Photo: Google Image
Destany Harvey
Staff Writer
The Alpha Tau Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., hosted a night yoga to benefit the body and the mind of Jackson State University student by reducing stress, benefits that can be life-changing for college students.
Studies have found that colleges and universities that provide yoga and mindfulness courses enhance students coping skills and provide tools that can reduce the use of substances to manage stress, mood disorders, and anxiety.
Nala Craft, a senior communicative disorders major from Ridgeland, Miss., was the class instructor. Her passion for yoga was displayed throughout the sessions.
Craft training to become a certified yoga instructor.
“The purpose of this event was for mental health awareness during the transition from fall semester to spring and to give students a chance to unwind and practice mindfulness while enjoying good music,” said senior Treniti Smith, president of the Alpha Tau Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and a social science major from Atlanta, Ga.
Some students struggle with mental health issues that could lead to poor performance, academic difficulties, and depression. Craft believes that it is important for college students to listen to their bodies and keep up with their mental health for success.
According to CNN Health, young adult years are a vulnerable time for mental health in general, and the significant changes that often come with attending college can be added stressors, experts say.
According to the article, about 75 percent of lifetime mental health problems will onset by the mid-20s, so that means that the college years are a very vulnerable time.
Many students at Jackson State found the yoga night to be a space for them to relieve stress and an opportunity to relax and have fun.
Kaiah Warner, a freshman business administration major from Atlanta, Ga., described how the yoga session was able to relieve some stress from a tiring week she had.
“The R&B yoga session with Sigma Gamma Rho was fun and relaxing, to say the least. I had a bit of a rocky start to the week, and I felt like I needed something to help me take my mind off it and relieve the stress. The experience overall was calming. I felt like all my problems and stresses just went away. I know it was a one-time thing but, I think having yoga sessions like that once a week would be amazing.”
It is essential to have good coping skills and good mental health as a college student.
Yoga helps aid in maintaining mental health and is a beneficial coping mechanism. Incorporating yoga into your routine can help ease stress as a college student and lower stress among students.
