Each week, we ask a member of the college grad student community to share 3 picks related to one of their passions. This week, Associate Dean of Academic & Student Affairs Kristine Bowman shares 3 ways to destress.
The password to my Zoom meeting room is “yoga”— I’ve practiced on and off for 20 years and while sometimes I have a regular practice, I haven’t since spring. So, when I gave a talk at the University of Virginia recently, I was thrilled to find my hotel room came equipped with a yoga mat and I put it to good use. This led me to think of sharing three easy ways to relax with you all. Each of these things is free, does not take very long, and does not require any special clothing or equipment. We all need things to help us destress, right?
- Walk the Erickson/IM Circle Loop along the Red Cedar River: The College of Education’s two buildings anchor the edges of the prettiest part on campus. That is a fact. Start at one of our buildings, walk the river trail, cross the bridge when you reach the other building, and head on back to where you started. There’s a beautiful new pedestrian bridge by Erickson, and the Beal Gardens next to IM Circle are one of my favorite places on campus, striking in different ways the whole year long.
- Wander through the MSU Museum: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s free, but they ask you to register in advance (link here). The Academic & Grad Student Affairs team took a local field trip to the museum this past summer and we enjoyed their rotating exhibits as well as the massive, amazing sphere that visualizes all sorts of information (You just have to see it. Trust me.). Current exhibits are about the future of global food access, the quilt “The Tree of Peace Saves Earth” by an Anishinaabe/ Norwegian woman and a virtual reality exhibit about the human genome.
- Practice Yoga with Adriene on YouTube: I discovered “YWA” during Covid. Adriene is funny and quirky (especially in the earlier episodes) and has literally hundreds of free yoga videos posted on YouTube. Oh, and her dog Benji is her faithful sidekick and a regular part of the videos, which warms my heart. Whether you have practiced for years, or you haven’t ever practiced but are curious, YWA will give you a lot of options. Many episodes are short—15-20 minutes—and as Adriene says, just “hop into something comfy and let’s get going.”
Missed last week’s Grad Link? Counselor Education & Supervision Ph.D. candidate Mudita Jagota shares 3 picks of disability media content