Students taking Yoga this quarter were given an assignment to find a quiet space within their residence to be a place of comfort, where they can sit, lay down, or stand comfortably. The space had to meet the following parameters:
- Independent of their school workspace
- A place where they can open their minds and be as independent as possible from distractions coming from the world around them
- A location where they can feel fully present and able to focus inward
- A seated position where they can open their minds and adapt to improving concentration with less outside interruptions.
They also needed to decorate it into a place of tranquility to help them calm their autonomic nervous system in order to enhance that connection. The idea is to have a space that offers solitude and introspection, as well as an opportunity to center the body and mind.
Throughout the quarter, students carved out 5 minutes a day to perform the Diaphragmatic breath for 5 rounds and integrated their 3 favorite Yoga asanas (postures). This helps the stuednts integrate all that mindful meditation and yoga has to offer – a place to give the mind and body a hug, a place to reduce stress and anxiety, and continue to realize the benefits of Yoga. It enhances self-care and the mind-body connection, reduces stress both internally and externally, and increases self-awareness.
Here’s what Panida says about the exercise so far:
“I started with the diaphragmatic breath first to start the yoga postures, then I did the mountain pose, forward fold, downward dog, plank, sphinx, cobra, cat/cow, sun Salutation A all combined. I liked all the yoga postures and poses, they all helped me feel more energized and relaxed. All the movements helped my aching muscles feel less tense and to feel more relaxed and not so stiffed. I do not have any favorites, but doing all the yoga postures and movements in one sequence helped my mind be clearer. I also had to have a mindset that everything will be okay, and it is okay not to be okay except to filter out the negative feelings and thoughts from my mind. The poses also helped me be more aware of my body and allowing me to absorb all the benefits of doing all the yoga postures. These yoga postures and poses helped with my chronic stress that I have been having these past couples of days. I was able to concentrate better and feel more at peace with myself.”
While the assignment is only a quarter long, the goal is to form a habit and evolve into a lifelong routine that will provide long-term benefits.
Yoga is one of the elective courses OLS Students can take to obtain their associate degree from OLS. More information about our curriculum is available on our website. To learn more about our program register for an upcoming Information Session.
[ssba-buttons]Last Updated November 24, 2020