Students gathered in room 303 of the University Student Union Wednesday afternoon to attend a Wellness Wednesday workshop aimed at informing students of the benefits of yoga and meditation. The event, hosted by Student Health Services, was a part of year-long program that promotes methods to improve students’ health.
Out of the 21 students who showed up to room 303 in the University Student Union, 11 of them came to get help with stress reduction, and only three out of the 21 have ever practiced yoga or meditation in their lifetime.
Heidi Girling, a health educator supervisor for SHS, gave a presentation for students about living a healthy lifestyle. One of her main points was to always focus on breathing.
“That is not only the key to being successful at life, but the key to maintaining life,” Girling said.
She had the classroom perform three different exercises, two seated meditation exercises and one seated yoga exercise, so that students could learn and perform them anywhere.
“Always focus on your breath,” Girling said. “We can always control that, mood or your feelings. If you don’t have your breath, you don’t have your life, you have nothing. I want to emphasize that controlling your breathing will also help you reduce stress.”
One of the techniques displayed is called the pranayama, in which the individual covers one nostril and breathes in the other one before switching. According to Girling, doing the breathing exercise for two-to-four minutes can help the mind relax, and is “the perfect exercise to do right before going to sleep.”
Girling stressed how important it is that students prioritize finding ways that help them eat healthier. She encouraged students to find ways to increase the amounts of fruits and vegetables they eat in their diet and stay away from too much fast food consumption.
“Hearing that fast food is one of the leading causes to depression was such an eye opening thing for me because that is something I struggle with,” said Cameron Millsap, a junior engineering major. “With my workload, I just get so busy to where buying a Big Mac on the way home doesn’t sound that bad; it’s convenient. However, I know I need to consume healthier foods in order to reach my weight goal by summer.”
Girling encouraged returning students to check out summer yoga and meditation classes put on by the SHS. She recommended that students attend her meditation class and four-day yoga retreat camp over the summer.