The Associated Student Organization (ASO) hosted De-Stress Fest on Thursday, an event designed to focus on students’ mindfulness approaching final exams.
The event, run by ASO President Gayane Zazyan, promoted mindfulness through organized yoga, stretches and meditation.
Students spread out across the floor, removing their shoes and following the yoga positions performed by the demonstrator. Some of these positions include downward facing dog, baby cobra, cow pose and high lunge.
Zazyan said her goal from the event was for students to spend some time not thinking about their finals but actually de-stressing.
“We try doing this event every semester because being a college student is not easy. Most of us are first-year, while some of us are already used to the process,” Zazyan said. “Finals can be really stressful, so this is a time where we want our students to come together through yoga, meditation, talking about nutrition and getting all the information we can give our students, while also having snacks and spending time together.”
One student who attended, Caitlin Molina, expressed that this event helped alleviate some of her mental stress.
“I was going through a really bad break and I needed this to get my mind off of this and make myself feel better,” Molina said.
Another Pierce student Dylan Sta Maria said that with his physical stress, the event helped him to stay focused on finals.
“I’ve been doing heavy lifting with squats, and I kind of need that stretching on my back,” Sta Maria said. “I like the idea of students coming together to de-stress nearing finals and I think it will help many more students. It’s helped me with my physical stress so I won’t be bothered during finals.”
Zazyan said it’s important to go to these events and use those resources that are offered to students.
“This is like a wrap of our semester,” Zazyan said. “It’s always the best event to wrap up the semester because with these different sections that we have going on, like our yoga being really popular and our nutrition too, some of us forget to eat and drink water during finals.”