Namaste & Knowledge: How Practicing Yoga Boosted My Studies

My personal experience & best yoga asanas for students.

My first couple of years in college was a total study marathon. I led a sedentary lifestyle, spent days and nights at the library, and disregarded the red flags of my body. This tough schedule quickly eroded my health and, surprisingly, yielded no outstanding academic results.

So:

At one point, I decided to change things and started taking more care of my body and well-being instead of chasing multiple tasks.

The most effective balancing instrument that worked for me was yoga.

In this article, I will share my experience of improving my well-being, mood, memory, and concentration with the help of short home workouts without special equipment.

Can Yoga Really Affect Your Mind?

I was shocked to learn how many positives regular yoga exercises have for the human body and brain. Even simple physical exercises can do wonders for your mental health, starting from oxygenation of your blood and ending with mood improvement.

Notably:

Though yoga is a highly beneficial activity that adds elasticity to muscles and joints, its value is even greater for our minds.

Here’s what science says about these effects:

• Gothe et al. examined the MRIs of people regularly practicing yoga and found the positive impacts of these exercises on the structure and function of vital brain areas (such as the cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, and others).
• Another American study revealed a strong positive effect of yoga on perceived stress, depression, and anxiety.
• A bit earlier, the team of Duan-Porter et al. also found yoga to reduce PTSD symptoms and a variety of depressive disorders.

These and many other studies offer a solid foundation for the long-standing anecdotal evidence of yoga practice’s positive influence on balancing your body, mind, concentration, and emotions. I sincerely recommend trying it out if you want to achieve better productivity, balance, and calmness amid the stress and high speed of study routines.

6 Reasons Why Students Should Try Yoga

Don’t be too quick to discard yoga on whatever grounds — whether you have little free time or feel low on energy. Indeed, a regular commitment to physical exercise requires a great deal of effort, and you may feel there’s no place for sport in your life thus far.

But look here:

I have several bulletproof reasons for you to give it a second thought. All these rationales are strong and persuasive enough to convince even the greatest sports skeptic.

#1. Yoga Doesn’t Take Much Time

Yoga is a non-demanding activity you can perform at home anytime. It doesn’t require any special equipment or clothing!

At the same time:

Even 1–2 sessions of yoga a week can improve your health over a 2–3-month period.

#2. Yoga Improves Your Mood

Students face much stress daily, and relaxation is vital for keeping you motivated and productive. That’s what yoga can give you since its positive effect on serotonin levels and stress is well-documented in scholarly studies.

To put it simply:

You will feel much better after a yoga session, ready to conquer new academic heights.

#3. Yoga Relieves Your Eye Strain

As a student, you probably spend too much time reading.

So:

A break from your books or laptop will always be a great idea. Once it’s coupled with moderate physical activity, the benefit for your eye health and relaxation of muscles will be doubled.

#4. Yoga Boosts Your Concentration

At first, the link between yoga and academics may not be that evident.

But it’s pretty logical:

Yoga enables you to concentrate and drop all unnecessary, distractive thoughts. As a result, you focus quicker and better and can work on your essays and tests with greater rigor.

#5. Yoga Helps You Sleep Better

As yoga asanas are directed at blood oxygenation and muscle elasticity, your body will indeed feel invigorated after a yoga class.

This way:

You will fall asleep quicker and will have a more refreshing night’s rest.

#6. Yoga Gives You Motivation

The greatest enemy of motivation is stress. Overwhelmed students see no end to their chronic studies and witness a gradual deterioration of their performance.

But:

Doing yoga is a healthy interruption of the endless study process, which gives you a vital break and lets you get back to pending tasks with more energy, enthusiasm, and joy.

Yoga at Home — How to Start

Starting your path in yoga in a group of fellow thinkers is much easier, as a trained instructor may help you get into the right concentration and mood to reap maximum benefits from the class.

Besides:

You will have many examples of yoga practitioners, from mature experts to complete newbies like you, diving into the atmosphere of relaxation and mindfulness much smoother.

However, starting out on your own is also possible.

You don’t need to wait for the right time to get to a yoga class — it’s better to start with what you have today, even if it’s a yoga mat in your dorm room.

Here are some helpful tips that will let you get into the right state of mind and focus on the yoga practice effectively.

