Wellness Week exists to remind everyone to be more in tune with, and responsive to, the body's physical and emotional needs.

To improve physical and mental health, many people are turning to alternative therapies such as yoga.

Yoga has recently become a popular exercise program because it helps to relax the body and mind, said Alyssa Barzanty (senior-fine arts), president of Penn State's Yoga and Meditation Society (YAMS).

"It clears the mind and clears the body of toxins," Barzanty said.

Yoga also stretches the muscles, stimulates the organs and enhances the body's functions, such as breathing and digestion, she said.

Yoga aids mental wellness in a number of ways, Barzanty said.

It teaches how to breathe properly, focuses energy, decreases tension and irritability, and teaches individual spirituality, she said. In addition, because of its spiritual elements, yoga is often practiced in conjunction with meditation, Barzanty said.

"Yoga can be used as preparation for meditation," she said. "Yoga is stretching and moving, and it readies the body for meditation, which is resting and stillness."

According to the magazine Yoga Journal, formal meditation involves focusing the mind and observing oneself "in the moment," with an ultimate goal of self-realization.

Yoga has existed for hundreds of years, but some might wonder why it has suddenly become so popular in Western culture.

Many are turning to more wholistic means of healthiness, Barzanty said.

"People are starting to realize they don't need to take a pill or pump their bodies with chemicals to feel better," Barzanty said. She added that her personal experiences with yoga have solidified her belief in the value of alternative therapies like yoga.

"My mother has osteoarthritis, and she was taking medicine for the pain, but two months ago she started doing yoga," she said. "She does 20 minutes a day, and now she doesn't even need the medicine anymore."

— By Kristen M. Neufeld