The transition from the traditional classroom to the foreign world of Zoom calls and breakout rooms has definitely been an adjustment for students and professors alike. Don’t get me wrong, I love staying in pajamas and attending class from my bed as much as the next girl, but spending all day in your bedroom on your laptop can take a serious hit to a person’s physical and mental health. Incorporating yoga and meditation into the seemingly endless hours of screen time can seriously alleviate some of the lower back pain and mental exhaustion that (I hope) I’m not the only one struggling with. Here is a list of the proven ways that yoga and meditation can benefit your overall health and well-being while we all muddle through being the first generation of students having our education come at us through a machine comprised of lights, buttons, coding and pixels. Study breaks are inevitable and, I’m afraid in my case, all too common. However, considering the fact that the study breaks of the traditional classroom model (e.g. walking from class to class, talking to friends, getting coffee, etc.) have been removed, these study breaks are not only needed for academic productivity but also for a person’s sanity. So, next time you find your attention span starting to waver or you’re getting fidgety in your seat, rather than reaching for your phone to check Instagram, get bending or get breathing!
Yoga Perks
Not only is yoga a fun and beautiful experience, but the effects it can have on your body are astounding. Practicing yoga (even if just for five minutes a day) simultaneously tones muscles, increases flexibility and improves balance. It also improves your posture, which can make the endless hours of bed/desk/floor/kitchen table studying feel a little less daunting and kinder on your back. Because yoga is so centered around breathwork and breath control, continuous practice can even improve a person’s lung function. I don’t know about you, but if there was a way I could convert oxygen into carbon dioxide any more efficiently or enjoyably, I would give it a go.
In addition to physical health, yoga also benefits your mental health in a multitude of ways. A fundamental part of yoga is practicing mindfulness. This means that you are living in an entirely conscious state and are aware of the moment you are living in before it passes. Incorporating mindfulness into online school has made it far easier for me to walk away from my schoolwork and give myself the rest I need, while not really walking away from anything or going anywhere. Yoga can also aid anxiety and depression by “bringing you to deep states of non-doing that help you sleep better, neutralize excess stress and restore profound peace, relaxation and rejuvenation to the body” (Kamini Desai, Yoga Nidra: The Art of Transformational Sleep).
Meditation Perks
If study breaks of twiddling with pens or going on Snapchat still sound more enticing than some downward dogs and child posing, then you should definitely give meditation a go instead. I can completely sympathize with those who think that the idea of sitting by yourself, eyes closed while turning your brain off sounds impossible – but I promise the more you meditate, the less scary that thought becomes.
Studies prove that those who meditate regularly are more observant and in tune with their emotions and can show more compassion towards others than those who don’t. Meditation has also proved to change an individual’s brain make-up, resulting in improved memory and concentration. My concentration levels have been at an all-time low since transitioning to the online classroom, so if meditation can help at all with that, I am definitely all gas no breaks. Meditation is also proven to reduce anxiety and depression by improving an individual’s self-esteem, gratitude and ability to forgive by expanding and improving a person’s relationship between themselves and their mind.
So yes, while it is true that study breaks are inevitable in online school, it does not mean that they can’t also be productive. Next time you find your eyes beginning to glaze over and your thumbs beginning to twitch from all the mindless TikTok scrolling, take a second to stop and think: what benefits will watching people lip-sync Doja Cat songs really give me in the long-term? Could I be doing something my future self will thank me for? (Hint: the answer is yes.) Enjoy the stretching and meditating!