Picture a college freshman, let's call her Nina, who has been at her wits' end for a week because of a Civil War research paper, chem lab, and all-night study sessions for an anatomy midterm. This kind of pattern, with its stress, hustle, and bustle, as well as a rigorous social schedule, could easily burn her out. But Nina is determined not to let a little homework stop her. That's why she's embraced yoga: it'll keep her body moving all the way to graduation!

Yoga is a breathing, flexibility, and stretching exercise popular with many -- celebs and students alike. New York-based certified yoga instructor, Kristin McGee, labels it a "complete mind, body, and soul experience." It's another avenue of fitness to help athletes tone muscles, she adds, while lengthening them at the same time.

"Beneficially, it's the same as weight-lifting, but the difference is you're elongating your muscles versus constricting them," says McGee. "So after a workout, yoga helps stretch and release your muscle tension.

In the case of a stressed-out student like hypothetical Nina, all that's needed is a little pick-her-up to get her through a nightmarish schedule. Yoga can be the answer.

"It's simply all about teaching your body proper breathing techniques to push yourself further," McGee explains. For example, picture yourself in a tense moment of preparing for an important speech project. Practicing yoga can help you push through those speech butterflies, she explains. "Yoga relates to everything in life, and helps keep you relaxed in tense moments."

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