It is 10:04 p.m. after a long day of classes, work, and socializing, and the time ticks down as the white glare of a Word document stares back at me. An essay due at 11:59 p.m. that I have not started yet, and I only have one hour and 55 minutes left to go.
College is stressful. Whether it be an upcoming exam or a group presentation, a campus job or extracurricular, a social life and friendship drama, the minds of college students are constantly racing. Or like me, it is always a race to complete an assignment in the looming hour of midnight when it is due.
So, how do I keep myself sane with three on-campus jobs, a handful of extracurriculars, and full coursework of classes? Yoga.
The University of Connecticut’s Student Recreation Center offers gentle yoga, yoga flow, or power yoga in their fitness schedule classes throughout the week. I enjoy doing a 9 a.m. yoga flow with my friend Gianni every Wednesday and Friday morning. This class provides a refreshing start to my day, allowing me to stretch and wake up my body, breathe mindfully, and get a little workout in the process.
Yoga flow, also called vinyasa, is my favorite style of yoga because it is a more fast-paced class that syncs each movement with breath in a sequence. This allows me to reset and recharge, get my heart rate going, and ultimately, connect my mind and body.
Here is my beginner’s guide to starting yoga and why every college girl should try it!
Yoga Eases Stress Management
Between 2013 and 2021, the percentage of college students with mental health issues skyrocketed by nearly 50%. Research indicates yoga can bring relief from anxiety and depression, as focusing on breath during yoga can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, get your blood flowing, and heart pumping, allowing you to reconnect with your body. Yoga can also be a place for self-reflection and self-compassion, allowing people to mindfully think about their intentions for their day. This is why I love doing yoga in the morning, it allows me to set a meaningful intention for the day and refocus my body from any stress I felt from the day before.
A Physical Challenge
Not only does yoga help reduce anxiety and depression, but it also is a physical challenge that tests your flexibility, balance, and strength! Before I started doing yoga, I was not flexible at all. After a few months of regularly doing yoga a few times a week, I slowly started to see my muscles tone in my back and legs, and overall gain much more flexibility throughout my entire body. Many people don’t realize that yoga requires a lot of strength. Common poses like chaturanga, a low plank, or upward dog, are great poses for the upper body muscles. For lower body strength, the warrior sequences one, two, and three are great variations of lunges and balance that require leg strength. I love the balancing poses because they provide a good challenge, especially the tree pose and the warrior three.
The Different Types of Classes
The Rec Center offers three types of traditional yoga classes: gentle yoga, yoga flow, and power yoga, which provide different environments and styles. Gentle yoga is more focused on meditation and less movement, with a lot of the class remaining on the ground. Yoga flow is an all-levels class that provides modifications if needed, but is faster paced, as breath and movements sync with each other. Power yoga is a vinyasa class that syncs breath and movement while building stamina and endurance. The Rec also offers a yogalates class, a yoga and pilates fusion class on Wednesday nights this semester, another great class I would recommend!
Do It Anywhere
Another great thing about yoga is that you can do it anywhere! As long as you have a yoga mat or towel, you could do yoga in your room, outside, or in the gym. There are a lot of yoga videos online that are great if you want to do yoga but don’t know where to start. I love the Nike Training App because they have a wide array of yoga videos, with a variety of difficulty levels. This is a great alternative to attending specific classes and is a good opportunity to practice poses and get all the benefits if you are tight on time.
Speciality Classes
One of my favorite things to do the first week of classes in September is Sunset Yoga on Horsebarn Hill, hosted by the Rec Center. I go every year with my friends, and it is a popular event where hundreds of students join together to do yoga, looking over at the sunset. It is a perfect way to start off the school year, prioritizing mental health and wellbeing, while enjoying a warm fall evening. Different UConn organizations will host Goat Yoga throughout the year, such as a few weeks ago when the Office of Sustainability hosted their Earth Day Spring Fling.
While I enjoy doing yoga at the studio I am a part of back home, doing yoga on campus during the school year provides a lot of benefits and is easily accessible. I would recommend incorporating classes into your weekly routine so you can make the time for it. I look forward to my yoga classes each week because they allow me to destress, reconnect my mind with my body, and feel re-energized. Yoga provides a plethora of benefits, both physically and mentally, and every college girl should try it!