Did you know that meditating for just five minutes every day helps improve memory and attentiveness?
“Or….I could use those five minutes stuffing my face in my notes one last time before my exam,” you might say.
We all know the rules: don’t study late at night, be rested for a big test, you’re not going to retain anything new fifteen minutes before the exam anyway, etc. And yet we choose to ignore these rules and bend our bodies and our brains to the breaking point before big exams, especially during dreaded finals week. We don’t have time to go to the gym, we stress eat, and put our health and sanity last. Now, some of this is all part of the finals “fun” and we laugh at how close we were to the verge of hysterical insanity (some of us may have even gotten there.)
But a lot of this is actually very harmful and can have lasting effects if we don’t curb bad habits. This finals season, I’m asking you to put down the books, quiet those equations in your head, and just sit and relax and be present with yourself. For just fifteen minutes a day, these restorative yoga poses will bring your body a sense of equilibrium and can even give you that extra push of energy you need to finish out a long, exhausting study session.
Balasana/Child’s Pose
Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels, then separate your knees about as wide as your hips. Exhale and lay your torso down between your thighs. Reach your arms forward with palms down on the mat, or let them drape behind you over your shoulders.
Child’s pose can begin a yoga practice and is always an option to come back to in the middle of your practice. It is calming and humbling, as your forehead touches the floor and you submit your body to gravity. Rock your forehead back and forth a couple times to release any tension between your eyes and breathe deeply through your nose as you expand your stomach and let the air flow back out through your backbone. Stay here for 5 breaths as you gently open your hips, ankles and thighs.
Marjaryasana and Bitilasana or Cat – Cow Pose
1. Start on your hands and knees with your wrists directly under your shoulders, and your knees directly under your hips. Place your shins and knees hip-width apart. Center your head in a neutral position and soften your gaze downward.
2. Begin by moving into Cow Pose: Inhale as you drop your belly towards the mat. Lift your chin and chest, and gaze up toward the ceiling.
3. Broaden across your shoulder blades and draw your shoulders away from your ears.
4. Next, move into Cat Pose: As you exhale, draw your belly to your spine and round your back toward the ceiling. The pose should look like a cat stretching its back.
5. Pull your head in toward your stomach, avoiding strain in the neck.
6. Breathe and open your shoulders back into cow pose.
This gentle warm-up is perfect for energizing your body and preparing for further activity by lengthening your spine and opening your chest. Keep your abs engaged as you pull in and up through your breath and remember to breathe into your stomach and out through your backbone. This will keep the tension out of your shoulders and allow your head to hang loose as you engage your core and lower back. Repeat this sequence 4 times.
Ardha Chandrasana or Standing Half-Moon
Stand with your big toes touching and heels slightly apart. Inhale as you bring your arms up overhead and exhale as your right hand grabs your left wrist and gently pull your left arm overhead across your left ear. Keep your hips square and engage your core as you stretch your body to the right. Continue to breath into your stomach and stay here for 3 to 5 breaths. Repeat on your left side.
This pose may not look difficult, but it requires stability and balance as you move your body to one side. Be sure to keep your shoulders away from your ears, tune into the stretch in your arms and enjoy the space in your ribs as you continue to breath deeply. And no booty poppin’! Keep your spine straight, close your eyes and practice focusing on your breath as a simple meditation technique.
Savasana or Corpse Pose
Lie with your back on the floor with your ankles slightly turned outward and your hands by your side. Keep your palms up if you would like to receive an opening energy, palms down if you feel like you are too restless and need more stability.
Savasana marks the end of a practice. It is a pose of rest and quiet meditation, as you let your breath flow freely. Focus on your breath as it comes in through your belly and out through your spine and quiet your mind to outside distractions. Stay here for at least 5 breathing cycles – or as long as you’d like. There is no time limit. This is your moment to be present and reflect on how your body has shifted just from these few simple restorative poses. Let yourself become heavy and sink into the floor as you relax every inch of your body, from your eyebrows to your toes.
Things to keep in mind as you flow through these movements:
1. Meditation is a practice. Even the most experienced yogis will find their minds drifting. As long as you are able to recognize the distractions and attempt to put them away for a couple minutes as you focus on your breath, this sequence will help clear and re-energize your mind
2. Nothing should EVER hurt or feel uncomfortable in yoga. You can try to breathe into any tension as it releases but if something genuinely feels bad, then stop and look for modifications.
3. Whatever works for you, make it work.
So light some incense, put on your favorite tunes, get down on the floor, then go kick those finals in the ass.