How to Use Yoga to Reduce Test Anxiety
Yoga poses to reduce test anxiety By Rainbow Women Social Enterprise
Experiencing test anxiety is no joke. Your focus shifts from what’s really important – your test material – to all the negative emotions and thoughts that play around in your head such as doubts, worries, what ifs and more. There are two words to cover how text anxiety feels – it sucks.
There are ways and means to deal with test anxiety and defeat it and yoga is one of the primary ones. Here are some poses that can help you before and during the test. You can do the former on your yoga mat at home or in the gym before your test and the latter in your seat during the test. The poses we have picked are easy and perfect for you even if you’re a beginner. Hold each pose for at least five breaths to gain optimum benefits.
Tree Pose – Stand with your hand on your hips. Now, slowly and mindfully, start shifting your weight over to your right foot. If you are a beginner, position your left heel on your right ankle with the ball of the left foot touching the ground. Focus on maintaining your balance and on your breathing. Remember to hold the pose for at least five breaths. Focusing on your balance helps calm your brain and makes you feel grounded when your mind is going in every direction at once.
Child’s Pose – Sit down on your knees. Now spread your knees as wide as your mat is but your toes should keep touching. Next, lean forward leading with your chest and eventually reach a position where your forehead touches the mat. You can stretch your arms out in front or keep them behind you. This is a great and easy relaxation pose. In times of stress, our shoulders and back hold tension. Child’s pose stretches them and helps release the tension.
Corpse Pose – This is a pretty simple one. Lie down on your back. Keep your hands at your sides and let your legs loosely spread out. Now relax and breathe. Five breaths in and out. You can do more if you like. This pose is also known as shavasana and is generally used to wrap up a yoga session. It relaxes all of your body, every single part, and helps you to breathe normally and control the chaos in your mind.
Deep Breathing or Sitting Meditation – Sit in your chair, spine straight. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Focus only on the inhalation and then the exhalation. Don’t think of anything else. Just pay attention to your breathing and to your body. This is the simplest and easiest pose to use whether you’re studying or actually taking a test. All you have to do is sit in your seat, breathe and focus. This is a great way to slow your heartbeat down and calm your nerves.
While these poses do not guarantee that test anxiety will be a thing of the past, they do help deal with it effectively to the point where you feel productive again. Try these out the next time those butterflies decide to fly around in your stomach and you’ll feel the difference.