New OU club aims to promote mental, physical health balance | Culture

OU Wellness Society, a new organization centered around student health and wellness, will launch its club with a Galentine’s yoga party.

The Wellness Society is an organization that started at the University of Alabama in the fall and has expanded to over 25 different collegiate and city chapters.

Reagan Gist, advertising senior and president of OU’s chapter of the organization, decided to bring The Wellness Society to OU after being inspired by the impact of other chapters.

“I just believe that every college student should know the importance and understand its impact,” Gist said. “I believe this club and organization is a great place to start.” 

The yoga event is sponsored by Poppi, a prebiotic soda brand. Gist said boxes of Poppi arrived on her doorstep after filling out a sponsorship form.

The dress code is red and pink athleisure, matching the decorations and theme. 

“We also have the room 30 minutes after the event. People can stay, take pictures, have a Poppi, take some goodies (and) meet people,” Gist said.

Gist said she felt encouraged by The Wellness Society’s founder to launch the OU’s chapter through a Galentine’s Day event. Gist said the organization wanted to host the event on campus so freshmen could easily get involved.

“It’s just to promote a balance between academic, social, personal, mental and physical health,” said Gist. 

Although the signup for the event is full, there are still many opportunities to get involved. OU Wellness Society will hold a Pilates event at 5:30 p.m. March 28 at Boutique Barre. 

“Our events are not just going to be like typical meetings, but they’re going to be more workshops or niche interests,” Gist said.

Madison Koppes, public relations junior and OU Wellness Society’s social media manager, said the organization is hoping to branch out to more people and grow the organization.

The Galentine’s yoga party is at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Sarkeys Fitness Center Studio B. Information on the OU Wellness Society and its future events can be found on Instagram or by joining its GroupMe.

This story was edited by Madisson Cameron. Tori Pham and Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.

Riley Berridge is the Junior OU Daily Culture Reporter who has a deep-rooted passion for theatre and music. Riley hopes to write about her passions and bring focus to underappreciated forms of art while also expanding her horizons in topics. With a standard for honesty and excellence, Riley is motivated to work hard at writing stories that will connect across many audiences. She values community and is looking forward to sharing stories across Norman. Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Riley can be contacted at [email protected].