Yoga Strategies to Help Cram For Exams

By Marilyn Reid

A feeling of anxiousness or anxiety prior to taking an examination is normal. In fact, some experts believe it is healthy as it serves as an effective stimuli that prompts one to come up with a preparation strategy for an upcoming examination.

But some people are not good with handling their nervousness and anxiety such that it affects their performance in the exam. This is most especially true for those who are cramming for their exam. This makes them repulsive to any preparation method as they are unable to clear their mind.

Allow Body Movement

When an individual feels tensed about the idea of taking an examination that s/he isn't fully prepared for, the tension is manifested throughout the entire body. Although you have short preparations to ensure that you perform well on your exam, that feeling of nervous tension often reacts on you mentally making you incapable of thinking logically.

Hence, a trick of releasing body tension and nervousness would be really helpful in remaining calm prior to taking your exam. Allowing as much body movement as possible is really helpful. You can do simple exercises such as walking, jogging, or stretching. This will effectively calm your nerves and release any tension that is building up. Doing these body movement enhancement exercises are also quite helpful in waking up your nerves and senses.

Reducing Anxiety and Stress

Stress and anxiety are two of the worst mental and physical health enemies. When people suffer from stress or anxiety, you lose synchronization and focus. This is a deadly combination when you are about to take an examination. The negative emotions or thoughts that you might be having could prevent you from thinking clearly. As a result, you have difficulty remembering all that you have reviewed for the exam and put you at risk for low performance.

Performing Rhythmic Breathing

Rhythmic breathing has been known to offer a wide range of benefits as a yoga practice. Among the physiological effects are increased oxygen supply and re-establishment of the body's natural rhythm.

Mentally though, rhythmic breathing offers benefits that would help those who are cramming for their exam. It helps bring about calmness of the mind, increase your level of self-confidence, and improve concentration ability. These are all mental abilities that would help improve your performance in an examination. Thus, retention of important information that you need to be able to respond to the exam questionnaires is a very useful benefit of practicing this particular yoga breathing technique.

Deep Breathing

Deep breathing in yoga has been known to effectively combat stress. As you know, preparing for an exam is such a stressful situation to be in. The level of stress also adds up when the actual time of the examination is drawing near and you have not done enough preparation to be confident on your exam performance.

Deep breathing comprises of full and cleansing breaths. This relaxation technique is very simple to perform and yet its effects on the body are very powerful. Here are the steps you can follow:

• Find a comfortable sitting position. Make sure that your back is straight while you place on hand on your chest and the other resting on your stomach.
  
• Use your nose for breathing in. Do this fully such that you can see your hand resting on your stomach rise. There should also be movement on your chest.
  
• Use your mouth for exhalation. Do this in a sudden and forceful manner to empty out your lungs.
  
• Repeat the same process all over again.
  

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Here is another well known strategy used for stress relief due to its effectiveness. It involves two process that follows a systematic approach. The first step is involved with tensing specific muscle groups, while the second part helps in releasing that tension to provide relaxation. This is also a very good relaxation technique to use if you are suffering from muscular tension in specific areas of the body. It takes only a few minutes and would be very effective to perform a few minutes before starting your examination.

You must begin by trying to relax and make your entire body comfortable. You can start with slow and deep breathing to provide relaxation. Once you are ready, you can focus your attention on your right foot. Try to tense your muscles on your right foot by squeezing it and holding this position for at least 10 seconds. After that, relax your right foot and bask in the feeling of relaxing your foot.

Use the same method on your left foot this time. The same sequence of creating and releasing tension should be done. Follow this pattern by slowly working your way upwards in your body.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation must not be confused with meditation. The former is more effective if you want to use this method for stress relief or reducing anxiety caused by cramming for an exam. The idea of mindfulness is basically enabling you to get rid of any negative form of thought and becoming more engaged with the present moment. This quality allows you to focus on the task at hand, which in this case is the exam, and increase ability to concentrate.

Although deeper than regular meditation, it does not equal zoning out though. There is still that certain level of awareness of your physical environment but attaining a more specific focus. This will be able you to be more guided in your mental activities.

Guided Visualization

Lack of focus and unorganized thoughts are very characteristic among individuals who are anxious or cramming for an exam. This is crucial as you could basically forget all the information you have patiently reviewed on previously.

To follow this relaxation technique, you must imagine a serene and tranquil scene. Your goal must be to find peace and release any form of tension, whether mental or physical. It could be somewhere tropical or your favorite place as a child, but it has to have a calming effect on you. Do this with your eyes closed and allow yourself to drift away into the scene. Take note of all sensory impulses too for a more effective stress relief.

Tai Chi

Tai Chi is one particular yoga style that you can practice to provide more physical and mental harmony that would help your exam preparation. It comprises of a series of slow and flowing movements. Some of the benefits of practicing Tai Chi includes relaxation of mind and body, revitalized energy, and increased concentration ability.

Tai Chi is a low impact yoga style that you can perform, which suits even those with minimum fitness level or any age level. Plus, the above mentioned benefits will truly help you cope with the tension of an upcoming examination.

How To Do Yoga Exercises For Maximum Relaxation

When you've made your decision to begin with your yoga practice, it's crucial for you to find out the method to perform an asana correctly. Thus it's good for you to get a right teacher who'll steer} you in the correct style of doing these stances. Since yogic exercises entails the static & isometric contraction of the muscles, where the muscles are maintained in a situation of pressure without leading the next body region to stir; it's essential to note that the extension or contraction of the muscles isn't supposed to be performed rapidly or swiftly. You should attempt to achieve the finishing posture as unhurriedly as you can, so that there's a constant in the pressure of the muscles. For all times achieve the finishing pose leisurely through the midway stances. Get to know well all these stances leisurely 1 by 1.

