How I practiced more yoga when I had less time

Photo Courtesy/Sydney Annis

Practicing yoga has ultimately transformed my life. However, I did not find myself completely falling in love with the practice until I was genuinely in the pits of academic hell. It was the spring semester of this past year, and I was taking my first-ever English graduate classes as an undergraduate. They were seminars of no more than ten students, and most of the students had loads of experience under their belts. Many were getting their Ph.D., writing a novel or were even married with kids. Before each class, I had typically 100 pages of a novel to read, along with multiple chapters of dense literary theory that turned my brain to mush. I remember having multiple mental breakdowns almost a month into the semester, calling my dad manically because I felt like I could not handle it. 

I find myself generally as someone who thrives on a busy schedule, but this was different than anything I had ever experienced. I had to completely rewire my entire schedule with my job and social life, and learning to prioritize became extremely important. This is where yoga came in. 

As I said previously, I had been practicing yoga at my local studio, Fuel Hot Yoga, for about four months. I already went about three times a week, and I was really enjoying it. However, with my newfound situation, I found myself even more drawn to the studio, in search of a release from the loads of academic stress I was under. When my nose wasn’t buried in a book, I was practicing in the studio. After ending class at six in the evening, you could guarantee that I was at the yoga studio by eight. My time in the studio began to become a part of my everyday routine, and the rest of my endeavors worked around that set hour. 

Taking that hour to myself to simply focus on being present in my body every day was essential to my success in these advanced classes. When I was able to make my studio time an everyday habit, it helped put into perspective that it really is that easy to set aside ONE hour for your mental well-being. I would oftentimes previously find myself scrolling for the same amount of time in between my various homework assignments anyway. 

Finding a consistent practice helped me realize how I could transform what I learned for an hour in the studio into my everyday life. Breathing through each uncomfortable pose in a sequence was much like teaching myself to breathe through each seminar discussion in my class, even if I felt out of place or stupid. Just as I began to see myself getting stronger by showing up on the mat every day, so did my confidence in class discussion and coursework. Uncomfortable situations begin to slowly feel less uncomfortable when we show up time and time again and work through them gradually. This consistency allows us to grow and gain valuable future experience, whether that’s finally having the strength to do a forearm stand or speaking up in a class discussion. 

Through this, I learned how yoga was an integral part of my life; I find myself practicing almost daily now. Practicing at my studio with my favorite teachers and all my friends has been the biggest privilege, and has changed my life in more ways than I can express. Yoga allows me to exert confidence over my body and conquer the challenges of life on and off the mat. 

Strike out,

Sydney Annis

Editor: Meghan Bosman

Athens