How Yoga Helps with Stress During Exams
Exam season is a pretty stressful period for every student. Meeting deadlines, studying and the pressure accumulates, affect can be pretty badly. Luckily, there are some successful ways of dealing with stress caused by exams, and one of them is yoga. Commun fact is that yoga is meant for relaxing, but there are other stress-relieving benefits it has.
What are the positive effects of yoga in general?
As was already mentioned, the main purpose of yoga is to get in touch with a person’s nature, becoming more aware, relax and learn to think positive thoughts. And all of this is important for self-care. No daily task, not even studying, can be done efficiently if people are under stress, which is why practicing yoga should be a part of daily routine. Besides, yoga helps with physical health, as well, by improving flexibility and building muscle and strength. This can help with posture, breathing, and feeling more awake and energized. Not to mention that yoga-related volunteering options, as we can see on volunteering platforms like Help Stay, are now more popular than ever.
How can yoga help during exam season?
Now that has been explained some of the basic concepts of yoga, it is time to apply them to studying and exam preparation. Yoga can help significantly during all those long nights and staying up. Of course, students shouldn’t force themselves, but yoga exercises will help them feel more awake and rested and improve their breathing, which will help with concentration. If they are sitting for a long time, doing yoga and moving a bit will help get blood pumping, and it will reduce muscle pain and tension. Besides, tuning out for a bit, relaxing and concentrating on something other than studying will help them stay focused and stress-free, and they will be able to go back to studying while feeling more motivated. Making a personal plan according to individual ability is important as well. This is where yoga comes in because it can clear one’s mind and make students more organized. This is important because it helps students keep their study notes organized as well so that they can get the most use out of them. So, there are also practical reasons.
What are the best techniques and why?
Now when are explained all the benefits yoga has during exams, here is a little guide through the best positions for this purpose. Let’s start Virabhadrasana (Warrior Pose). This one is a good pose for improving concentration and relieving stress. A person has to focus on breathing and immediately will feel the energy rushing in. The mountain pose or Parvatasana will help with tension and to be more focused. The purpose is to be able to take deeper breaths and feel more awake. Adho mukha svanasana is the perfect pose for a long time sitting because it focuses on stretching and uses all muscles to get more energy. This pose is great for relaxing and calming the nervous system.
The importance of breathing
One important aspect of yoga that people have to dedicate some time and effort to is breathing. If they are doing the pose right, but not breathing correctly, they may not get the effect they are supposed to. When breathing is deep, it helps to get in touch with the body more, be more concentrated, feel calmer, and, what is crucial, avoid injury. There are some breathing rules everyone should follow, which will help to get the gist, especially if a person is a beginner. But the first and foremost one is to breathe effortlessly and deeply. Also, learn when the right time is to inhale and exhale.
Exam season is the perfect time to start doing yoga, as the benefits are numerous and will improve everyone’s lifestyle in general. Dealing with stress during that period is crucial for staying focused and motivated enough, and yoga is the way to get there. To begin with it, just follow this guide and see what the results will be. Good luck this exam season!
