As people with busy lives filled with course work, part-time jobs, extracurriculars, and a social life, it’s no wonder that students are stressed out.
While getting help for stress through Carleton’s free health and counselling sessions is available, long waits and a lingering stigma can discourage students from getting help for their stress problem.
But counselling isn’t the only way to unwind.
Yoga and meditation have become immensely popular among students who want to develop their minds and bodies in harmony.
A Harvard medical school study noted students with anxiety who began meditating found a 50 per cent reduction in symptoms and a 70 per cent decrease in anxiety.
Unfortunately, similar programs at Carleton don’t come without a cost.
Currently, the only free yoga classes available on campus are held sporadically by the Carleton University Students’ Association and other groups, usually around dedicated mental health and wellness weeks. While this is a great step in the right direction, it doesn’t provide a structured, affordable regimen for people to deal with their stress holistically.
The university should be prioritizing this stress-busting method for students by offering free classes.
Yoga doesn’t require expensive equipment and the only costs would be hiring a yogi and a space in which to practice. If Parliament Hill is able to have free yoga, why can’t Carleton?
