Final exams are approaching, which means stress is at an all-time high. As the semester comes to an end, students may look for methods to manage this stress. One way to combat the high tension is to practice yoga.

Yoga includes breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures. It is widely practiced for health and relaxation. So, can it help students relax during exam time? “Emphatically yes,” says yoga instructor Colleen Woods. Colleen has been teaching yoga for almost sixteen years. During her extensive time as an instructor, she says her students have told her things like, “I’ve never felt this relaxed before,” and “I feel so good after doing yoga.”

If your final exam stress is piling up and you would like to give yoga a try, Colleen teaches free adult yoga every Wednesday night from 5:30pm to 6:30pm at the Southwest Center in Texarkana. Her advice for people who want to participate for the first time is to show up with an open mind. “If you want to come, it’s very simple. You just drive to the Southwest Center, and you show up,” says Colleen. “You don’t have to do anything beforehand. You don’t have to have any knowledge. You don’t have to show up with anything at all.” Colleen labels the class as “all levels,” which means that anyone can come to the class and enjoy it.

For more information about the free adult yoga classes, call the Southwest Center at 903-798-3978 or text Colleen Woods at 903-293-1584. A full calendar of events is available at the Texarkana, TX Parks & Recreation Facebook page. You can also try yoga at Colleen’s studio, Sling Fit, where your first visit is free. Find the Sling Fit Facebook page here.