Yoga instructors teach classes at IU Art Museum

Brightly colored yoga mats covered the second floor of the IU Art Museum atrium Saturday morning. Barefoot participants twisted into different poses on the mats.

Music playing from Angles Café nearby mingled with the voice of a yoga instructor, directing the group in a series of stretches.

The Art Museum offers a weekly program called Yoga in the Atrium. It began April 7 and runs 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturdays until October 27 on the second floor of the Thomas T. Solley Atrium. This program is sponsored by the Orthopedics of Southern Indiana and IU Health Southern Indiana Physicians. The Museum partnered with Lynda Mitchell Yoga Studio and Vibe Yoga Studio to start the program.

Haley Gluesenkamp, yoga instructor at Lynda Mitchell Studio and Btown Gym in Bloomington, directed the session Saturday. Although accustomed to the comfort of a studio, Gluesenkamp said she enjoys the museum’s environment with natural sunlight.

The program attracts 20-50 participants from a broad age range every week. Many people are regular attendees. Mallory Trescone, Bloomington resident and IU graduate, attended her third session Saturday.

“I liked it because it flowed more than other beginners courses I’ve taken,” Trescone said. “(Gluesenkamp) adapted it based on the crowd that was there.”

Rachel Mehringer, IU sophomore and first-time attendee, also said she enjoyed the
session’s pace.

“It was really good, especially for a beginner class,” she said. “It had a cohesive flow and didn’t have a lot of down time.”

The only negative aspect Mehringer pointed out was the noise in the museum due to chatter of people walking in and out of the museum, which grew especially loud near the end of the session. Mehringer found herself straining to hear Gluesenkamp’s intructions over the noise.

Trescone said she liked the location but also noticed the noise during the end of the session.

Gluesenkamp acknowledged this aspect of the location but viewed the situation positively.

“It’s a good opportunity for people to use the real concept of yoga, channeling out the noise and distraction,” Gluesenkamp said.

Gluesenkamp, a yoga instructor for about a year, just started teaching at Btown Gym, a brand-new fitness facility. Btown Gym implements Gluesenkamp’s You Only Live Once  Method, a program designed to teach people about health and fitness.

The YOLO Method takes a holistic approach to health and fitness. Gluesenkamp created this six-month project to help her clients implement changes in lifestyle and food choice to achieve greater energy, balance and health.

Gluesenkamp will continue leading the yoga sessions in the museum’s atrium for the duration of the program.