The movement of each body part must be performed under total control of the muscles exercised. This is achieved only after carrying it out for a certain span of time. There shouldn't be any twitching or aggressive actions. Every step should be implemented without any problem, slickly & elegantly. Initially, when you start to learn the yoga, there's an inclination to use muscles not connected with the particular movement. However over a span of time with due performance, you can do away with the needless muscular action. As you advance, you will get practiced to use only the particular muscles for contraction or extension while the other muscles are kept tension free.

Avoid speeding up into the finishing position of any pose, except if you've systematically mastered the midway movements. For all times ensue as much as you can without any difficulty & maintain this posture for a certain period. This'll educate the necessary muscles in a few days & thus you can get ease & style. Take care not to overburden any muscles. Do not refrain or limit your inhalation. If you're unwell or missing from your practice for a long time, start slowly & arrive at the preceding level only after some period. At the closing stages of the sitting, you must experience bright & tension free. You should experience the weightlessness & elation at the finish of each sitting.

You can change the timing of diverse methods as per to your potential & there should be no exhaustion or strain.

Abiding by all these practices will make certain you achieve a right yoga sitting.

Karma Yoga - Yoga In Action

By Sally Janssen

Yoga is essentially a dynamic expression in the interpretation of the western mind. We are vitally concerned in any ideology which will promise more efficient living, more abundant health and more material improvements. And this no doubt attracts many students to follow Karma Yoga, the Yoga of Action.

Disciplining you life and achieving self-mastery through Yogic techniques will enable you to develop your life to become a fruitful accomplishment of all your inherent aspirations.

Everyone has abilities which would enable them to use for the benefit of others. Most people cover up their talents by a slothful attitude, or smother their secret longings for expression, under disappointment, frustration and procrastination. Practice of Yoga develops confidence in oneself and focuses what it is that you can give to the world - what it is that you and you alone can contribute. Then truly, your life is not wasted. Something will have issued forth from you, the world will be a happier, or healthier, or more enlightened place for some little effort you have put into your life. Everyone must have an unselfish longing to contribute to society, else the life span is concluded with a feeling of utter futility as if there was perhaps no purpose to your life other than your own personal experiencing of good and bad, knowledge and ignorance pain and pleasure.

Find out through personal searching what it is that you feel you could do to contribute to the welfare of others and once you have found an avenue to channel your energies, pour forth your enthusiasm in that direction. Only good can come of it. Seek to equip yourself with the necessary knowledge and techniques to enable the most creative and efficient utilization of your energies. The forces of evolution will be behind you, helping you to help humanity.

Achieve health through following the yoga diet and exercises, asanas, breathing and relaxation so you may become an example of right living habits. Develop confidence by self-searching and the discovery of your hidden abilities. Practise physical disciplines and body controls, deep breathing and positive mental attitudes. Cultivate your mind and concentration so that you may become an authority on your chosen studies. Clarify your psychological nature so there is no friction between the conscious and the subconscious mind.

Practise meditation so that you are aware of your link with God and understand the unity of life behind all apparent complexity. Find the simple key to your own happiness, and let the personality come to its happy flowering and achieve real peace. Let your conscience prevent you form doing wrong. Let your intuition guide you as to what to do. Maintain your equilibrium above all and balance your actions wisely. Do not be extreme in any attitude and maintain a healthy communication between your heart and your head! Let your feelings and thoughts blend into your own personal wisdom. Meditate to become aware of the truth and reality of your finest ideas.

Whatever you achieve in personal enlightenment you must put forth again into your daily life. Yoga practices are intensely practical in application once you have been guided to understand the self discipline which is the important requirement. Meditation should be completed by some action fulfilled so that in action we give forth that which we have received.

No action can be very helpful without some previous thought. Efficient actions come from meditation. Meditation is truly creative thinking - a state in which new ideas are born. Meditation then is the mother of perfect action, which to the karma Yogi is the goal. The Karma Yogi understands the basic law of action and reaction which is known as the law of karma and is expressed in the Christian teachings in the golden rule "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." A kind action will inevitably result in a kind action to you. A cruel action demands that sometime you suffer the same. This is one of the true laws of life that functions in every day life, throughout every year. Many people say they believe this law but in fact do not act by it. Do not just believe it is a law, but know that it is, and test it in your own life. Make it a dynamic, living principle!

The student of Yoga tries to live by the spiritual laws and be guided by the inner voice of the soul. To practise Yoga one must abide by the finest principles and standards you possess. Your life should be well disciplined, creative and unselfish, beautiful, peaceful and loving. You must practice the physical exercises and disciplines each morning, or evening to bring order into each day. Never let a day go by at the mercy of your passing mood.

• Determine to eradicate your bad habits one by one.
  
• Build your body structure strongly through deliberate exercise.
  
• Employ breathing techniques at all occasions possible.
  
• Learn to understand your link with God is through your breath.
  
• Develop and control the senses so that you feel alive and know that the senses are powers for you to control, not let them control you.
  
• Gain control over your mental activity and learn to calm the mind.
  
• Become a leader, one to whom other s look for strength and guidance.
  
• Have courage to stand for Beauty, Love and Truth when all outer vales falter.
  
• Stand firm upon the knowledge that there is a way of living which is right, that we must obey the law of Life which is that of our spiritual Father, and that all efforts will result in your spiritual development and be apparent at some future time.
  
• Have patience to suffer your trials and know that they are your due whereby you learn some necessary lesson.
  
• Be grateful for your good fortune and know they too are deserved by past deeds of goodness.
  
• Take refuge in nature's law and the Law of Karma.