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With school, work, social life and finals coming up, students are likely to get stressed out. Where can you go to relax? Des Moines is filled with low-cost activities and places that can help ease your tension, including the Botanical Center, Des Moines Zen Center and Power Life Yoga. These places are here to help you draw a deep breath and take a break from storms of anxiety elsewhere. Let’s take a look.

Botanical Center

Want warm, humid, tropical weather? You don’t have to travel across the country in order to find it; just go to the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. Right when you walk in, you take a nice breath of fresh air that makes you feel more relaxed. Take off your winter coat, have a seat and study, or take a break from it all and learn about the plants all around you.

“The plants emit that sense of calmness,” employee Michelle Williams said. “It’s an environment that you’re not really able to be in anywhere else here in Iowa.”

When you enter, the staff gives you a map of all the locations within the garden. Of these, the best place to do homework is definitely the Gardner’s Show House. It is a cooler greenhouse surrounded by hundreds of plants and many seating options. If you need a study break or a caffeine fix, there is also a trellis cafe that is open 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. It is only $8 for a one-day admission for adults, but one-year passes for students are $50 compared to a regular $75 for non-students, so if you plan on going more than once, think about investing in that long-term option.

Des Moines Zen Center

Des Moines Zen Center is a perfect place for some peace and quiet. When you enter the building, you take your shoes off and are led to a room with cushions and chairs facing the walls on both sides. You pick where you would like to meditate and sit there in complete silence for 40 minutes. At the end of the 40 minutes, the instructor will lead you through a reading from a booklet you are given at the start of class, and you recite it together as a class.

Once class is finished, you stand up, bow and leave in a certain order according to the instructor. If it is your first time meditating, it is recommended to go 15 minutes early so you get the gist of everything.

“Your relationship to the world and others becomes more clear,” said the head teacher, Eido Espe.

The center has classes every Sunday and Wednesday, and every third Tuesday of the month, it has an introduction class. The introduction class covers the basics of Zen. It is intended to provide a friendly orientation for new visitors. It is run by donations, so there is no cost for attending any of the classes.

Power Life Yoga

Why not get some exercise while you’re relaxing? Power Life Yoga is a great place to go if you have been sitting around hunched over a textbook all day long. The classes are typically an hour long and run at a higher temperature so participants can work up a sweat. There are many Power Life Yoga studios all around the Des Moines area, including Johnston, Waukee, West Glen and downtown Des Moines. There are free “Power 1” classes almost daily for beginners to decide whether or not yoga is the right fit for them. Power 1 classes are moderately paced. They are fun, interactive classes that are great for newbies, and if you get comfortable enough, there are higher level classes for free as well, such as Power Sculpt and Cardio Barre. If you decide you like it, there are monthly student memberships for $75, which is a great deal considering non-student memberships are $99 per month.

Classes are ending, and assignments are overwhelming, but you should be taking care of yourself. Take an hour or two, go to one of these relaxing places, and get your mind off your hectic life as a college student wrapping up the year.