Leaving our parents, hometown, and high school routine is a challenge many of us have faced. During my freshman year, I realized I missed the structure of high school: getting up early, having classes all day, then sports practices and games at night. In college, I’d sleep until my earliest class started, then come home and somehow be ready for a nap. Nothing motivated me to get up, and I missed the regularity of high school sports practices.
After falling into this weird schedule, which involved a lot of sleep and nothing else, I found my saving grace: yoga. My older sister was in the middle of getting her yoga instructor license, and she’d call me to tell me about whatever she was learning. I learned about the yamas and the niyamas (the yoga way of life), calming pranayama techniques, shadow chakras and how they can block one’s citta (heart-mind), and a simple sun salutation to start the morning.
So, I gave yoga a try. My admiration for yoga didn’t happen all at once, which at first bummed me out. Where is all this mindful clarity my sister’s talking about? I thought I was doing something wrong, but yoga is all about patience and practice. The more you do it, the better the outcome.
I made a deal with myself to combat my horrible tendency to start my day at noon. I’d wake up at 9 a.m. three days a week and immediately follow a 10-minute flow. Before brushing my teeth, washing my face, or changing my clothes, I just get out of bed and look up “morning yoga” on YouTube. After a few weeks of following this routine, I upped my practice to four times a week. After that seemed manageable, I went up to five times a week.
As cheesy as it may sound, by the end of the semester, I noticed changes in myself that I never expected. It used to take me at least an hour after waking up to feel awake. Now, I wake up, do my 30-minute flow, and I feel wide awake and ready for my classes.
I also saw a huge difference when falling asleep at night. When I lay in bed, there’s no tossing or turning or staying up super late before I’m tired. I feel ready to sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
I used to be the biggest procrastinator, but now, I don’t view my schoolwork in such a negative light. I’m not going to sit here and tell you I like doing schoolwork because that’s a lie. I don’t want to mislead anyone on the superpowers of yoga. However, looking at schoolwork in a more positive light has helped my procrastination immensely. I love learning and doing homework, and studying is part of that learning process.
Yoga has not only given me a new way to start my day but also transformed my mindset. It’s helped me find balance in a hectic college schedule and brought back the structure I had been missing. I’m more productive, less stressed, and have a positive outlook.
If you’re struggling to find your rhythm in college or just looking for a way to clear your mind, I can’t recommend giving yoga a try enough. It may not solve all your problems, but it might just be the change you didn’t know you needed.
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