In a darkened room overlooking the bustling Chicago landscape, nine computer-programming students followed the soothing voice of yoga instructor David Duerkop, stretching their cramped necks and relaxing their hardened shoulders.
At least once a week, students and instructors at Chicago web-developer school Dev Bootcamp walk away from their keyboards and step into yoga pants to relieve their stressed minds and stretch their stiff limbs.
“It keeps me active and focused,” said student Edwin Steinmetz. “Being physically active gives me that endorphin rush, and especially in this high stress environment, it helps to keep me balanced.”
The 19-week Dev Bootcamp program aims to transform beginners to full-fledged developers with proficiency in various coding languages such as Ruby, JavaScript and HTML. Amid a rigid schedule in which students sit in front of their computers for upwards of 10 hours a day, the Bootcamp requires students to participate in an hour-long yoga session twice a week for the first six weeks, after which it becomes optional.
Through various stretches, poses and meditation, weekly yoga sessions help students to straighten their hunched bodies and prevent them from burning out, said Emily Moss, community manager and outreach coordinator.
“Our general philosophy is to be very holistic, not just intellectually but emotionally and physically as well,” said Dev Bootcamp co-founder Dave Hoover, who says he has a background in family therapy.
Added instructor Leon Gersing: “There’s an overemphasis on the intellectual for programming, which can lead people to believe that it’s the only thing that you have to develop. But there is no disconnect between the mind or the body. So, a healthy body equals a healthy mind, and vice versa. Yoga is a way to channel that overpowering intellect and balance it with something physical in real space.”
The program’s curriculum requires students to take on a variety of coding challenges ranging from practical to wacky, such as creating a banking software or designing a virtual fish tank.
Stress levels can soar in the computer-filled space with bright screens of ones and zeros. Almost 85 percent of Dev Bootcamp students quit their jobs in attempts to transition into web developers, Moss said. Among the trainees are former chefs, cab drivers, pharmacists and florists.
“The stakes are very high,” Moss said. “There’s a lot of anxiety and stress involved, and it can be very intimidating and scary to make that 180-degree change.”
Dev Bootcamp graduate Helin Shiah, who now works as a software engineer for Oregon-based startup Savvr, said she appreciated what yoga brought to the program.
“I think [doing yoga] counters a lot of stereotypes about the industry, such as staying up late, not taking any showers, being under huge stress all the time,” she said. “I think it’s great to have some variety in your day, and it’s not just about being in front of your computer all the time.”
The program offers other activities to help keep the edge off the students: improv workshops, counseling sessions and an hour-and-a-half-long lunch.
“Programming is not just a pragmatic discipline — it’s a creative endeavor,” Gersing said. “You’re constantly inventing reality. So getting those creative juices flowing is not just sitting and studying the ones and zeros. It’s about being a well-rounded human being, being a well-rounded person. Discovering who you are as an individual informs the code you write.”
From: The Chicago Tribune