It’s that time in the semester where one may find themselves hopelessly wandering through assignments, trudging through the routines, and searching for meaning. While there are things to look forward to, (Halloween, fall weather, Thanksgiving, breaks from school, Christmas, etc), what do you do until then?
One can’t possibly be expected to hang on like this much longer. Besides the obvious option of skipping classes to lay in bed and re-watch 13 Going on 30 and eat half a tub of chocolate cookie dough ice-cream (maybe that’s just my solution?), there’s one thing that might be beneficial to de-stress, de-clutter, and flip your semester around. Yoga.
Although the preconeived ideas of yoga include tight clothes, awkward poses, and sweaty mats, Yoga is actually scientifically proven to alter both our mentality and physicality.
When it comes to our bodies, extreme amounts of stress can cause aches, pains, weight fluctuation, and overall sluggishness. The practice of Yoga improves circulation, digestion, flexibility, posture, immunity, and core strength. And if you can ignore the way your legs are twisted beneath you on the mat, yoga can also calm the anxieties of the present. Yoga increases self-awareness, mental-awareness, confidence, energy flow, memory, and, most importantly, decreases stress.
The practice of yoga doesn’t just improve and test your flexibility, it is a flexible way to add fitness into your daily routine. Yoga doesn’t have to take more than fifteen minutes, as long as a good session of stretching and breathing take place. It also doesn’t have to be done in a traditional studio or even with a teacher. There’s a saying that goes, “You are your own best teacher.” Therefore, yoga can be done in your living room, bedroom, hotel room, even your dorm (if your roommate allows).
For me, yoga has slowly become less of a chore than a way of therapy and healing. My body may protest for the first fifteen minutes, but by the end of class, all tension has been relieved. Especially in this chaotic, frustrating, overwhelming time, finding a balance, and your own form of therapy is essential to your prosperity and presence in the world. Namaste. (Meaning, I bow to you fellow Yogi).