Yoga for Mid-Semester & Spring Fever

It is time to assess your seasonal toolbox to meet Spring with patience and trust while the world tries to keep you hustling and doubting

Semester schedules have controlled much of my life. From being a student to now working full-time as a university professor, I’ve become accustomed to the 15 week cycle.

And, it is always right around week 5 - 8 that wheels start to wobble on the bus.

Personally, I feel like the bus is going too fast, and I know it can’t slow down if it’s going to hit the marks and reach the final destination on time. Then it often starts to feel like a dredge through to the end from this point - the burnout kills much of the excitement for the endeavor.

That burnout often sets in just as an excitement for change creates a restlessness within. The competing energy and general overwhelm is a lot to feel and process.

It is in those moments that accessing your tool box and actively engaging in self care becomes critical. Because, you have a choice - keep doing the same thing or change how you navigate this moment.

After watching myself crash term after term in these weeks as I threw hate at spring for even existing, I’ve noticed some things that could change to make this time feel less awful.

This year, while I still notice the amount of work that has been done and remains in the semester, I don’t feel the same defeat that had become normal before.

Instead, I feel able to adapt, endure, and wait with things. I feel less pressure, more freedom; more balanced, less uneasy; more curious, less stubborn.

The practices this week include what I’m actively using to move through a time that typically feels stressful. If your schedule is putting you in repeated burnout zones and you’re struggling to wait for spring after a long winter, remember there are choices and tools available to you if you want to shift.

5 Ways I Practiced Yoga Last Week

1. Ahimsa (non-violence): I maintained boundaries with students as late submissions rolled in near midterm grades. I also set some new boundaries with myself for when I hear the inner critic getting too bossy. So as to not let her derail reality, I set reminders to sound off when certain words and feelings start repeating, asking for attention. Those reminders sound like:

   Making mistakes is normal. You keep learning every time.

   You don’t have to defend every choice.

   Don’t believe everything you think. Step back from it. Breathe.

2. Satya (truthfulness): I feel like I was honest with myself in so many ways. Because I’m still processing, that’s all I share for now - the point is this was a felt and key practice throughout each day this week.

   I’ve asked what is true, questioned prior beliefs, added new information, and let truth pour out of me.

3. Aparigraha (non-attachment): So many tears, so much release - truly like water unfrozen, barreling down the stream, carving this season’s path.

4. Pranayama (breathing): One breath at a time - that was the mantra. It worked, like it always does.

5. Asana (physical movement): I guided two classes in studio this week that varied greatly. One was a vinyasa flow with a focus on warriors and work supporting the body on hands and feet. The other was yin class focused on long holds to decompress the back and open the heart. Both classes explored a theme of transitioning with nature into a new season.

Learn more about my Spring 1 Day Retreat, hosted at Current Bliss Yoga Studio on March 22nd in the video below!

kommon.ground

A post shared by @kommon.ground

5 Ways You Can Practice Yoga This Week

1. Ahimsa (non-violence): Set the boundary you know you’ve wanted to set.

2. Satya (truthfulness): Which truth are you rejecting or struggling to accept despite knowing it is true?

3. Aparigraha (non-attachment): Ask the body what it doesn’t wish to carry into a new season. Respond accordingly.

4. Pranayama (breathing): Adapt the mantra, “One breath at a time; I have time to breathe.” Repeat it out loud or in your mind as many times as it provides you space to process and keep going with a belief that you are capable and allowed.

5. Asana (physical movement): Focus on twists in any form - seated, standing, or resting on your back or front body. I suggest extended side angle and seated twist.

BONUS PRACTICE FOR STUDENTS: Here is a video I recorded last year to help students navigate test anxiety that arises before, during, and after taking assessments. This could be a great tool to use as you complete midterms:

https://lakerblogs.lssu.edu/lakercast/podcast/laker-zen-den-test-anxiety/