Abstract
Academic library outreach initiatives that focus on wellness include movement-based fitness programs such as yoga. These programs offer students, staff and faculty who participate a chance to de-stress, lessening the impacts of tension, anxiety, and depression. Academic libraries are suited for these types of programs because we already provide space for other de-stress events, and research of the academic library literature shows that yoga programs in these spaces are increasing. However, the COVID19 pandemic forced changes in outreach programming. In January 2021, Texas Tech University Libraries started offering a yin and restorative yoga program that met weekly in the evenings online via Zoom. Because the university was previously offering these sessions for free to on-campus students, there was a need for a different type of yoga programming that also included online students, as well as staff and faculty. Designated “#WellnessWednesdays”, this program allowed the Texas Tech University Libraries to facilitate yoga sessions for members of the university community by creating a therapeutic environment that is both inclusive and accessible in an online setting.
Highlights
Student mental health and wellness is a critical issue facing most academic institutions, especially since the COVID19 pandemic began in January 2020
The campus reopened for the fall semester in August 2020, but students, staff, and faculty were required to wear masks at all times when on certain areas on campus and within buildings
“Research has shown that the body holds on to tension and trauma, and that faculty and staff who work for it
Summary
Student mental health and wellness is a critical issue facing most academic institutions, especially since the COVID19 pandemic began in January 2020. Academic libraries have been providing movement-based programs and initiatives focused on reducing students’ stress and anxiety since at least the early 2000s (Lenstra 2020).
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