Downward Dog. Warrior 1. Sun Salutation. Child's Pose. If you've ever taken a yoga class before, then these terms might be familiar to you. My senior year of high school I really got into power yoga at my local YMCA and felt myself not only getting some flexibility back and getting stronger, but I was more aware of my stress level and breathing. It's really eye-opening to see how my everyday breathing varied from my breathing when I was nervous, and how both of those were so much different from the relaxed, deep breathing that we did in yoga.
Here at Luther I was pretty excited when I saw that they offered yoga classes (along with other exercise classes like pilates and kickboxing). I've attended a yoga class a couple of times, and it provided a nice break from my normal, busy routine. The class here focuses a lot on relaxation, closing your mind from outside thoughts, and just focusing on your body and your breathing at that moment-something I don't think many students take the time to do.
This past week I've been reintroduced to some yoga techniques and I've realized how helpful yoga could be for me if I took the time to practice it. Last Friday before I raced my first indoor 5K at our conference meet (25 laps) I was pretty anxious. I was anxious about the various competitors and just about running for almost 20 minutes on the same oval. I could almost feel the nervous energy pulsing through my body. So to calm myself down I did this breathing exercise that I had learned in yoga. It's called a "breath of fire". You exhale through your nose 9 times fast (without inhaling in between, just keep exhaling until most of the air in you is gone) and then on the tenth time inhale deeply. Not only does it clean our your sinuses, but for me it just has a calming effect. That exercise definitely helped me to calm myself before the race and as a bonus, I ended up doing much better than I ever expected.
And then this week in Personal Fitness and Wellness we did yoga as our physical activity. It was great to take time and stretch my body, helping me reconnect with my muscles that I didn't even realize were tight. As a college student it is easy to get so wrapped up in classes, homework, friends, and sports that I neglect good posture. Some days with my backpack so full I get home at night and feel my back aching. So to do yoga in class was a great way to stretch and strengthen my body and also just to take time to de-stress. What a great way to deal with the stress that comes along with Paideia papers!
I'll have to keep in mind how great I felt during that session and take more time to practice yoga on my own. And when I need a quick-pick-me-up, I might even give that headstand pose a try.
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