This week in Hindi classes we learned how to perform a few yoga stances with Vidya Nahar who joined us from Chicago. As part of a campus-wide wellness day, the instructional staff were encouraged to host activities in their classes that focused on the well-being of students physically and mentally. It was a needed break where we all got to learn something new, but also relax from the pressures of the semester.
In the session, we emphasized stretch and balance poses. We loosened up with poses to stretch our legs and arms by attempting to max out our extension of each muscle. As an intermission, we cooled off with some breathing exercises to relax and recharge our bodies for the upcoming balance activities. These poses were the most fun, but also the most challenging. It was a lot of fun to test out our strength in balancing on one foot, while then combining the pose with stretches. This segment was a combination of physical and mental strength as it requires a great amount of focus to keep our minds steady and thus our bodies as well. While holding those positions, we also had to endure the weight of our bodies pulling us to rest. At the end of the session, we had laughter yoga that helped relieve stress and brought big smiles to our faces.
Ultimately, it was a great experience to check up on our minds and bodies in an enriching activity with our friends in class. It has reminded me that our physical strength can only go as far as our minds allow it, which has encouraged me to spend some time each day working on flexibility. In fact, it inspired my roommate to re-start a yoga regimen, affirming that yoga is really a powerful experience we should all consider participating in.
