Relax. Take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. The fall semester is in full swing. In the stress of lectures, homework, exams and parking, the members of the Yoga and Meditation Club at Sacramento State are releasing their stress and finding inner peace at meetings.

The club practices yoga and meditation every week. It offers students an opportunity to escape the mundane school stress and step into a room of peace, quiet and relaxation.

The club provides a setting for students interested in getting together for self-discovery, healthy living and achieving an inner peace, club President Richard Forbes said.

Forbes, a sophomore, has been doing yoga on and off for most of his life, but encourages students of all abilities and skill to join the club or attend a meeting.

“Our lives are full of stress, anxiety and confusion,” Forbes said. “The Yoga and Meditation Club exists to provide a place for students to get out of that mindset and find some real and lasting inner peace and happiness while learning methods for calming and focusing their minds.”

The benefits of yoga are innumerable, Forbes said. It keeps the body fit and firm, increases blood circulation, soothes the nervous system, stimulates digestion and regulates hormone production. It also lengthens and strengthens muscles, improves posture and allows for increased flexibility.

Traci Rohland, a junior majoring in geography, is helping out with the club this year. Rohland has always been an athlete and wishes she started doing yoga earlier. She said it’s such a good compliment to a cardiovascular routine.

The yoga classes help Rohland focus on schoolwork and even help with sitting for longer periods of time in the classroom, while meditation gives spiritual fulfillment to her life, she said. “We are spiritual beings and the mantras we meditate on are spiritual,” Rohland said. “It’s a shower for the consciousness.”

The club participates in mantra meditation, which is meditation and chanting on spiritual sounds. It is also planning a drum circle in October on the lawn or at the residence hall. The drum circle is mantra meditation with music where members sing spiritual songs, play instruments and “rock out,” Rohland said.

Ashley Perucchi, a junior majoring in communication studies, had never tried yoga before. She saw the club flyer and decided to check it out, thinking it would help her relax as a student.

The club also has monthly outings. Its first outing is scheduled for Sept. 30. The members are going hiking in the mountains as well as spending some time doing yoga and meditation. The trip is free and open to anyone, even those who do not attend regular meetings. Other outings the group plans for the future include hikes, daylong and half-day retreats, vegetarian cooking classes and, of course, yoga and meditation sessions in a Carmichael studio.

The Yoga and Meditation Club meets every Tuesday in the Valley Suite Room on the third floor of the University Union. Yoga is taught from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. and the Meditation Class follows from 5:30 to 6 p.m.

The class is free for students. The club provides mats, if students do not already have them, as well as snacks and a serene environment. Students trained as yoga and meditation instructors take turns teaching the classes. The club sometimes has guest teachers to expose students to a variety of yoga styles.

The group also occasionally invites guest speakers who speak on the subject of yoga philosophy and meditation, Forbes said.

If anyone is interested in going to a meeting, show up on Tuesdays in comfortable clothes. Donations are accepted to help cover the costs of keeping the mats clean, buying refreshments, planning outings and advertising.

For more information on the club or on outings, email [email protected] or call Traci Rohland at (916) 335-6845.

Amy Ball can be reached at [email protected]