LIBRARY YOGA
A new project in academic and public libraries
As some may know, I am both a yoga instructor and an academic librarian. I care about the students, researchers, and local communities that I work with, and I believe that yoga and mindfulness practices in libraries can help to make academic and community learning experiences richer and more rounded.
Library Yoga is a mindful movement practice that I have designed to be done anywhere, any time, and in any kind of clothing — especially in the middle of intense study sessions, when you might only be able to take a break at your desk for a minute or two. The practice makes use of chairs, mats, and other everyday props you might have around you, demonstrating small ways in which you can bring yoga asana and a yoga mindset into your everyday life.
Mindfulness practices that incorporate movement, like yoga, provide the tools to release some of the signs of stress that come with our work and studies. In an academic library, a space that focuses heavily on research and intellectual output, offering yoga classes can help to make the space feel a little warmer, friendlier, and more human. Mindfulness and yoga practices in libraries offer gateway to new kinds of learning experiences, benefiting participants and, ultimately, the communities around them.
Check out some Library Yoga videos recorded during my time at the Brock University Library (embedded below and in this YouTube playlist), explore the Ferriss Hodgett Library's TikTok for Library Yoga shorts, and read my related articles, linked below!
Library Yoga: A Study Break of Mindful Movement
Library Yoga: A Study Break for Stress in the Upper Back and Shoulders
Library Yoga: A Study Break for Balance and Focus
Library Yoga: A Stealthy Chair-Yoga Study Break
“RELAXED AND REFRESHED, PREPARED TO LEARN”: EXPERIENCES WITH VIRTUAL YOGA PROGRAMMING IN THE ACADEMIC LIBRARY
The Journal of Creative Library Practice, July 13, 2021
Upon remotely starting my role as a liaison librarian during the COVID-19 pandemic, I started a virtual Library Yoga program intended to support students and the broader university community as they cope with the stresses of working remotely. I offered both synchronous and recorded yoga sessions during the fall and winter terms. To ascertain the impact and value of this program, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, I conducted a web survey among Library Yoga participants (n=14). Survey results indicate that the program reduced stress, fostered a sense of community, challenged library anxiety and misperceptions of the profession, and provided an opportunity for library outreach. It also fostered relationships among organizations on campus during a time when remote work has challenged our abilities to coalesce as a community. These investigations confirm that the library is more than its spaces and collections; it has the ability to set the tone for academic experience with its services, staff, and the community it brings together.