Let’s start by saying that my last academic year was probably the worst one in my entire life. My physical, emotional, and mental health were all in the toilet. Then, by the end of the year, I was unable to finish my classes because I almost took my own life, and ended up in the hospital. After then hospital I felt much better and knew I had to change things in my life, so I never end up back there again. I took the summer to relax and try to plan on how to do better in this upcoming school year. School is my biggest stressor both academically and socially. One small change I decided to make was incorporating a yoga class into my schedule. This course is a one credit course that is handled on a pass/ no pass basis, and all I need to do to pass, is show up. I knew that if I signed up for one in town, I would not go because I would not be held accountable. However, the teacher takes attendance every class, and so I make sure that I am there because I want to pass.
The first night I had the class I was extremely nervous because I did not want to look like a fool. I was worried about doing a pose extremely wrong or farting when doing certain poses. I can’t tell you which would be worse, but probably the farting. After just the first class, I remember thinking that this is probably going to be one of the best choices I have made in a while. I felt so relaxed and truly that I may be able to handle this semester, even though I know it will be tough. I am now a few classes in and still feel as though this is a very beneficial course for me to be in and I plan on sticking with it.
I have noticed that I am not stressing as much as usual when it comes to dumb things that do not matter in the long run. I also have felt as though my body and mind can relax, and thus I can sleep better, after I finish the class. I am now a few classes in, and I can tell that this class is going to be very important for my mental health and stability. However, as important as I see this class being, I did not even know that my school offered yoga classes. I just happened to find a section for physical education when I was adding courses to my schedule for this term.
I believe that colleges should incorporate more yoga classes, and market them to their students. Yoga has been shown to help with certain aspects of mental health which some college students struggle with. Yoga can increase “body awareness, relieves stress, reduces muscle tension, strain, and inflammation, sharpens attention and concentration, and calms and centers the nervous system”. I know of many people who struggle with anxiety and depression at my campus, but they have no idea about the yoga class. With the amount of college students that have mental health problems, schools should be marketing yoga as an outlet. Even if colleges do not want to have it as a course, maybe they could just have open classes where people can come if they want. Most schools have an expansive gym that can have space to host such a class, so why aren’t they doing it? Schools need to take action in order to help their students cope with some of the issues they struggle with.