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Hunter Leffler

Journalism 102
October 29, 2014

A Little Club with a Big Purpose Continues to Grow on UNLV Campus


The bhakti yoga club, which has been present on UNLVs campus since 2012,
continues to be an outlet for students who are interested in a holistic and healthy
approach to dealing with the stresses of everyday student life.
This organization is an open space for students to come together and learn how
to cope with the stresses of college life, and deal with it by having a healthier more
conscious lifestyle, said vice president Chris Trenn, who has been a major part of the
club for three semesters now.
The bhakti yoga club recently participated in Rebels Go Green, an event that took
place at UNLVs Pida Plaza last Wednesday. This event featured many clubs with organic
influences tabling to provide information and performing various talents. The bhakti yoga
club was found at this event raising awareness for their organization as well as selling
books on meditation and philosophy and clothing.
They also did a demonstration of mantra meditation, a practice that they do at
their weekly meetings. The prefix man actually means mind, while suffix tra means a
sound that can deliver the mind from anxiety. Mantra meditation is said to be the most
sublime form of meditation in the world. During the demonstration the club members
used instruments and voice to create a calming effect and to help the mind get totally
involved in the meditation.

I immediately felt a wave of relaxation just from the short demonstration, their
voices and music were just so soothing, said Frances Skeirik, a student who attended the
Green Fest on Wednesday. I cant wait to learn more about this lifestyle, she continued.
The club made a comeback on UNLV campus over two years ago and now has 35
official members, and over 400 people on their email list. Trenn described the
organization as more of a community of people and not just a club.
My life is completely changed, Ive experienced a peace and fulfillment Ive
never felt before, its more than a club, its a lifestyle, said Trenn. He describes how he
was tired of a typical lifestyle, dealing with stresses in unhealthy ways and had a desire to
grow more spiritually. A philosophy teacher of his suggested the Bhakti Yoga club, and
his life was forever changed.
The two words Bhakti and Yoga both have a very powerful meaning. Bhakti
means love and devotion while yoga means to connect.
Current president of the club, Jorge Camara, restarted the club at UNLV in 2012
with inspiration from the practices at the Govindas center. The Govindas Center is an
off-campus center that works with the club and hosts events including their Sunday Love
Fests and all you can eat vegetarian and vegan buffets.
The club on campus is completely cost free and has meetings every week during
the semester. They meet Mondays at 6 p.m. in the recreation center room 110 for mantra
meditation and beginning yoga poses. They do outdoor meditation on campus every
Monday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. There is also free vegetarian food at all meetings.

The bhakti yoga club has a big upcoming event featuring guest speaker Dr.
Michael Cremo. The event is a two-day lecture series that will be held on campus in the
Barrick Museum at 6 p.m. on November 5th and 3 p.m. on November 6th.
The club sponsors a special guest speaker once every semester. Dr. Michael
Cremo, a bhakti yoga performer, is considered to be a forbidden archaeologist and will
give a lecture presenting his research that describes an archaeological paradigm that has
been suppressed.
Trenn describes the club as, A way to experience an inner state of peace and
connect to bliss that is a part of all of us. The bhakti yoga club continues to be an avenue
for UNLV students to connect in a loving atmosphere that encourages positive lifestyle
changes.

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