Yoga and Wellness Club and Art Club kicked off their first meeting together to paint a mural in the yoga room on Feb. 5. There, the members of both clubs collaborated to paint a mandala, a type of art that uses circular geometric patterns, that showcased a shared vision of yoga and art. 

Crafted by student teacher Kierra Mohalley, the mural features the LT lion logo woven into the design of a mandala. The Yoga and Wellness Club sponsor, Cassie Niego, explained how she and Mohalley, along with Patrick Page, Art Club’s sponsor, and other yoga teachers, used a mandala as their inspiration for the mural because mandalas are “supposed to be imperfect.”

“Using the mandala as a reference, it’s OK not to be perfect,” Niego said. “Yoga isn’t perfect. No humans are perfect.That’s the philosophy of yoga. And we see it in that visual of the mandala.”

A main focus of painting this mural was to use mindfulness in ways other than just doing yoga. Painting can be a way to destress, and that was a reason the Yoga Club decided to partner with the Art Club. 

“We talk about in Yoga Club and yoga classes, mindfulness,” Niego said. “It’s like getting lost in the activity, not worrying about what has happened or what’s to come, and crafting can be one of those.So it fits into the mindfulness practice.”

While yoga and art may seem like two very different forms of expression, bringing these two seemingly unalike clubs together had a vast impact on the community and people within these clubs. This collaboration of clubs allowed members to meet new people and bond over a shared interest in yoga and art. 

“I love getting different groups together and exposing them to what the different clubs are doing, meeting new people, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to do it,” Niego said. 

The Yoga Club and Art Club collaboration turned out to be a success, according to club leaders, as each meeting was filled with music, conversation, and meeting new people. Niego explained how one doesn’t have to be good at art to participate in painting the mural. Everyone was working together, even if they didn’t have any art experience, but that was part of the fun. Niego emphasized the significance of these meetings, commenting on the camaraderie felt throughout. 

“Anytime you get students from different backgrounds to come and meet, and experience each other and share names, you never know where it’s gonna go– it’s all very positive,” Niego said. 

The goal of bringing these two clubs together wasn’t to increase membership, but  to bring together and create friendships between the already existing members of these clubs.

“It was super interesting and eye-opening to see how two clubs express themselves in a different way,” Julia Ogden ‘27, a leader of Yoga Club, said. “I met and spoke to a lot of new people I wouldn’t have, had this collab not happened.”

Along with the LT lion logo, the mural also includes the LT motto, “Vita Plena,” or “a fulfilling life.” Including this motto in the mural not only represents LT’s vision for students but also embodies the philosophy of yoga. 

“When we define yoga, I believe [Vita Plena] ties right in,” Niego said. “Tying the overall school board vision for what it is to be as a growing, emerging individual and student here, and that’s really what we’re trying to do in yoga.”

The design of the mural ties in the values of LT as well as the philosophy of yoga. This philosophy of yoga is a driving force behind the collaboration between these two clubs. 

“It’s just opportunities to get to know new people,” Niego said. “Then those relationships, where they go from there, it’s just opening a door. Planting a seed.”