We’ve all heard of the proverb ‘healthy mind, healthy body’. One of the most important ways to keep your mind healthy is to exercise the mind through learning. Aiming for top 100 in Neet 2018 will be in vain if you just sit in front of your books married to them without a word being understood. For effective learning, one must improve concentration and always be intuitive and curious. That being easier said than done, the question is ‘how?’

One of the most popular ways of increasing concentration is ‘yoga’. Yoga is a spiritual practice which originated in India. It helps in disciplining the physical and mental aspects. Although misconceived that yoga is part of an exercise just for the physical body, the other facets of this practice are many.

Practising yoga even for as little as twenty minutes every day can improve and enhance the working of one’s little grey cells. One can focus better and concentrate on the task at hand. Yoga is a science that gathers the power of the body and mind to improve its functioning. Practising yoga refreshes and makes you focused. To top that, yoga also helps relieve stress, which also enhances the functioning of the brain.

Stress is a major issue presently affecting the youth. Yoga is possibly the best solution for it. Keeping this in mind, the majority of the schools in India, many Good MBA colleges in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and many northern states, few engineering colleges all over India have made it mandatory to include yoga in their curriculum.   

Meditation which goes hand in hand with yoga is a great way to relieve stress, it improves blood circulation to the brain. Research shows that meditation has a positive effect on a student’s well-being, social and academic skills.

Some asanas that will improve mental strength are given below.

Tadasana also called the mountain pose. Being one of the easiest, it involves standing up straight with your hands up, pressed against your ears. Apart from improving posture, this asana also improves concentration.

Brahmari pranayama involves sitting with your legs folded, placing your hands on your ears and breathing out while making a humming sound like a bee. It instantly calms the mind down and reduces anxiety, stress and frustration. It also improves memory and concentration.

Vrikshasana or the tree pose. One must fold his leg and place it near the other knee sideways and raise your arms above and join them. It improves balance. It improves your self-esteem, self-confidence and calms one’s nervous system.

Paschimottanasana - Stretch your legs straight while sitting and bend your body forward so that your forehead touches your knee. It is useful for the back. Being a stress-reliever, it keeps anger in control and reduces irritability.

Natarajasana or the Dancer Pose. It is named after Nataraja, the dancing form of Lord Shiva. Involves bending one leg back while standing and holding it with one hand while stretching the other one forward. It helps reduce weight and improves digestion. Most importantly it prevents depression and calms the mind.

There are many more asanas that are beneficial. The above mentioned are just a few.

Yoga helps to sharpen focus, improve memory and also enhances one’s multitasking skills. Given the numerous benefits of yoga and meditation, an increasing number of people are taking to it. The world will be a better place to live only if people in the world start to mediate and practice yoga.

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Also read

1. Photos of Yoga Asanas

2. What do I gain from meditation?  

3. Impact of Shavasna and meditation on memory scores