I got my 200-hr yoga certification during my freshman year of high school. At the time, it seemed like a good activity to focus on during the pandemic. I was stuck in my house and wasn’t getting much physical activity other than my zoom P.E. class. Like many teenagers at the time, my mental health was struggling due to the social isolation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Practicing yoga has been extremely beneficial both to my physical and mental wellbeing and it’s benefits continue to positively impact my life today. Here’s why I think yoga is important, especially when braving the both exiting and stressful college experience.
Learning how to breathe
It may sound straightforward because you have always known to take a couple of deep breaths when you’re feeling stressed before a test or when you’re feeling frustrated about something. However, there are many different breathing patterns that can help you calm down, focus or even fall asleep. In most yoga classes you take, your instructor will guide you to match your breathing with your movements. This forces you to pay attention to each breath you take. Regulated breathing and can help regulate your nervous system.
In every class I teach, I carve out time at the beginning and at the end of each class for everyone to focus on their breathing. The box breathing method is one of my favorites. As a college student, I often go to sleep stressed about quizzes and exams that I have in the morning. I use the box breathing method every night to help me fall asleep, especially when I’m feeling anxious. It consists of taking a breath in, holding it counts, breathing out and holding it again. You count to four each time which creates the shape of a box.
Learning to breathe can be a game changer when it comes to managing stress.
Physical Health
My physical health has definitely taken a hit in the few months I have been at college so far. I have found that doing a couple of sun salutations every day has helped me recover from muscle tension due to stress and spending so much time sitting. Even when I was in high school, taking a study break to do a small yoga sequence would help me come back to my notes feeling calm and collected.
The nice thing about yoga is that you don’t need much space to do it. If you feel like you need a break from whatever you’re doing, it’s easy to step away from your desk and just move around a bit. Learning a sun salutation sequence doesn’t take much time, but it’s a valuable tool you can always use if you feel like you need it.
Taking Breaks
Although going to a yoga class is a lot of fun, it can sometimes be intimidating or time consuming, especially during exam season. Taking mental notes on a few of the poses that you liked from a class you took or looking up a small sequence online can be a great way to decompress in a short amount of time.