For generations, our mothers and grandmothers before us have gotten into fun workout classes. Step aerobics, home videos, whatever Jane Fonda was doing at the time, etcetera etcetera. Our generation? We have fun looking yoga classes that are actually evil— I learned that the hard way. But here’s your sign to start anyway.
I started yoga as someone who couldn’t touch their toes and was put into a “non-competitive” PE class in school (ouch), so sports have never really been my thing. But eventually you do have to listen to that ever-common study tip; moving your body does help your head calm down a bit. As someone with no rhythm, Zumba was off the table, so I found a yoga mat and hit a tree pose on command.
What I didn’t realise is that yoga is a bit of a miracle worker for your mental health. According to Harvard Medical School, MRI scans have shown that yogis brains were stronger— they had a thicker cerebral cortex and hippocampus than those who didn’t practice yoga. As an aspirational academic weapon, this would’ve been great information to know sooner.
As well as that, yoga can improve your mood. I was convinced that I was enjoying the wee lie down you get at the end of a yoga class too much, or that maybe I was just obnoxiously relieved that I wasn’t stretching muscles I didn’t know I had anymore. Thankfully, science can explain that I’m not just that desperate for a wee sit down, as yoga can elevate your brain’s levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is associated with decreased anxiety and better mood.
The Human Kinetics Journal has even found that yoga may reduce the short-term symptoms of depression. As someone who suffers from seasonal depression, this was my number one reason for starting.
First off, it gave me a nagging deadline to roll out of bed for, and an actual consequence for not turning up (who hasn’t been locked out of their uni gym membership before?).
Secondly, and crucially, I found that when going to these classes, I literally had to force my brain to shut up. There wasn’t any space in my head for overthinking and spiralling when all my brain could possibly do was silently curse the instructor as she counted down from ten far too slowly for my fitness level. And whilst I fell over loads of times and felt a tiny bit insecure about the fact that I was fighting for my life in a plank as someone’s granny was sat at the front of the class showing me up, it worked like a charm.
And so, this is your sign. If you’re like me and you’re a wee bit shy in the gym and you’d honestly rather just focus on your degree more than anything, you still need to move your body. And a pigeon pose on a soft mat in a cool gym hall is possibly the least intimidating way to start.
Image Credit: Mayordeeliteman via Wikimedia
4th year Politics and Journalism student.
Secretary for Brig
The Herald Student Press Awards Columnist Of The Year 2024 (which sorry i’m still not over)
