"She is non-judgmental; she makes you feel accepted at any level you happen to be at," says Betts. "She's a great example of a seemingly happy human being at its full potential."

"She's fabulous. She's like a goddess basically," says Cordero. "She's got a very, very peaceful way about her. She's got a lot of positive energy. You feel it from her, and I think that's why people like her so much."

Tyana R. Caplan '91, who took the class both last year and first semester of this term, says there were a few times when Bunker went away and the class had a substitute teacher. "It just wasn't the same," she says.

Sitting Around And 'Oming'

While class members are enthusiastic about yoga now, many admitted they were not always so approving.

"Everyone has this idea of it as this crunchy thing. I had all the preconceived notions of people sitting around and 'om-ing,'" says Caplan.

"Before I started yoga, I assumed it was sort of inefficacious and just sort of dumb," says Betts, "a sort of gentle, boring thing you could do that wouldn't make any difference."

Bunker is well aware of people's perceptions, but she says that often their attitudes are formed without knowing much about yoga. "People don't realize how challenging it is physically ... this is not a natural thing for the body to do. At first it feels pretty awkward."

People's inhibitions further limit them and may scare them away from yoga, others say.

"I think a lot of people are very afraid of getting in touch with parts of themselves," says Cordero, "especially a lot of people at Harvard, people who are very competitive."

Bunker says that the stress at Harvard makes yoga all the more important. "I get a lot of stressed-out people who come in," she says. "I think Harvard is right up there in terms of stressful places. It's nice to watch people take control of that and not let it take them in."

In mixing the wacky and fun with the more serious and spiritual, Bunker helps Harvardians 'take control.'

During a recent class, for example, Bunker had the students do the 'crow walk.' "Make some sounds that remind you of a crow," she suggested to her class. And the students got down on the balls of their feet, squawking and creeping around the red wrestling mats like scavenging birds.

Later, in a more serious mode, the class performed a chant. Bunker began, singing in a soft voice: "Om Nama Shivaya." The chant, which "tunes you into yourself," according to Bunker, grew louder as the entire class joined her in the haunting chromatic scale. Their voices rose and fell, chanting the words over and over again.

Wrestlers Do It Too

After the hour is up, Bunker says she can see the difference in people's facial expressions. "What I see is that their faces are more relaxed, their eyes aren't so staring."

"People are really very other-worldly when they come out of there," says Matzinger.

In fact, yoga seems to have benefits for everybody. As it turns out, Assistant Wrestling Coach Paul Widerman also does yoga--and he teaches the techniques to his team.

It is doubtful, however, that Widerman ends his wrestling practices in the same spirit that Bunker ends her classes: Head bent down, she speaks solemnly to her class, "I honor you with all respect. I honor you with my heart."