Yoga: The Key to a Mindful Semester

The Saint took part in yoga classes organised by the university

As someone who enjoys exercising to loud music in order to drown out both their thoughts and the pain, yoga is the kind of activity I try to avoid. However, in a bid to reignite my fading New Year’s resolutions of exercising more and being more mindful, I signed up for two yoga classes offered by the St Andrews Sports Centre: Dynamic Yoga and Hatha Flow.

The Dynamic Yoga class absolutely lived up to its name as we feverishly ran through sequences of poses which left me breathless as I tried my best to keep up with the instructor and, as we were constantly reminded, to breathe. Upon reflection, my worries were definitely put to one side during the class, although I am uncertain if this was really due to my panic of trying to keep up with the constant bodily contortion. 

The Hatha Flow class — advertised as focusing on the “strength and harmonisation of the body/mind,” concerned with reconciling and balancing opposites — seemed particularly useful for those confronting the physical and mental state of a student as deadlines loom: drained and in anxious overdrive.

The class began with a sequence of breathing exercises and gentle stretching, which did little to quiet my mind. Instead, as I watched the instructor, I kept making what I can only describe as awkward eye contact with myself in the large mirrors, which shook me out of any sort of state of internal reflection I might have been reaching. I began to draw up a shopping list in my head for after the class.

Then, we moved a sequence of asanas (poses), which was narrated to us by the instructor as we moved. Some of my favourites included Camatkarasana (Wild Thing Pose), the classic Vrikshasana (Tree Pose), and Chaturanga Dandasana, which was reminiscent of a press-up, except slower and therefore infinitely more humbling. The sequences were much slower than in the Dynamic Yoga class, which forced me to focus on every minute adjustment to my body in order to stay balanced. 

With calm music filling the background and a gentle stream of instructions and encouragement from the teacher, my mind faded to a pleasant blankness. I was concentrating, but, like the advice many of us will have heard in times of stress, only on the things I could change in that moment. Some of the poses proved difficult, requiring levels of flexibility I did not possess, but there were modifications for each one that enabled the class to flow as a whole, challenging ourselves but without pushing anyone too far.

The class ended with us in Shavasana (the slightly ominous-sounding Corpse Pose). The lights were turned down, and a strong-smelling essential oil was offered to those who wanted a drop on their palms. At this stage of the class, I was expecting all of my worries and deadlines to rush back in under the cover of darkness; however, only the slight sensations of my stretched limbs against the floor filled my mind. While we all entered the class chatting, we rolled up our mats and exited in pleasant silence, as if no one was willing to puncture the bubble of calmness that had surrounded us.

Despite starting the week as a sceptic, I value my time spent in the classes. Though my body and mind felt tired afterwards, I did not feel drained, but quietly rejuvenated.

For those thinking of giving yoga a try, there are multiple options to seek out some mindful exercise in St Andrews, with the Sports Centre offering classes and the University’s own Yoga Society running a range of classes almost every day of the week by qualified and insured instructors.

Photo taken from Wikimedia Commons