One of the most essential parts of college is finding ways to continue a healthy lifestyle despite having copious amounts of free will. For this, I suggest enrolling in classes with friends for things like yoga, pilates, or anything really.
What started out as Thursday evening classes for yoga simply began as a question:
“Do you want to try Fitbear classes with me?”
Monica, my best friend, asked me this during our first year in college after the first semester. Still timid, my voice appeared firm in accepting her offer but the tremble of my body could not shake this anxious moment. I wondered if the class would paint us as newbies and that we would be made fun of – superficial concerns which made no sense looking back because everyone starts somewhere.
Our first class had me looking over my shoulder constantly. I put on my leggings for the first time since COVID era, which had me doing Chloe Ting workouts in my bedroom. Highschool kept me so preoccupied I only had time for dance club so I had wildly let myself go. I went down the elevator to the first floor where the water station was and filled my Awola full of water since I was not sure how hard I would be sweating for “vinyasa” yoga.
I did not even know what “vinyasa” meant.
I knocked on Monica’s door since we lived in the same small hallway; we were on our way. Geared with her yoga mat, leggings, and water bottle, Monica was prepared for the next hour of downward facing dogs later. As we rode the elevator down, my face kept making the same grin of nervousness. My hands shook like no other. Soon, I found myself in the basement of the main campus building for our class with my hand gripping the handle of the door. As I opened it, the world began to shine in on me.
Starting by reaching down towards our feet, I felt the release of all my stresses of homesickness to future career anxieties diminish. Halfway lift — holding my breath, I stared at my posture in the mirror, diligently focusing on my body and how it felt. Then down into a down-dog while bending our knees side-by-side. Stretching my body through every pose was my revenge on this fast-moving world.
With Monica keeping me accountable, I learned the art of yoga: finding stillness and intention. Each pose should be made with intent and slow movement rather than rushing through. I thought about engaging my core, where my hands were, and finally how my body felt. The tension housed within my joints transpired as I held my intention from the beginning of the class to the very end.
After my very first class, Monica and I continued these classes even adding two a week to our schedules if time permitted. That’s how we ended up trying a Zumba class on a random given Wednesday.
Without her pushing me out of my own comfort (my mind), I would have never found the art of truly slowing down in yoga. We still go to these classes only now they are Friday morning classes at 9 AM instead. We always find time within our schedules and are always seeking to learn something new in our fitness journeys like how to perform frog pose or a proper chaturanga.
I have also learned so much about Monica from this routine. She prefers cardio whereas I hate cardio entirely. I found this out after one of our conversations post-class (Total Sculpt) which was filled with cardio.
“I like it because you can feel it.”
“I hate it for that exact reason.”
She also used to train mainly using cardio for rowing in Highschool and still does for when she scuba dives in the summer. Whereas, I only did cardio for dance in Middle School which I still hated.
Nevertheless, yoga, or more generally, fitness classes have become our routine to resist anything college throws our way. It is not only a way to connect with others, but a chance to learn something new about them and yourself.
By Alyssa Hong
Alyssa Hong is a rising Junior at Barnard College, studying Political Science with a minor in English. As a first-generation, low-income student, she writes about moving across the country for college and its adjustments. She utilizes entertainment, wellness/health/food, and fashion/beauty as methods to making new connections with others whilst always learning.
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