It’s getting to the point in the school year when classes start to pick up, tests and quizzes are starting to become a regular thing, and everyone seems to be more stressed out than usual. It’s normal…It’s college! There are several different things that can be done around campus or even off campus that can majorly help reduce stress, but one that ranks high on the charts for many is doing yoga! Here are a few reasons why…
It helps to relax the body and mind. Yoga does not only create internal calmness, but external calmness as well. While doing yoga, if you try to not think about all the stuff you have going on in the outside world, your body will begin to inform your mind that you are capable of getting everything done and there should be no need for extra stress.
It helps you breathe through your problems. Stress and tension within school and outside of school activities can cause breathing rates to increase and become a lot more rapid. Yoga instructors usually begin with a breathing exercise and end with one as well to keep the breath steady throughout the whole yoga practice. Once your yoga practice is over, the calm breathing usually stays with you for most of the day. Therefore, it’s beneficial to attend yoga classes regularly! Here’s a quick breathing excercise you can try right now as you read this:
It releases emotional energy. Most negative emotions can lead to being a huge stress factor. Some of these emotions consist of anger, fear, or dread. Whether you know/ feel it or not, a ton of emotional energy is released through yoga. Several postures where the hips or shoulders are released are especially effective because that is where we hold a lot of our stress throughout each day.
If you are feeling a bit uptight, want to release some tension, or have an upcoming test, joining a yoga class either on campus or off campus will be sure to do the trick.
On a related note, if you want a little bit more of a challenge…there is always HOT yoga!