THE STRESS FACTOR
YOGA
Yoga is probably my favorite way to de-stress when I am feeling overwhelmed. I love being able to move my body and work out all of my stressors through movement. Growing up, I took several dance classes during the week which always helped me to de-stress and unwind. I think that yoga does the same for me now, and I would highly recommend trying yoga for any of those who haven’t before! Throughout the course of this semester, I studied and practiced many different types of yoga in order to find the practices which worked best for me. Below are all of the yoga practices that I tried this semester as well as descriptions of each so you can pick the practice that works best for you!
Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga is probably the type of yoga most people are familiar with, and what people typically think of when they think of yoga. Prior to this year, I occasionally practiced hatha yoga in my free time. Over the summer, I started to make hatha yoga a more regular part of my routine. This semester, I actually took a class at Marist in hatha yoga to gain a better understanding of the practice. I love practicing yoga as it helps me to feel more balanced and centered, and it really calms me down when I’m feeling overwhelmed. I highly recommend starting with hatha yoga for anyone who is looking to start practicing. Here is a link to one of my favorite practices on youtube.
Yoga Nidra
Yoga nidra was new to me this semester and it has quickly become one of my favorite ways to practice. Yoga nidra is a body scan meditative type of yoga that walks you through a guided body scan in order to release all stress from the body. I really enjoy doing this practice before bed as it is the perfect way to unwind and calm down before falling asleep. Many times, I have actually fallen asleep during my yoga nidra practice. I highly recommend this type of yoga to anyone who enjoys meditation, and who wants to feel more grounded throughout their day to day. Here is a link to my favorite guided yoga nidra practice.
Yin Yoga
Yin yoga is similar to hatha yoga in that the same traditional poses are used in practice, however poses are held for much longer in yin yoga. In hatha yoga, the participant moves quickly from pose to pose in a rhythmic way. Yin yoga involves holding each pose for a much longer period of time and really sinking into that pose. I would say that it is more of a combination of the two other forms of yoga as you can also meditate during this practice as with yoga nidra. Here is a link to my favorite yin yoga practice.