoga within his own community, bringing it to children so they can reap its benefits to avoid before addiction problems that threaten their mental and physical health.

This planted the seed that would grow into Yoga for Youth, a project that has helped Leier and other yogis share their practice with the youth of Saskatoon.

“I realized that’s where my strength was,” recalls Leier.

“So I decided to put together this foundation. It’s been growing over the past few years, and hopefully it will continue to grow.”

That growth has included various fundraisers and events around the city promoting the practice of yoga. For Leier, the highlight of the journey thus far has been working with a group of inner city youth for 20 weeks to share the power he has found in yoga. Currently, he is looking to bring Yoga for Youth to the place where the conversation that inspired it took place: the U of S campus.

“All the students want to have a cool head and a hot body,” Leier chides. “That’s what yoga brings!”

He also emphasizes that yoga offers benefits directly related to the student experience.

“As a university student, there is plenty of stress and unhealthy habits and lifestyle. Yoga can bring mental relaxation and physical fitness. It is a perfect compliment to the student lifestyle. Academic work will be sharper and judgments about social circumstances will be from a place of clarity.”

With these benefits in mind, Leier and other practitioners have decided to lead yoga sessions in the bowl to usher in the new school year. At a time that brings transition for many, Leier and his peers are sharing a practice they believe helps to make life transitions seamless. 

“Through learning to align the mind and body with the heart, transitions become effortless. Through doing challenging poses and learning to find comfort and relaxation in them, one learns to find comfort and relaxation in stressful life situations.”

For students who have experienced such situations in their studies, these sessions in the bowl could be a great opportunity to acquire tools to alleviate their stress.

Many students on campus are already practicing yoga within and outside campus.  The PAC has offered classes both within their facility and, weather permitting, in the bowl. 

Some students work out at Leier’s studio, One Yoga, which welcomes people of all ages to take part in the ancient practice.  For those who are practicing, or those who would like to practice, Leier welcomes them to join him in the bowl sessions and beyond. 

Leier offers this piece of advice for those looking to deepen their practice and become more involved with yoga: “Try a few classes or do a few poses every day, meditate five minutes a day and see everyone in the light of friendship. My teacher said 99 per cent practice, one per cent theory. Practice, practice, practice.”

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image: Flickr