Exam Stress? Try Yoga

You smugly stride through the doors only to be smacked directly in the face with a temperature and scent reminiscent of a Hamam Turkish bath, full of sweaty Europeans. The battle has begun. You find yourself, yet again, lurking, sidestepping, up and down the rows of 3rd and 4th floor in search of a cubbyhole to reside. On discovering an empty seat (find one with a power plug and you feel like you’ve won the lottery) you dump your bag and head straight down to the café. The only thing to possibly soothe you now is a smooth Starbucks latte. Oh wait. You momentarily forgot about the constant rush hour that pervades the café, a stampede of bright Air Max’s prattling away as they wait for their caffeine fix. To add to the wait, the lone woman operating the till seems to enjoy moving at a glacial pace as she declares, ‘Minimum spend of 3 pounds on card love’. Right. So you grab a handful here and there of items that look suspiciously like aeroplane food to make up the sum before heading back to your seat, wedged between a sleepy foreign student and a boy with a stack of 13 books, just to make you feel that extra bit better about yourself. 

This is Hallward. The place where we are supposed to live for the next few weeks, a time which, coincidentally, in classic British style, the sun has decided to show us its glorious face and we can enjoy none of it. For the near future, we are expected to bury our heads in our books revising, or in some cases, teaching ourselves from scratch the past term’s work. This mundane routine can quickly escalate in to full-blown stress mode for even the most together student.

Last week I was handed a stress ball in Hallward. The bearers were clearly fully aware that us students need to release our tensions in some way or another, in this case, by using a bright blue rounded piece of foam. While I have enjoyed having it on my desk for the past few days, sometimes I feel we need something a little more all encompassing. 

I started yoga a couple of months ago for precisely this reason. Even when we are trying to relax at home, it is most likely we have Facebook up on our laptops or the most recent TV series on our screens. Try to think of the last time you dedicated some time to simply being with yourself.

The University offers yoga as one of their extensive Fitness Classes, available throughout the week, on University Park or Jubilee Campus. These classes tend to be one hour of yoga that anyone can join, should they wish. 

I spoke to one of the teachers, Paul, about the benefits of yoga. He said, ‘Yoga is an excellent way of dealing with stress and can be practiced by anyone regardless of age or fitness level. If you’re thinking of starting yoga the main thing is not to have any fixed ideas about what you should or should not be able to do. Everyone is different, with different strengths and weaknesses. So, it’s best to accept where you are and not try and impose anything on the body. Regular practice will change things, just try not to be in a hurry!’. Paul recommends that everyone attends classes to begin with to ensure that the postures and various techniques are done properly, but, after that, it is possible to do some at home if you are pushed for time. Paul also emphasized the physical and mental benefits that can be gained from practicing yoga and stressed how beneficial these would be during exam period.

So if you’re feeling like you need a break from work, something different to keep you relaxed or just have a spare hour that needs filling, why not sign up and see what you can gain from yoga? Don’t knock it ‘till you’ve tried it!

• relax
• sport
• yoga