My eyelids lie heavily against the back of my eyes. The mellow, vivid red walls embrace me. My breathing surprisingly paces in a peaceful rhythm; my stomach and chest mirror the pattern of my breath; I count five in… five out. Sweat drops trickle down my spine. I feel as though I have just ran a marathon.
Crossed-legged, I raise my arms to my lips, to my third eye, then bow down in gratitude and whisper, “Namaste”.
**
Every class of Vinyasa Flow Yoga begins the same: we lie flat on our mats, letting the floor absorb every inch of our bodies, and our teacher asks us to focus on the intent of our practice for the evening. One word. Stress, exams, homework, meetings, projects, and essays, flood into my mind and float inside me not letting me gasp for air.
I settle on “Anxiety”.
College life can catch up to you.
Besides the piles of workload each professor assigns ignoring the fact that we do indeed have other classes, many of us are also involved in student-run activities, physical exercise, religious groups, and still have to fit in grocery shopping, laundry washing, and dorm cleaning. To top it off, we don’t have our mom’s goodnight kiss we’ve been receiving since, well, forever, to reassure us everything will turn out just fine, but instead have to put more of our energy into making new real friends to rely on.
If you tell me you have never had a mental breakdown, punched a wall (and broke a nail), or indulged in fifteen pots of Ben and Jerry’s, I don’t believe you.
Been there, done that.
But then I found Vinyasa Flow Yoga.
Yoga originated in Ancient India and is one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy. Vinyasa Flow is just one amongst the infinite types of yoga known for its smooth moves in harmony with breathing, which is why it succeeds in dealing with anxiety: it is a perfect synchronicity of mind and body workout.
Although the exercises are not always the same (another great part of yoga – there’s always more to learn), the classes do follow a certain pattern. The 90-minute session begins with us lying in a mat, closing our eyes, letting our breath sink into our body, and setting an intent to the evening’s class. Then, the instructor takes us through a series of sequences compiled with poses that require the right breathing to ensure balance. After one hour of posing, we go through some relaxing body stretches, more soothing than a massage. Finally, we conclude in fifteen minutes of shavasana – probably the most important part of your yoga practice, where you lie on your back and focus only on regulating your breathing and keeping your mind blank.
Contrary to popular belief, yoga, unlike mediation, serves also a complete workout. The poses are not simple at all, requiring a lot of muscle building and professional balance skills. The stretches are just as demanding as those from ballet (as a dancer, I am witness of this). And the room is heated to 90 degrees to make you sweat and release all your body’s toxins.
Furthermore, in speeding up your heart rate and making your body strive during the workout, Vinyasa Flow Yoga successfully calms your mind down. After what seems to be a never-ending practice, the instructor announces shavasana and suddenly laying your body against your mat is not as hard as it was when you came in. Plus, the morning after, you will wake up sore.
I have been practicing yoga for less than a semester – I am no expert. I sit on my matt facing the red Buddha statue that rests on the windowsill near lit candles, trying to let go of my day, setting my mind on blank. Once class is over and we bow in gratitude to mouth “Namaste”, I am a different person.
Reenergized, I sit on my desk and open my textbook. Mind and body compiled of good vibes. As a final touch, I sip my Yogi green tea and read the daily inspiration that hangs from the teabag:
“Let the things you love be your release”.
I smile. Sounds perfect to me.