Over spring break, I was lucky enough to be able to spend time in one of my favorite places in the world: Palo Alto, CA. While there, I was able to see my mom’s extended family, sight-see, enjoy the heat wave of 80-degree weather and of course, bike everywhere – a Northern California staple.
California has always been a place of healing for me. This semester has been stressful for me, so I was really excited to go and recharge – what I didn’t expect to get out of the trip was a new-found love for yoga.
In the week that I was out there, my cousin, mom and I walked to yoga class almost every day at Avalon Yoga Studio (10/10, definitely recommend it if you’re ever in the Bay Area).
I was hesitant going in, because to me, yoga classes seemed judge-y and uncomfortable. As someone with anxiety, I had always been told by professionals to go and try one out to relieve my stress, but never did it – until now.
I ended up feeling so refreshed after the first class that I kept coming back throughout the week. The studio we went to erased all of my preconceived ideas of yoga studios – everyone was very welcoming, and the instructor was committed to making sure everyone had a relaxing experience.
Since I began doing yoga over break, I’ve definitely been able to control my nerves a lot better when faced with stressful situations back at school. I’ve even committed to going to Pilates and Zumba a lot more since coming back. Although my anxiety still tries to conquer me on a daily basis, I can fight back now, thanks to the state of mind that yoga gave me.
Here’s to a healthy and hopefully more relaxing rest of the semester!
Image courtesy of author