Relax and rejuvenate with weekly yoga session

This week sucked.

The Jennys were stressed.

Between the two of us, we had to work fifty hours at seven different jobs, finish a senior honors project, study for a criminal law test with Dr. Schotten, and you know, do regular homework. Yeah, it was that kind of week.

We hit rock bottom when one of us (we'll never tell which) had a mild to severe panic attack. The Jennys needed help.

Fortunately, concerned parties staged an intervention and offered us a possible solution to our worsening stress: Monday night yoga with English instructor Nancy Dickinson.

So at approximately 7:15 p.m. the Jennys walked into the Elmen Center clad in stretchy black pants and pony tails. We had high hopes that some form of salvation would lie in the squishy forgiveness of the yoga mats and the soothing voice of a yogi master.

A fair warning – yoga may at first be uncomfortable for those not used to sitting still. But once we stifled our inner hyperactive-child, we were feeling calmer than we had in weeks.

Starting off with breathing exercises and then moving into stretches, Dickinson explained the purpose, as well as both the English and Sanskrit names, for each pose or action.

Dickinson also modeled the correct technique for both advanced and novice motions with each pose, ensuring everyone's hips are aligned and no one gets hurt (that's what she said).

Considering our somewhat novice yoga status, we appreciated Dickinson's attention. The last thing we needed was to pull a muscle and be sore the next day – an unnecessary addition to our overloaded schedules.

With our stress levels decreasing, we powered through our Sun Salutations and Warrior 2s.

And then Nancy invited us to engage in what she called the most challenging pose in yoga practice.

The Jennys blood pressure rose collectively. Were we ready for the hardest yoga pose ever? Not even!

But then Nancy invited us to lie down on our mats, close our eyes and let our bodies fall naturally. She encouraged us to cover ourselves with blankets. And then she turned off the lights.

Savasana. Corpse pose.

Mmmmm.

Now, we understand the real reasons this pose is the most challenging, but after the week we had, it was just a challenge to stay awake.

Best part? That isn't frowned upon in yoga. If you ‘drift off', Nancy will bring you back to reality by gently reminding you "there is enough time."