International Yoga Day: De-stress with Yoga and the Right Skills

In 2021, Gallup, an American analytics company released The Global Emotions Report. The annual survey which measured the emotional health of 160,000 individuals from 116 countries, confirmed that more people were feeling stressed, sad and angry in 2020 than in the preceding years.

While stress affects everyone alike, the age group between 18 to 39 are most affected. According to the Deloitte Millennial and Gen Z survey, the anxiety levels of  Indian millennials (49%) and Gen Z (46%) are higher than the global average.

University students are particularly at risk with a range of stressors having debilitating effects on their mental health. 

 

                                     

 

While seeking medical help is the best way, students could practice a few techniques to manage stress.

This blog provides two key ways to reduce stress among college-goers:

1.  Being more present at the moment through Yoga
2.  Becoming more future-ready through upskilling

 

What is Yoga?

Yoga is a spiritual practice that attempts to align the mind, body and breath through a series of poses and breathing exercises. Ever since the UN declared June 21 as International Yoga Day, the global popularity of this ancient Indian practice has grown multitude. According to the International Yoga Federation, around 300 million people practice various yoga poses globally. 

Why is Yoga Day celebrated?

The United Nations declared June 21 as International Yoga Day to raise awareness about the essential benefits of this ancient practice. On this day, people around the world practice different yoga poses and take a conscious step towards leading a healthy life.

 

Importance of yoga in alleviating stress among students

Daily academic stress like deadlines and exams can be tackled with a calm mind. Yoga has an integral role to play in helping students achieve a peaceful mind space. While it is natural to feel the mounting pressure of submission deadlines, attendance, internships, exams and placements, students must ensure that their mental and physical being is kept in check. 

One can greatly reduce one’s sense of doom and induce a sense of calm from within by doing a few simple yoga poses everyday for at least 30 minutes. Numerous research studies have confirmed that practising basic yoga poses at least twice a week for a month, significantly lowers stress levels. A recent study concluded that 54% of its participants who had generalized anxiety disorders (GAD) had improved emotional health after they performed simple yoga poses every day.  

Graduating with flying colours is of paramount importance. However, success is meaningless if one’s health and well-being are compromised. Therefore, the onus to take care of one’s mental wellness through mindful practices like yoga is upon each student.

 

Becoming more future-ready through upskilling

Uncertainty about the future is another major reason for stress among university students. In particular, there is anxiety over finding the right career path. Engineering students are one of the most affected. This requires a little more than performing a few basic yoga poses.

Out of the 1.5 million engineering students that graduate, only 7% are found suitable for core engineering jobs. Statistics like these only add more fuel to the fire. 

Regardless of what happens in the future, every student must be prepared to face it with confidence. As technology evolves rapidly, foresighted students must ensure that they have the right knowledge and expertise to land job roles. Therefore, to alleviate stress about the future, acquiring new-age skills in trending technologies Electric Vehicles, Data Science and Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence is the need of the hour. 

 

Upskilling is a lot like Yoga

One of the key advantages of yoga is that it can be tailored to suit one’s fitness levels. In other words, the best yoga poses vary from person to person. While some may be comfortable with simple yoga poses, others may be able to do advanced yoga poses. Similarly, one’s upskilling journey can be designed according to their career goals and skill levels.

Asanas like tadasana (tree pose), Trikonasana (triangle pose) and Balasana (Child’s pose) are simple yoga poses that help one ease their way into yoga.

Likewise, one is keen on kickstarting their upskilling journey by attending free webinars, workshops and bootcamps.

For example, poses such as Utkatasana (Chair Pose) and Garudasana (Eagle pose) are for yogis who have a good grasp of basic yoga poses. Students who want to take their upskilling goals to the next level may enrol in short-term, intermediate courses. For instance, a mechanical engineering student interested in CFD could try opting for a short-term, introductory course on CFD. 

Finally, seasoned yogis may attempt advanced yoga poses like Dhanurasana (Bow Pose) and Sirsasana (Headstand). Similarly, students who are interested in accelerating their careers can join advanced PG Programs in the domain of their choice.

Skill-Lync offers a range of PG Programs for aspiring engineers across domains including mechanical, electrical, electronics, civil, computer science and medical technology.

Beginner Intermediate Advanced

Skill-Lync’s International Yoga Day Challenge

 

This International Yoga Day, we have two challenges for you. 

 

Challenge 1: Dedicate 15 minutes of your time everyday and do some easy yoga poses.

Challenge 2: Dedicate 60 minutes of your time every month to attend a Bootcamp and take a step toward becoming job-ready.

 

By the end of the next month, you would have developed the skills to handle stress effectively while getting one step closer to your dream job. 

So what are you waiting for? Take the first step to beat anxiety about the future with a free Bootcamp on Big Data?

 

We also have a special offer running today! Get 35% OFF on enrolling in our Post Graduate Programs. This International Yoga Day, take the first step towards strengthening your body, mind AND YOUR CAREER!