by Ana Bilokin
re·ju·ve·na·tion
the phenomenon of vitality and
freshness being restored
Who wouldn’t want that? We seek rejuvenation through coffee
or buying new wardrobes but let me tell you about a real phenomenon: yoga.
It may not sound like the coolest thing to do, but bear with me.
When I first considered starting yoga I imagined a room of thirty-something
year old women in too-tight clothes bent in unusual shapes. In all honesty that
was a pretty accurate assumption. As soon as my first class started, however,
all the spandex slipped away from my consciousness. First we closed our eyes
focused on our breathing while the teacher instructed us to let the worries of
the day go, to focus on the present. We spent about a minute sitting in a
neutral position reflecting on what we wanted to achieve during the class. A
minute in and I was already more relaxed. In our lives, between school, social
media and our responsibilities at home, we rarely find time to just sit and
think for a minute, or to do the opposite, clear our brains. Yoga class always
provides a space to do that.
Every class is a different set of shapes and movements, but
you can always fall into the familiar pattern of your breath. When I’m in a
class I’m always focused on what I’m doing instead of what I’ve done or will
do. This works wonders to relieve stress, and so does the fact that you are
moving your body. It’s not rigorous but is definitely a good workout too. A
wonderful thing about yoga is that there’s no competition, you don’t need to be
better than your neighbor and the teacher always provides easier variants for
more difficult poses. It’s a safe environment and both teachers I’ve had have
been the sweetest people.
At the end of every class we go into the savasana pose,
where we lay still on our backs for five minutes and completely relax all of
the muscles in our bodies. All you do for five minutes is relax, and since it’s
right after yoga your mind isn’t wandering to all the things you need to do.
Most relaxing five minutes of my week, no doubt. Sometimes you need some time dedicated for doing nothing.
When I get out of a yoga class there is one word that best
describes how I feel: rejuvenated. I feel like I can take on my
responsibilities, I feel relaxed, I feel good about myself. Those are things
rarely said by teens these days. So, next time you feel things are piling up,
or you just don’t feel your best, take an hour out of your week and go to your
local yoga studio for a class. Embrace the practice and I guarantee you’ll feel
better.
