With homework starting to increase and college acceptances beginning to roll in, this month I have been trying to focus on self care. For me, that means a number of things (starting with getting more sleep). Instead of letting stress get the best of me, I’ve been making an effort to slow things down and spend more time doing things I enjoy. For me, I’ve been trying to spend  more time getting into the studio. With so many extracurricular activities after school, the morning classes have become a great way for me to start my day on a positive note. Class starts at 5:30, which is about the time I usually wake up for school. Pushing myself to wake up even earlier has helped me reinforce my goal of going to bed earlier. I’m usually a night owl, but I’ve found that shutting my computer down after 10pm has helped me fall asleep faster and feel more refreshed in the morning.

Along with my goal of relaxation, this month I have been trying to push myself to take advantage of opportunities that are outside of my comfort zone. Last week, I decided to join the track team. Now that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but for me joining track was HUGE. I have pretty severe asthma and I don’t really enjoy running (that was an understatement). But I decided to join track as a senior because I want to rise to the challenge. Right now, I’m one of the slowest girls on the team, and one of the only seniors who will be on JV, but I’m okay with that. For me, it’s not about being the fastest sprinter or the highest jumper. I just want to push myself to be faster than I was when I started.

Lastly, I wanted to share a project I’ve recently been working on.  I’m currently taking AP Macroeconomics, a college level economics course at my high school. As I was sitting in class one day attempting to study all of the graphs, I came up with this random idea to connect yoga to economics. I developed a cool worksheet with pictures of yoga poses, and over top of each pose I drew a graph that we’ve learned in class. I ended up spending a class period teaching the class about yoga while helping them study for the upcoming exam at the end of the year. This project was not for a grade, however I really enjoyed being able to connect what I’m learning in class to something I love. The session went really well, and I invited everyone in the class to join the teen yoga class at DRISHTIQ offers on Wednesdays. Hopefully, I’ve been able to spark someone’s interest!