The Perfect Day
It’s a beautiful fall day with the trees changing colors into bright yellow and red colors. The sky is a beautiful pink color and the sun is setting. You want to cuddle under your blankets with some hot chocolate as you binge-watch the newest season of Riverdale staring at KJ Apa’s abs. The day is perfect until … you look at the episode length 50 minutes, and all of a sudden your heart starts racing. Your relaxing day is ruined, it’s midterm season. You have 3 tests, and an essay due. You realize your procrastinating and start frantically trying to memorize 3 chapters of facts the day before the test. You need something that can help you chill out!
Yoga is Simple
We’ve all been there and will probably continue to experience this in our lives. We all have deadlines that we waited until the last minute for and large amounts of homework in college. However, you can make your life less stressful by simply meditating and practicing yoga for a minimum of at least 5-10 minutes a day. Of course, no one wants to lay out a yoga mat and listen to some hippie lady explain that you need to breathe through your soul. However, simply closing your eyes, breathing in and out, and playing some calm music in the background can clear your head from the constant worrying and make your life less stressful.
How it Helps Mentally and Physically
The practice of yoga involves: focusing on breathing, slowing down your heartbeat, thinking about what you are grateful for while becoming healthy mentally and physically. If a yoga class is not available you can use an app like HeadSpace or watch a video on Youtube. It tells you when to breathe in and when to breathe out and what to think about, so you don’t get stressed when you practice yoga. By doing this, it allows you to realize that you do have the power to focus and get your work done as long as you are productive and goal-orientated. The main mental benefits are: body awareness, relieves stress, reduces muscle tension & strain, sharpens attention and concentration, and calms and centers the nervous system. Physically: it increases your flexibility, energy, and muscle strength, helps with weight loss, and you will become better at cardio.
The next time you get stressed just put some headphones, listen to some calm music, and focus on your breathing. Hopefully, you’ll worry less and do good on your test!
HCXO