{"634480":{"#nid":"634480","#data":{"type":"news","title":"A Yoga Session with Mrs. Peterson, former First Lady of Georgia Tech ","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDuring this current shelter-in-place order,\u0026nbsp;where your home\u0026nbsp;might\u0026nbsp;be\u0026nbsp;your\u0026nbsp;24-hour work\u0026nbsp;environment as well,\u0026nbsp;yoga is\u0026nbsp;a therapeutic\u0026nbsp;practice\u0026nbsp;that slows the mind and puts\u0026nbsp;reality into perspective.\u0026nbsp;ML 8801: Building Community: Culture, Identity, Diversity and Inclusion,\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;graduate\u0026nbsp;course in\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;new\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.modlangs.gatech.edu\/\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMaster\u0026nbsp;of Science\u0026nbsp;Program at the School of Modern Languages\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;had a\u0026nbsp;refreshing virtual\u0026nbsp;yoga\u0026nbsp;experience\u0026nbsp;with Mrs. Val Peterson last Monday,\u0026nbsp;April 6th,\u0026nbsp;thanks to the creativity of two students in the course,\u0026nbsp;Shaidah\u0026nbsp;Herron\u0026nbsp;and Ci Song, who hosted Mrs. Peterson as a guest speaker for their course project.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMrs. Peterson\u0026nbsp;is the former first lady of Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;(2009-2019)\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;is\u0026nbsp;still\u0026nbsp;a proud\u0026nbsp;yellow jacket\u0026nbsp;today.\u0026nbsp;A fellow global citizen, she got her master\u0026rsquo;s in Spanish and taught for many years, from K-6 to college-level, before joining the Georgia Tech family. \u0026ldquo;Whenever I love something, I eventually end up teaching it,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;Mrs.\u0026nbsp;Peterson said.\u0026nbsp;Her\u0026nbsp;respect for yoga practice led her to\u0026nbsp;train and\u0026nbsp;begin teaching\u0026nbsp;yoga\u0026nbsp;four\u0026nbsp;years ago,\u0026nbsp;when\u0026nbsp;she\u0026nbsp;started a weekly class at\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/housing.gatech.edu\/building\/tenth-and-home-bldg-a\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;Tenth \u0026amp; Homes\u0026nbsp;Graduate and\u0026nbsp;Family\u0026nbsp;Housing\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;Herron and Song, both students\u0026nbsp;in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.modlangs.gatech.edu\/ms-gmc\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EM.S. in Global Media and Cultures\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;invited\u0026nbsp;Mrs.\u0026nbsp;Peterson\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;teach an\u0026nbsp;in-class\u0026nbsp;workshop called \u0026ldquo;Yoga and Mental Health.\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EML 8801:\u0026nbsp;Building Community\u0026nbsp;is a\u0026nbsp;new\u0026nbsp;course\u0026nbsp;taught by Dr. Jenny\u0026nbsp;Strakovsky, assistant director of Graduate Studies and Career Education. The class\u0026nbsp;explores\u0026nbsp;the psychology\u0026nbsp;behind\u0026nbsp;culture\u0026nbsp;and teaches\u0026nbsp;students how to create community and inclusivity\u0026nbsp;in an organization.\u0026nbsp;The course is open to\u0026nbsp;graduate research assistants\u0026nbsp;(GRAs)\u0026nbsp;in Modern Languages, whose GRA\u0026nbsp;program,\u0026nbsp;Culture at Work,\u0026nbsp;provides\u0026nbsp;hands-on experience engaging and improving communities.\u0026nbsp;As\u0026nbsp;GRAs, Song and Herron have spent this year designing mental health programming in the\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech Department of Housing and the\u0026nbsp;School of Modern Languages, respectively.\u0026nbsp;Herron\u0026nbsp;spearheaded\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;campus-wide\u0026nbsp;film series\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/grad.modlangs.gatech.edu\/opportunities\/SMHfilm\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003ESustainability and Mental Health\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in Fall\u0026nbsp;2019, and Song runs\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;weekly event\u0026nbsp;called\u0026nbsp;Tea Time at Swann,\u0026nbsp;designed to connect different language groups in the School\u0026nbsp;and bridge cultures.\u0026nbsp;Their workshop\u0026nbsp;with Mrs. Peterson\u0026nbsp;explored the\u0026nbsp;mental health benefits\u0026nbsp;of yoga,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;how to\u0026nbsp;bring them to the community.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDuring\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;virtual\u0026nbsp;class\u0026nbsp;on April 6th, students\u0026nbsp;learned\u0026nbsp;the history and philosophy of\u0026nbsp;ancient\u0026nbsp;yoga, along with\u0026nbsp;the features and benefits of a specific style of yoga, Hatha Vinyasa.\u0026nbsp;Mrs.\u0026nbsp;Peterson\u0026nbsp;specializes\u0026nbsp;in Vinyasa yoga,\u0026nbsp;a flowing practice that teaches\u0026nbsp;one\u0026nbsp;how to move\u0026nbsp;the body in harmony with the breath.