Have you ever longed for a way to improve your body while also relieving stress? As a college student, it can be difficult to find the time to work out amidst writing research papers and preparing for finals.

Practicing yoga has the potential to greatly reduce the stress of schoolwork while also strengthening and toning the body.

Plus, it isn’t nearly as difficult as one would imagine. Twisting into pretzels is only for the elite yogis (practitioners of yoga); we beginners are able to start out as slowly as we want.

The word yoga came from the Sanskrit word “yuj,” meaning “to unite.” Yoga focuses on uniting, or developing a balance between, one’s mind, body and spirit. Ancient yogis believed that this uniting allowed man to be in harmony with his environment and himself. Yoga uses a mixture of breathing, exercises and meditation to achieve the desired natural balance.

For more than 5,000 years, India has been home to the discipline of yoga. There are six different branches of yoga:

Hatha Yoga

Bhatki Yoga

Raja Yoga

Jnana Yoga

Karma Yoga

Tantra Yoga

Hatha Yoga is the branch the West is most familiar with. It applies Asana (physical poses), breathing techniques and meditation to improve health and spirituality.

Yoga is one of the best ways to keep in shape, and the regular practice of yoga results in many health benefits. Some of these benefits are physical, some mental. Yoga helps to lower blood pressure by improving circulation throughout the body. It also helps balance one’s metabolism, which allows for a healthy weight. The regular practice of yoga can also improve posture and balance – even one’s sexuality is positively affected.

Yoga also has been shown to have a serious effect on emotional well-being as well as physical. The focus required by yoga’s breathing techniques takes the mind away from the stresses of life, resulting in a positive mood and outlook on life.

Self-control, calmness and attention are also aspects of life which are greatly improved by the regular practice of yoga. The concentration necessary to practice yoga shows up consistently in day-to-day life.

Yoga can fit into your life. Jessica Watson, a 20-year-old at East Tennessee State University, has seen firsthand how the regular practice of yoga can lead to health benefits. When she was 15 years old, she injured her knee dancing.

Yoga has completely rid Watson of any pain related to the injury. Watson is pursuing a major in dietetics at ETSU. She understands the stresses put on college students and strongly believes that yoga helps relieve those stresses. She also believes that yoga is a great way to grow personally, even in college.

Watson teaches a sunrise yoga class every Monday morning in the Basler Center for Physical Activity on campus.

Any one interested in the practice of yoga is welcome, no matter how experienced.

The class is early, 7-8 a.m., but Watson believes it is worth it.

“It’s a study of my body, it’s personal,” she said. “There are days when I don’t feel like getting out of bed, but I’ve learned that you never regret it. You never regret connecting with your body.

Author