After obtaining his 200 hour yoga teacher certification this past summer, Alex Apgar ‘22 has instructed yoga through Bison Rec over the past semester. His night time yoga classes have become quite popular among Bucknellians from all corners of campus.
Hometown: Wenham, Massachusetts
Major: Spanish & Psychology
Fun fact: My great-great aunt, Dr Virginia Apgar, was a pioneer in the female medical field and developed the APGAR score, which all newborn babies are given at birth to determine overall health.
What else are you involved with on campus?
I’m the event coordinator for the newly founded AMWA (American Mental Wellness Association) Club, a beatboxer for the Sils, Social Chair and Founder of the mental wellness committee within Phi Gamma Delta, and have recently started an Açaí bowl business.
What is your favorite part about Bucknell?
Undeniably the people. Yes, a beautiful campus and solid academics is great, but doesn’t ensure happiness and a sense of home. Personally, I don’t think Bucknell is too special of a place, but that’s a discussion for another day. I truly believe that you must find your tribe and surround yourself with the right kind of people―those who will push you day in and day out to be your best self, pick you up when you’re down, listen to you thoughtfully, and care for you whole-heartedly―Bucknell turns into a warm place. Don’t get me wrong, finding your people can be a perilous and bumpy emotion-filled journey; but one’s time at Bucknell, just as in life, is better lived with a healthy dose of laughter, support, and love.
How did you get into yoga?
My mom actually dragged me and my friend to a hot yoga class in seventh grade. It was a foreign, sweaty, and brutally hard experience. I enjoyed the frozen yogurt afterwards exponentially more. It wasn’t until the summer of 2017, after I graduated high school, that I revisited yoga. Playing sports growing up, there is never enough focus on flexibility and stretching. Over time, this leads to a lot of plasticity in the muscles, tendons, etc., ending in frequent injury and long-term pain for a lot of those retired youth athletic weapons. I made it a habit to do more yoga when time allowed, especially when I found out that I had a bulged L3 disc in my lower back. In short, chronic pain, lack of mobility, and daily discomfort were the driving forces behind my yoga revival.
Why do you like yoga?
I don’t like yoga; I love it. Yoga isn’t just a practice on the mat and in the classroom, rather it’s a lifestyle and a religion, a culture and world of its own. I’m not Buddhist and I don’t live and breathe yoga, but there is so much yoga can offer to the world. I love yoga because it provides humans of all shape, size, ethnicity, dialect and capacity an outlet for self-exploration and discovery. I always tell my students “the mat will never judge you” and it’s something I really mean. We live in a world plagued by judgement, from both ourselves and others. We feel obliged to live up to standards, both self-imposed and by the media, which create unhealthy narratives within our heads. No judgement is very much the social foundation of Western yoga, and I try my best to incorporate its truth in my classes and in my lived experiences. Personally, I view yoga as that little nudge of encouragement and peace that you didn’t know you needed. There’s a tendency to judge yoga or rule it out for whatever reason, but my one hopeful recommendation to anyone everyone, is to do more yoga.
What is your favorite position?
Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)
Ardha = half
Candra = glittering, shining, having the brilliancy or hue of light (said of the gods); usually translated as “moon”
Asana = “steady, comfortable posture.”