An Evening to Unwind

Finch Cantu | Pulse

Psi Chi Honor Society and the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student Organization (CPDSO) offered guided yoga sessions and meditation to encourage students to be mentally present as the semester intensifies.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley student organizations collaborated Thursday evening to cap off the second week of Spring 2025 with the Recharge & Start Fresh event at the University Recreation Center on the Edinburg campus.

According to Psi Chi president Kaycee Maldonado, Kundalini yoga is a traditional spiritual practice from India and “one of the most powerful forms of yoga.”

Kaycee Maldonado, a UTRGV psychology senior and president of the Psi Chi Honor Society closes her eyes and meditates on Thursday at the UTRGV Recreation Center on the Edinburg campus. Derick Lara/Pulse

Garrido explained the primary goal was to take students’ minds off of the stressors of their daily lives.

“Sometimes students are just going 100 mph because they have to go through their day and finish everything they have. But they don’t give themselves any time for self-care, and what happens is that students start burning out,” she said.

Students who attended Recharge & Start Fresh found themselves positively affected by the experience.

“I feel lighter,” said Jonathan Leal, a UTRGV civil engineering senior.

UTRGV civil engineering senior Jonathan Leal performs one of the exercises at the Recharge and Start Fresh event on Thursday at the UTRGV Recreation Center on the Edinburg campus. Derick Lara/Pulse

Ruby Reyes, a clinical psychology doctoral student, said attending helped reduce the stress that this semester has already begun to pile on.

“I felt really stressed and overwhelmed by school, but after going through the meditation and the Pilates class, I felt relieved,” she said.

According to Maldonado, most people are not aware of the different psychological techniques that are being used to treat mental illness and disorders.

“Whenever people think of treating psychology, for the most part, they just think of traditional therapies, but mainly psychiatry,” she said.

For Vaqueros who are interested in de-stressing on their own, Garrido and Maldonado advise incorporating mindfulness and meditation into their daily routines.

“Mindfulness is essentially about being present in the moment and being aware of your thoughts,” Maldonado explained.

Garrido recommends students to do mindfulness walks between their classes.

“Use some grounding techniques that are part of mindfulness. So just say, ‘I see a tree. I see a butterfly. I can feel the wind touching my skin.’”

To learn more about Psi Chi Honor Society and the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student Organization visit their socials.