Student Spotlight: Changing the world one yoga class at a time

Adventure is calling and Alex Keller must answer.

At 25, with 13 countries under her belt, teaching certifications for both yoga and stand up paddle boarding, as well as undergraduate degrees in both French and Biology from Wright State, Alex Keller is more than just enthusiastic about fitness. She is passionate about bringing health and mental well-being to students and the Dayton community.

“If I could be anything, I’d be a travelling yoga teacher,” Keller said. “I would travel and bring yoga, mindfulness and healthy eating to the world.”

Keller is more than a yoga teacher, however, having ties to backpacking, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, rock climbing, scuba diving and much more. Working with Wright State’s Outdoor Resource Center, Keller has had the opportunity to lead Women in Nature backpacking trips to Mexico, be a personal trainer, work at the recreation desk as well as lead classes as a group fitness instructor.

Describing herself in three short phrases was easy: Self acceptance. At peace. Always evolving.

“Self acceptance is something I’ve struggled with my entire life. If more people loved themselves, this world would be a better place,” Keller said. “I’m a huge advocate of self-acceptance. That’s my message to WSU. Love yourself. When your mind is happy, your body is happy. I mentioned evolution because I think we should always be changing and accepting change.”

Keller embraced change as she travelled to Costa Rice for her 200-hour yoga teacher training. It was there she embraced yoga—on top of a paddleboard.

“I feel most at peace when I’m doing yoga,” Keller said. “There’s nothing like yoga on a paddleboard. I love it, that’s my passion.”

Keller’s love of yoga translated into a personal project: Do Yoga Dayton, a program that brings yoga to unexpected places.

“Just this past weekend I taught yoga at Toxic Brew Company. After, of course, we drank beer!” Keller said. “I brought yoga to a community that doesn’t normally do that sort of thing. I’m meeting with the Dayton Art Institute soon too. It’s only in the baby stages, but I would love to make this a thing where people are like, ‘You know what? I don’t do yoga, but I really want to try it. I want to do it in a place that’s unique. Like in a bar!’”

Yoga followed by a craft beer sounds appealing, but Keller pushes for more than a pint of beer in a daily diet—she pushes for water and lots of it. Drinking half of your body weight in ounces is the first step to take in healthy living, according to Keller.

“You need to drink as much water as you can,” Keller said, “and you need to move every day, even if it’s just a fifteen minute walk. Take the furthest restroom. Take the stairs. Park your car a little farther away from the entrance.”

Avoiding chemicals is another step in healthy living and well-being. “If you can’t pronounce the ingredients, don’t eat it,” Keller said. “If I can’t pronounce it, if I don’t know what it is, I don’t put it on my body.” Specifically with skin being the largest organ of the human body, Keller stresses that putting chemicals on the skin is unhealthy. “Everything you put on your skin is absorbed into your body. Why would you put chemicals on it?”

Keller’s an athlete, a leader, a planner and a teacher, but most of all she’s an adventurer.

“Adventure is in my heart,” Keller said. “I’ve never been to South America but that’s a goal. I need to go to the Andes Mountains too and I would love to go to Machu Picchu in Peru someday.”

While South America waits for her, Keller opens her classroom doors to Wright State students interested in getting fit, losing weight, or building muscle. “Come to class,” Keller said. “Come and try it. Bring a buddy.”

Classes are free to students and can be found online at www.wright.edu/campus-recreation.