Between classes, organizations, work study positions, and balancing a social life, the average college student holds a great deal of stress. Yoga, a practice for the mind, body, and soul, includes breathing and physical exercises to promote better health and relaxation. Students can take advantage of yoga as stress releaser while getting a great work out at Intramural Yoga in the Cap Center Multi-Purpose Room on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 9-10 p.m.
The Associated Press conducted a survey on college students that found four out of ten college students feel stress often. The building of stress can result in headaches, the inability to focus, poor sleeping habits, and even depression.
It is important for students to find a way to remove stress in their daily lives. Through strength, flexibility, and balance, yoga poses are performed for different benefits. For example, the cobra position stretches the shoulders and abdomen while improving the circulation for blood and oxygen.
Kelsey Pinckard, a junior co-instructs the Intramural Yoga class and has greatly benefitted from her practices of yoga.
“You will strengthen your body, have increased flexibility, release a lot of tension physically and emotionally, and have the mental benefits of relaxation,” Pinckard said.
In 2005, a German study was performed with 24 women participating in two 90-minute yoga classes twice a week for three months. After that time, the women’s anxiety, depression, and well-being were measured. Anxiety scores improved by 30 percent, depression scores improved by 50 percent and their overall well-being improved by 65 percent. The evidence shows that yoga is an effect relaxation and physical exercise technique that results in life changing benefits.
Going to your first session can be intimidating, so it’s important to know that everyone who is there is in the same position and wants to better themselves. The activity is not easy as positions do take practice. Yoga, just like any workout, requires focus, commitment, and determination.
Sydney Braverman, freshman co-instructor, and Pinckard’s advice for the beginner yoga-goer is to continue practicing and working on skills.
“There are always going to be new poses to learn and it’s always going to take time. No one is going to walk into a yoga class for their first time and be a pro, it just takes time,” Pinckard said.
The instructors feel that after the continuation of practice, it is less about the poses and more about focusing on yourself. Braverman says, “Don’t give up in the beginning. Once you learn you’re going to have good and bad days, it’s less about what you’re actually doing and more about the inner self.”
Pinckard and Braverman, hope to see the class to continue growing both in size and individual growth. Every class has had a different group of people according to instructors.
Braverman says, “I want to see consecutive people grow in their own practice. I can’t wait to see what else comes from the class.”
