“Don’t be loose-banana monkeys; be six-pack ab monkeys.”

The room erupts in subdued chuckles as the 13 attendees strive to keep their balance through their laughter. Yoga is sometimes thought of as a serious practice, but this isn’t the case when Liza Thalken, a senior psychology major, is the instructor.

Anyone who feels intimidated right away can breathe easier — literally.

“Don’t be afraid to make a Darth Vader-like noise when you breathe out,” Thalken said. “No one here is going to judge you.”

The senior psychology major teaches Yoga for Athletes every Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Campus Recreation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Do not be intimidated by the name; it is actually a relaxed form of yoga. The class aims to be a restorative practice with a specific focus on stretching and injury prevention.

On average, around 10 to 14 individuals attend.

“So far, there has been consistently about 13 people, which is good because otherwise, it would be awkward with the space issue,” Thalken said.

Thalken’s youngest sister, Rosamond Thalken, a freshman biology major, said she enjoys attending her sister’s class weekly.

“I really like going to Liza’s class because all of the moves are restorative and relaxing while also still being a challenge,” Rosamond said. “It’s also really nice to have a smaller, more personal class setting,”

The class takes place in the Studio at the Rec, so it can be cramped at times, but Thalken always finds a way to adjust the mats so anyone who wants to attend is able to. The smaller crowd also allows the Kearney native to practice her teaching skills, as she received her Level One certification in Seattle, Wash., the weekend before Christmas break.

The three-day conference is just the start of a 200-hour certification program that Thalken calls “the respected yoga teacher certification.”

Thalken said she hopes to move to Colorado post-graduation. While she is considering working on a master’s, she said her main goal is to continue to take yoga classes.

“I would just like to save up money and keep going to these yoga certification classes and keep just experiencing the world of yoga,” she said. “The main problem is that it’s really pricey, but that’s because it’s really good quality stuff.”

Thalken is going through YogaFit for her certification, which, according to their website, is “the largest yoga fitness education school in the world.” The program provides certification in levels Two through Five but also allows students to get their certification in concentrated areas, such as yoga for depression, pre-natal or elders.

“The one that I am mainly interested in, because of my psychology major, is yoga for warriors, which is a program that is designed specifically to cater to veterans,” Thalken said. “It’s people with post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s a really big thing that’s coming out, like yoga therapy is up and coming, and that is so intriguing to me.”

Yoga is currently a huge passion for Thalken, but it was only two years ago that she started attending any form of yoga class. Her love affair with the practice  began quickly once she started attending classes regularly last year.

“I wasn’t super dedicated until I started noticing how much less pain I had in my shoulders from all the desk sitting and stuff like that,” Thalken said. “I also have a cousin who teaches yoga, and that’s been an extreme blessing for her. I think it all came together at the right time, and I thought, ‘I might want to try this; I might want to go get certified.’”

While she only teaches the one class at the Rec currently, she said she hopes to continue to expand her knowledge of the practice and teach more if possible in the future. She attributes her love of instructing to her passion for living a healthy lifestyle and her past positive experiences from instructing theater and dance in high school.

“My goal is to have multiple things I’m involved in that all revolve around health and wellness,” Thalken said. “I would love to keep teaching because it’s the one time where my mind is completely clear. I still stutter over words sometimes, but I always know where I’m going and can think quick.”

For some, yoga is solely a physical practice, for others it is a spiritual endeavor, but for a select few, the practice of yoga becomes a way of life. While she would not yet refer to herself as a “yogi,” Thalken said she has found that the lessons learned from yoga can really change the way a person views all aspects of life.

“It makes me appreciate the present. So then, when I walk outside, instead of being like, ‘Oh my gosh, this cold sucks,’ instead I feel connected,” Thalken said. “I feel the sensations and just observe them. I know that I got that from yoga, and that it’s just appreciating and valuing my experience as a human at this place in time.”

arts@dailynebraskan.com