Binghamton University students stretched out their stress with the largest outdoor yoga class ever on campus, kicking off the University’s Healthy Campus Week Initiative.

More than 50 students gathered on Monday evening on the East Gym track as a part of the Healthy Campus Initiative, part of the White House’s Healthier America program, which is spearheaded by First Lady Michelle Obama. BU is one of 20 colleges participating in the initiative, which means that the University implements guidelines around nutrition, physical activity and programming. Cindy Cowden, the associate director for facilities and internal operations, is the chair of BU’s chapter.

The yoga class was led by Campus Rec yoga instructors and lasted one hour. Attendees were taught sun salutations and two warrior poses, as well as breathing and meditation techniques.

“The yoga event was a short and sweet time for faculty and students to relax and get some exercise in their busy schedules,” Cowden said. “We believe that yoga and healthy eating could really help them reduce stress and set themselves for a nice evening of studying and other activities.”

Students like John Stackpole, an undeclared junior, said he attended because he figured yoga could help him and his friends relax and forget about the stress in their lives.

“I think if the University offers more free classes on campus, more students will come, because some people don’t have enough money to pay for a gym membership or outside classes,” Stackpole said. “It would be a great idea for everyone to do something and it would really help.”

Free exercise classes are not the only way to promote health on campus, said Kelly Clements, a junior majoring in economics. Despite these initiatives, she said, BU can still improve the options available in the dining halls and the Marketplace.

“I think that there are a lot of healthy options available on campus, but there are twice as many unhealthy options available for everyone and we should really work to change that,” Clements said. “The unhealthy food is three times cheaper than the healthier food, where we have to pay around $5 for a nice healthy salad or sandwich.”

Healthy Campus Week continued with a live Twitter chat with representatives from Sodexo, where students could tweet questions to the company. Today, the second annual “R U Green” event will take place in the Marketplace, focusing on healthy eating and the color green.

Sodexo will hand out free food samples during “R U Green,” including green smoothies, fruits and vegetables. The event also has a number of organizations tabling like Campus Recreation, the athletic department, Counseling Center and Dean of Students in an effort to bring awareness to some of the healthy resources available all over campus.

Hannah Sommers-Thaler, a sophomore majoring in geography, is a member of BU Food Sustainability, which works with Sodexo to get local and ethically sourced food on campus.

“The campus is really good at promoting nutrition and fitness, but I think that something that we lack is knowing where our food comes from and being able to be connected to that,” Sommer-Thaler said. “I think we can definitely become more aware of the food options we should have available to us going forward.”