Taya Drummer
MC Contributor/Staff
Jackson State University provides various activities for students to join in to forget about the stress that comes with being a college student. Siew Kwoh, a doctoral student in the clinical psychology department, held a six-week study on the effects yoga has on a student mentally and physically, on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s from 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., in the Walter Peyton Recreational Center, Studio D.
Students who participate in the experiment are introduced to yoga, another form of exercise that can be beneficial in every aspect of their lives. Some of the expected results includes relaxation, positive thoughts, reduced stress, and the regulation of emotions in the best way possible.
Kwoh, the conductor of the experiment says this is for the students.
“It is not about me. It is about the college population. The driving force behind this is that I want to help students learn how to reduce stress and to regulate their emotions in a healthy and natural way,” said Kwoh. “My primary concern as a clinician to be, is how to help people reduce stress. I found out yoga hasn’t been widely explored in this part of the country.”
She continued to say yoga is a discipline, it is just not an exercise.
“Sometimes it’s misunderstood as a religion. Depending on how you define a religion, if you’re truly committed to something anything could be considered a religion. Yoga includes diet, thoughts, exercise, relaxation, and meditation. These are the five main points of yoga,” said Kwoh. “I have many chances to repeat this experiment in a one year time period. If this shows a positive result I am open to carry out more experiments or workshops even to help people get to know yoga better,” said Kwoh.
Jayah Alexander, a sophomore graphic design major from Greenville, Miss., has felt the effects yoga has had on her mind.
“The effects that yoga has had on me so far have been positive and it helps me remain stress free throughout the week,” said Alexander. “I believe that it is very important for us to take part in any activities on campus. It is a way to improve yourself and be a part of something amazing.”
Other participants such as Zenovia Bradly, a senior special education major from Kansas City, Mo., explains how yoga helps her as a college student.
“I’m taking a very difficult English class it’s really stressing me out and it keeps me up at night. So I know after I take yoga it helps me sleep at night and be more relaxed. It helps you be happier, just the exercise and positive things in general. Especially with all the craziness going on in the news, media, and in school a positive outlook is what students need,” said Bradly.
Shaquetta Johnson, a senior biology major from Columbia, Miss., is another participant who enjoys the yoga.
“Personally I’ve started doing it while I was at my community college and I recognized that it did help me as far as my stress levels with classes and personal life. I had a lot on my mind walking in here and now I feel better,” said Johnson.
According to Kwoh, the yoga experiment has approximately twenty participants on Mondays and Wednesdays and seventeen on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which exceeded her expectations. Students can join the study until the end of October. For more information, contact Kwoh at siew.y.kwoh@students.jsums.edu.
Photos by Vandaz A. Lewis-Nation