• Find the right area for practice. In fact, you can do yoga anywhere, but this place should be private, calm, and inviting. Choose this spot depending on the available space, or arrange it for yourself with calming music, aroma candles, or any other accessories that help you relax.
• Make your schedule. Don’t try to move mountains by committing to several classes daily. Make a realistic schedule based on your honest estimate of forces and the time you are ready to devote to your practice.
• Turn on a yoga class video. It’s vital to start mastering yoga with proper guidance. If you can’t attend a yoga class in person, use online videos and tutorials to train at home. Choose beginner videos where all asanas are explained in detail to make a practice healthy and non-harmful.
• Enter a state of stillness. Sitting still, no matter how simple it seems, is a challenge for many busy and disturbed people today. Yoga will set your mind and body into stillness, in which you will hear your body better and engage in the practice without distractions.
• Start small. Yoga can be traumatic if you try to climb to the expert level without attaining proper flexibility and muscle strength. Every yoga asana requires separate training and multiple repetitions to achieve mastery, so I recommend moving slowly and listening to your body.
• Mind your breathing. Mindful breathing exercises (pranayama) are a vital component of yoga. You can relax and free your brain from distracting thoughts by practicing mindful inhaling and exhaling; some exercises involve shifting nostrils to attain greater control of breathing. As a result, you will feel very relaxed, concentrated, and oxygenated.
• Move on. Don’t get stuck on the basics; once you feel your body has mastered the basic poses, it’s time to move on and learn new asanas and their sequences. Yoga is a large, vibrant world of ancient practice, and you will always find something new in it.

My 6 Favorite Yoga Asanas for Students

If you’re a complete yoga rookie, here is my top list of asanas for your first training session.

Humming Bee Breathing (Bhramari Pranayama)

• Why do it. You may practice this pranayama when you feel angry, agitated, or frustrated. It is a powerful instrument for releasing negative emotions and improving memory and concentration.
• When to skip it. There are no contraindications for the exercise, provided you practice it correctly and don’t put your finger directly into the ear or pressure your face too much.
• How to do it. Close your eyes and place your index fingers on the cartilage located between your cheek and ear. Inhale and gently press the cartilage while you’re exhaling. Produce a loud humming sound while exhaling. Repeat the exercise 3–4 times.

Lotus Pose (Padmasana)

• Why do it. Padmasana works wonders when you need to relax your mind and calm down the brain for better concentration. On the physical level, it is excellent for knee and ankle joint stretching. It awakens the chakras and prepares the whole body for further practice.
• When to skip it. Be careful with Padmasana, or skip it altogether if you have injured knees.
• How to do it. Sit on the floor, ensuring you’re sitting on your pin bones. Keep your back straight. Fold your right knee and put the right foot over the left thigh. Repeat the same with the left leg.

Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)

• Why do it. Vrikshasana improves concentration and raises your knees’ strength and flexibility.
• When to skip it. It’s not recommended to do Vrikshasana if you have migraine or vertigo. It’s also harmful to people with hip or knee arthritis and those who have a history of hip replacement.
• How to do it. Stand on one leg and lift the other leg, fold your knee sideways, and place your foot on the thigh of the other leg.

Plow Pose (Halasana)

• Why do it. The asana improves the blood flow to your brain and calms down your nerves. It’s also effective for stress reduction and gentle back and neck muscle stretching.
• When to skip it. Skip it if you have a neck injury, hypertension, or diarrhea. The asana is also not recommended for menstruating females.
• How to do it. Lie on the back and place your arms beside your body. Lift your legs as you’re inhaling and let them go down above your head, binding them at a 180-degree angle. Hold your body this way and breathe for around one minute. Lift your legs and place them into the original position as you exhale.

Cat Pose (Marjaryasana)

• Why do it. The cat pose is good for wrist and shoulder stretching. It improves the mobility of your spine and reduces stress.
• When to skip it. Don’t do this asana if you have an injury to the joints or ligaments of the hips, knees, shoulders, spine, or pelvic joint.
• How to do it. Get into the Tabletop position, ensuring that your knees are right under your hips and your wrists are right under your shoulders. Spread your fingers wide over the mat and exhale, rounding your spine upwards. Push the floor away with your hands and knees as you exhale, and then get back to a neutral spine position for the inhalation.

Corpse Pose (Savasana)

• Why do it. Probably every yoga practitioner’s favorite, Savasana is the traditional relaxing ending of any yoga class. It involves full-body relaxation that takes all stress away.
• When to skip it. There are no contraindications for this pose.
• How to do it. Lie on your back and stretch your hands and legs a bit sideways from your body. Close your eyes and relax each muscle group progressively until you achieve total relaxation.

Final Word

Hopefully, I’ve managed to share my love and appreciation for yoga in this article. It’s a kind of practice anyone can try without extensive training, equipment, and preparation, so it’s universally accessible and very healthy. Go on to give it a try, and you’re sure to feel the gains in your well-being very soon.