Jenna Bacon, Campus Carrier asst. arts & living editor
Being a college student can come with its fair share of stressors. Balancing schoolwork, social lives and jobs is no easy feat. From studying for upcoming tests and working long shifts to keeping up with dorm-room chores, life is busy for most college students. With so much on their minds, it can be difficult for students to find time to focus on their mental and physical well-being.
One way that students are improving upon their physical and mental well-being is by practicing yoga and meditation. Adjunct Instructor of Kinesiology Beth Hughes shared how she hopes her yoga classes will help students improve their well-being.
“I feel like part of my mission as the yoga instructor is to aid with Stress Management. I try to do that not just with what I teach but with the way that I teach and run my classes,” Hughes said. “I don’t try to add stress to your already stressful lives in my class. And I think that’s really important for everyone to understand that.”
Meditation and yoga go hand in hand. Meditation is essentially the practice of sitting still, breathing deeply, and clearing one’s mind. According to WebMD, the practice of meditation can help decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve concentration and strengthen the immune system. Senior Joshua Robinson shared his experience with mediation and how he feels it helps him.
“It’s relaxing but if you go along with the process you can learn to be in touch with your body,” Robinson said. “So, if there is a stretch that might be too difficult you can listen to your body and modify that stretch or grab a yoga strap to make it easier.”
Taking care of one’s well-being is not exclusive to mental health but also physical health. According to WebMD, yoga is a great way to build strength, improve posture and increase flexibility. Compared to some other forms of exercise, yoga can come across as a simpler, less intimidating alternative. It’s also a low impact which is great for people who want to prevent injury. Sophomore Isabelle Bane explained why she took up yoga and what results she’s gotten from practicing it.
“I started it because I have very little core strength. And so, I was trying to find some way to build that without a threat of injury,” Bane said. “My experience has been that I’ve been a lot stronger, and I’ve been able to figure out a lot of things I didn’t know I could do.”
Within the practice of yoga there is something called yoga therapy. This is a newer concept, but several people have participated in what is being referred to as trauma informed therapy. This treatment started to gain popularity after the release of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s book “The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma” in 2014. Hughes spoke about her experience with yoga therapy and the benefits she’s seen come from it.
“Our body holds on to memories, both good and bad memories. So, yoga allows you to have the opportunity to move your body in lots of different ways and sometimes that brings up memories,” Hughes said. “When a memory comes up, you can process through it and recognize that feeling.”
While athletes usually take part in more intense workouts, yoga can be beneficial for them as well. Not only can it help clear their minds and increase focus, but yoga can also assist people with athletic backgrounds in stretching before and after workouts.
“Yoga is great for stretching, which is what you do when you’re on a sports team before a game,” Robinson said. “It would also be good to stretch after a game to help with muscle recovery and soreness.”
Students can choose to take yoga for one of their foundation’s courses or simply participate in the free classes hosted in the Cage Athletic Center. Classes take place at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays in room 202 in the Cage Center. Hughes will be teaching Yoga II during the second 7 weeks of the semester.