Firstly, congratulations on your college acceptance and moving to the Big Apple! This humid, humming conglomerate of boroughs and subway stations is a pulsing city of excitement. Your heartbeat upon arrival may be currently matching the coursing nature of the city. There truly is no other feeling like moving to New York City.
As I sit here, sweat rolling down from my armpits in early June, I’m reflecting on the biggest tenant of survival that I learned during my undergraduate experience. That being my perception of the word ‘balance’. When I started undergrad, I had a lot of expectations as to what my newest chapter of life would look like, and in maybe a naïve way, it was lots of sunshine, rainbows, and the perfect morning routine. I have documents upon documents of Google Doc schedules planned down to 30-minute intervals, spanning planned activities of 7:30 AM wake-up times, morning yoga, a zen cup of coffee, breakfast meal prep, Pomodoro-method interval study breaks, and more. On paper, this is a very balanced lifestyle, and one I still try to aim for on a consistent level. However, with this excitement of entering college and the tribulations of new experiences, this ‘balance’ can take on a different form.
Yoga is a huge part of my life and has been since I was 16. I found an aptitude for yoga, and really liked this centering through a flow of movement and the practice of breathwork. Moving to such a big city that loves aesthetics, yoga classes are available by the bushel. I figured I could not only do yoga in my shared room, but also start going to a studio somewhat-religiously. My roommate at the time was very into hot-yoga and would go to an hour-long class every day. I thought I would try it because it looked like balance.
I forced myself through one class, slipping around on my own sweat pooled on the yoga mat. I signed up for another one, buying a $40 towel for my mat this time, and shook my way through another sauna-like class. Then, I signed up for a 6AM class. Balance at the time looked to me like uncomfortable persistence and an optimal morning routine that frankly, no 18-year-old needs to complete. This class, I got a compliment on my warrior pose in the first 10 minutes of the class, but then overheated so much I had to lie down for the remainder of the 40 minutes. When the rest of the class went into savasana, I went to the bathroom and threw up. I was so overworked that I went home and slept the rest of the day, missing my 8AM Theology class and the other class I had, with over $100 spent on these three intro yoga sessions.
Hot yoga works for a lot of people, but I had to face it may not work for me. It seemed to center my roommate but provided a negative experience for me. Later in college, I took the courses Yoga 1 and Yoga 2, which focused more on breathwork and seated, restorative poses. This combated my original power-house idea of how yoga would fit into my collegiate life, but after every class, I felt more flexible and mentally sharper for my classes during that day. Not being able to be a ‘hot yoga baddie’ took me aback, but finding yin yoga and pranayama have changed my habits. My thinking of the word ‘balance’ and my perception of myself then adjusted.
There is balance in the excitement of college, as there is equally excitement in finding a holistic practice that grounds you during this time. In finding that balance, there is the remembrance that you are headed to college for finding you and the pursuit of your innate talents.
The corner of my room for designated for yin yoga and journaling my Junior year.
And for a before class treat or after yoga refresher, here is a Campus Clipper approved coffee discount offer!
By: Madeleine Misner
Madeleine Misner is a writer and NYU graduate student in the MS in Publishing program. She loves going out to dinner with her friends, reading long books, and attending spoken-word poetry events. Madeleine always loves to connect with other writers and creative thinkers alike!
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