The Mystical Magic of Yoga

Hogwarts came to campus last week with a Harry Potter Birthday Flow session at Carmichael Complex. If you missed this signature event, here is the rundown from Headmaster Leigha Krick on how yoga is done the “wizard way.”

To commemorate Harry Potter’s fictional birthday, the special yoga session was wrapped with themes from the popular fictional book and movie series. This yoga flow included spells and soundtrack music. The event even renamed some notorious yoga poses to match Harry Potter including the “downward and upward fluffy” that replaced “downward and upward dog”, “riding a broomstick” which replaced the “chair,” “deathly hallow” for a semi-circle straddle, “wizard I and II” replacing “warrior I and II”, and “the cobra” that was renamed “Basilisk”. Some core exercises also incorporated reciting famous spells from the series.

Group fitness instructor Krick saw success of other special-themed yoga classes and wanted to bring the unique experience to NC State students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to participate. As guests walked in they were greeted with a wand and glasses on their yoga mat. Along with accessories, participants were given “Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans,” a jelly bean candy that has Hogwarts related flavors. People came sporting their best Harry Potter T-shirt to go with the accessories. The class, also led by two student-instructors, was taught to use spells to complete task, such as saying “lumous” to turn on the lights.

The goal of this class was to give people who normally do not take yoga classes the chance to get involved through something they connect and relate to.

“I just wanted to create a fun moving experience. I got to do yoga and listen to Harry Potter and twirl wands and say spells. That’s such a different experience than getting on the elliptical for 30 minutes every day. The more we create positive moving experiences where people can find joy and relief the more they will create movement in their daily lives,” says Krick.

The light-hearted atmosphere of the class left everyone in all smiles and uplifting spirits.  The class surpassed 50 registrations, which included faculty, staff and international students. What made this class even more unique were the book excerpts and inspirational Dumbledore quotes you could hear being recited in studio B/C.

The class ended with a mystical reading of the famous Harry Potter story “The Tale of Three Brothers.” The event brought together people from all different age demographics and backgrounds. “There were no two people there that looked the same and that was a cool thing,” said Krick. With many people striking poses with their lighting bolt marked on their forehead, this event celebrated Harry Potter with big birthday wishes.

University Recreation is working on additional themed fitness classes in the future to continue reaching out to different audiences. Keep your eye out this fall while you are at the gym; the next themed class may come from your favorite movie.