By Nikitaa Parmar
Yoga Teacher, RESET – Holistic Living Concepts
Most people, including students are facing high stress levels today. The youth tends to become stressed about too many things, like attaining the perfect grades, a media-created perfect body, building and maintaining relationships, admissions, examination stress, dealing with problems that might be at home, temptation to ‘fit in’ by indulging in substances like alcohol and drugs etc.
Yoga has proven to make a huge difference in combating these stress levels, and promoting calmness, confidence, focus, concentration, memory, self-esteem, healthy competition, better relationships, creativity, patience, acceptance and optimism – all leading to better grades and academic performance.
The brain continues to develop throughout early to late teenage years. The prefrontal cortex is the area behind the forehead and is known for its ability to plan, organize, and regulate mood. The development of the prefrontal cortex gives one the ability to concentrate and think, rather than act on impulse, and is critical to being successful throughout life stages—whether in academics, career, or relationships. Yoga helps stimulate and nurture this part of the brain, in addition to other parts of the body with the help of asanas (yogic postures), pranayama (breathing techniques) and meditation. Yogic practices also help bring about a balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
Problems and stress are an inevitable part of life. But the way one handles stress is what’s important. Yoga teaches one to be confident and face the challenges that crop up at different stages in life.
The mind, body and breath are interconnected; yoga brings about a healthy balance between these three aspects of a human being. If yoga, in addition to a healthy lifestyle is introduced at an early stage, it moulds the person into becoming not just a better student, but eventually also a better employee, boss, sibling, spouse and a better human being on the whole.
Participating in yoga class and making it a regular routine develops a strong connection to body awareness and movement. The practices help improve coordination, balance, strength, and flexibility, and teaches the student that every individual including herself is unique and different, and she starts to respect and honour this difference and uniqueness. This avoids comparison and stress, encouraging her instead to focus on attaining her goals.
Some of the yogic practices that help students at excelling in academics and at the same time help handle stress are as follows:
Vrikshasana (Tree pose)
- Stand tall and straight with arms by the side of your body.
- Bend your right knee and place the right foot high up on your left thigh. The sole of the foot should be placed flat and firmly near the root of the thigh.
- Make sure that your left leg is straight. Find your balance.
- Once you are well balanced, take a deep breath in, gracefully raise your arms over your head from the side, and bring your palms together in ‘Namaste’ mudra (hands-folded position).
- Look straight ahead in front of you, at a distant object. A steady gaze helps maintain a steady balance.
- Ensure that your spine is straight. Your entire body should be taut, like a stretched elastic band. Keep taking in long deep breaths. With each exhalation, relax the body more and more.
- With slow exhalation, gently bring down your hands from the sides. You may gently release the right leg.
- Stand tall and straight as you did at the beginning of the posture. Repeat this pose with the left leg off the ground on the right thigh.
Benefits : In addition to making the legs strong, this pose is great for improving focus, concentration, mind body coordination, memory and balance.
Ustrasana (Camel pose)
- Stand on the knees. Keep the thighs fully straight.
- Keep distance between the two thighs and two feet in such a way that they are parallel to eachother.
- Lean in the backward direction. Slowly move more backward. Reach the right heel with the right hand, and the left heel with the left hand. Avoid straining the body.
- Push the hips in the forward direction. The thighs should be kept vertical.
- Then bend the head and the spine as backward and as farther as possible without straining.
- Relax the body and the muscles of the back.
- Support the body weight equally on the legs and arms.
- Keep the arms in such a way that they anchor the shoulders to maintain the back arch.
- Stay in the same position for as long as you find it comfortable.
- Then release the hands from the heels one by one and return to the starting position. Relax and take deep breaths.
After repeating 2 times, this pose must be followed by Paschimottanasa.
Benefits : Backward bending is about facing our fears, which goes a long way toward quieting those distracting thoughts in our head.
Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)
- Sit up with the legs stretched out straight in front of you on the floor.
- Keep the spine erect and toes flexed towards you.
- While inhalation, slowly raise your both the arms straight above your head and stretch the spine upwards.
- Slowly exhale and bend forward from the hip joint, chin moving toward the toes keeping the spine erect.
- Place your hands on your legs, wherever they reach.
- If possible hold of your toes and pull on them to help you go forward.
- Stay in this position as long as you can.
- After the exertion limit reached inhale and raise up stretching up your arms straight above your head.
- Breathe out and bring your arms down placing the palms on the ground.
Benefits : Immensely helps in calming the mind and avoiding negative thoughts. Also helps in better blood circulation while activating the spinal nerves.
Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)
- Lie down on the back.
- Fold the knees and keep the feet hip distance apart on the floor, with knees and ankles in a straight line.
- Keep the arms beside your body, palms facing down.
- As you inhale, slowly lift the lower back, middle back and upper back off the floor; gently roll in the shoulders; touch the chest to the chin without bringing the chin down, supporting your weight with your shoulders, arms and feet. Feel the buttocks firm up in this pose. Both the thighs are parallel to each other and to the floor.
- Fingers can be interlaced and placed on the floor if possible.
- Keep breathing easily.
- Hold the posture for a minute or two and exhale as you gently release the pose.
Benefits : In addition to strengthening the back muscles, this asana improves blood circulation, calms the brain, reduces anxiety, stress and depression.
Nadi Shodhan pranayama (Alternate Nostril breathing technique)
Nadi Shodhan pranayam should be done in Padmasana. But if not possible, it can be done with crossed legs as well
- Sit comfortably in padmasana or crossed legs, with your spine erect and shoulders relaxed.
- Place your left hand on the left knee, palms open to the sky or in Chin Mudra (thumb and index finger gently touching at the tips).
- Fold the index finger and middle finger of the right hand inwards, and place the ring finger on the left nostril, and thumb on the right nostril.
- Press your thumb down on the right nostril and breathe in through the left nostril.
- Now gently press the ring finger down on the left nostril and raise the thumb to exhale through the right nostril.
- Breathe in from the right nostril and exhale from the left. You have now completed one round of Nadi Shodhan pranayama. Continue inhaling and exhaling from alternate nostrils.
- Complete 9 such rounds by alternately breathing through both the nostrils. After every exhalation, remember to breathe in from the same nostril from which you exhaled. Keep your eyes closed throughout and continue taking long, deep, smooth breaths without any force or effort.
Benefits : This kriya cleanses your ‘nadi’ or subtle life force channel and encourages better focus. By releasing the accumulated stresses in the body, it creates a soothing effect on the entire nervous system, and brings in calmness and concentration.
Make sure you finish your practice by lying down in Shavasana (Corpse pose).
Shavasana is done by lying down on the back with the palms facing the ceiling and about one foot distance between the feet.
Relax every part of the body as you inhale and exhale. This helps calm the brain and the body.
Relaxation is as important as physical activity and allows the cells to repair themselves and prepare the body and mind to function better.
Hence in addition to regular physical activity, nutritious food and other healthy habits, importance should be given to adequate sleep and rest as well, for the student to perform well in academics as well as succeed in handling the stresses of life.
After Shavasana, one can sit up straight, close the eyes gently and chant Om three times. This further calms the mind and stimulates the pituitary gland which is known as the master gland. This gland plays a major role in regulating vital body functions and general wellbeing.