\u0026nbsp;Vinyasa helps\u0026nbsp;one\u0026nbsp;to move\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;in\u0026nbsp;flow,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;on\u0026nbsp;and off the mat.\u0026nbsp;Students\u0026nbsp;in the course\u0026nbsp;shared that the practice\u0026nbsp;led by Mrs. Peterson\u0026nbsp;was just the\u0026nbsp;right exercise\u0026nbsp;to\u0026nbsp;relieve\u0026nbsp;some of the\u0026nbsp;stress\u0026nbsp;of this point in the semester.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EWhat Mrs. Peterson has found most surprising during her yoga journey is the cultural differences\u0026nbsp;in\u0026nbsp;how people practice and understand yoga.\u0026nbsp;\u0026ldquo;You\u0026nbsp;can ask someone about yoga in the U.S., and\u0026nbsp;they will\u0026nbsp;think\u0026nbsp;about poses. If you speak to someone in India about yoga, what pops into their mind is meditation.\u0026nbsp;You do the poses to get the wiggles out, so you can sit on the floor and meditate, and you meditate to get to\u0026nbsp;self-realization, or liberation,\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;said Mrs. Peterson.\u0026nbsp;That\u0026rsquo;s why Mrs. Peterson always includes a short period of meditation at the end of the practice. She makes this point to show that yoga can mean very different things in different parts of the world and encouraged students to learn about the cultural differences in yoga practice globally.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMrs.\u0026nbsp;Peterson reminds us to forgive ourselves and not be scared to give it a try. \u0026ldquo;You are human,\u0026nbsp;and you are going to mess up!\u0026nbsp;Just keep trying to think of nothing but your breath going in and out for two minutes.\u0026nbsp;If you mess up, start again!\u0026rdquo;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EShe recommends\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EMeditation for Beginners\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;by Jack Kornfield, which offers tips\u0026nbsp;for anyone who wants to\u0026nbsp;learn more about meditation, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Yoga-Tradition-Literature-Philosophy-Practice\/dp\/1890772186\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EThe Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;by Georg Feuerstein, for some history and philosophy.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EToday, we are excited to share\u0026nbsp;Mrs.\u0026nbsp;Peterson\u0026rsquo;s yoga\u0026nbsp;class\u0026nbsp;with\u0026nbsp;all\u0026nbsp;of you, and to welcome you into the Modern Languages Community for this virtual practice.\u0026nbsp;The yoga practice is one hour long and well worth it! Check it out below!\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ENamaste.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMrs. Val Peterson\u0026rsquo;s\u0026nbsp;Yoga\u0026nbsp;Practice:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/youtu.be\/esDDuibGv5E\u0022 rel=\u0022noreferrer noopener\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/youtu.be\/esDDuibGv5E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Val Peterson hosts a virtual yoga session for School of Modern Languages"}],"uid":"34815","created_gmt":"2020-04-17 16:34:07","changed_gmt":"2020-04-17 17:43:04","author":"esnelling3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-04-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-04-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"634478":{"id":"634478","type":"image","title":"A Yoga Session with Mrs. Peterson, former First Lady of Georgia Tech ","body":null,"created":"1587140045","gmt_created":"2020-04-17 16:14:05","changed":"1587140236","gmt_changed":"2020-04-17 16:17:16","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241450","name":"Val1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Val1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Val1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":312969,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Val1.jpg?itok=3aDkvLpO"}},"634479":{"id":"634479","type":"image","title":"A Yoga Session with Mrs. Peterson, former First Lady of Georgia Tech - 2","body":null,"created":"1587140266","gmt_created":"2020-04-17 16:17:46","changed":"1587140266","gmt_changed":"2020-04-17 16:17:46","alt":"","file":{"fid":"241451","name":"Val2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Val2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Val2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":424577,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Val2.jpg?itok=QEGly3cq"}}},"media_ids":["634478","634479"],"groups":[{"id":"612000","name":"Atlanta Global Studies Center (AGSC)"},{"id":"611608","name":"Global Media and Cultures (GMC)"},{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1284","name":"School of Modern Languages"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEmily Snelling\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nMarketing and Events Coordinator\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["esnelling3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}