The Importance of Yoga for Students

 

Yoga classes have been popping up more and more around college campuses partly due to the unhealthy amount of stress students face on a daily basis. Chronic anxiety takes a toxic toll on the body and mind and yoga provides an outlet. Although I am far from a yoga aficionado, I am always happy when the semester starts back up and I can try out the plethora of yoga classes Bucknell’s KLARC center offers. I always feel the benefits of attending even just one class a week. Yoga allows me to release my stresses, embrace the present moment, and appreciate myself and my surroundings. Yoga’s benefits also extend into my hours and even days after the class. Here are some compelling reasons to attend a class:

Reduce Anxiety and Manage Stress

According to the American Yoga Association, anxiety increases when we don’t exercise because our muscles build tension, our breathing becomes constricted, and our mind undergoes a state of restlessness. By performing the practice, we regulate our breath while relaxing our body, and by doing so, we release muscle tension and flush fresh blood, oxygen, and other nutrients throughout our brain and body. Additionally, by concentrating simply on inhale and exhale, we recenter our awareness to our essential being: our breath.1

Increase Focus and Brain Function

Concentrating on one’s inner self and breath while reducing anxiety and stress leads to impressive cognitive results. In 2013, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that people who did hatha-style yoga for 20 minutes performed better on brain tests that measured focus and working memory than people who walked or ran on a treadmill for the same length of time. Study lead Neha Gothe, a professor of kinesiology, health and sport studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, observed:

“It appears that following yoga practice, the participants were better able to focus their mental resources, process information quickly, more accurately and also learn, hold and update pieces of  information more effectively than after performing an aerobic exercise bout….The breathing and meditative exercises aim at calming the mind and body and keeping distracting thoughts away while you focus on your body, posture or breath. Maybe these processes translate beyond yoga practice when you try to perform mental tasks or day-to-day activities.” 2

Improve Sleep Quality

Between balancing academics, extracurricular activities, and a social life, sometimes sleep isn’t our first priority. According to a study conducted at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, “70 percent of college students receive less than the eight recommended hours of sleep.”3 Yet sleep is vital for a person’s health and well-being. The most important component to falling asleep is having a calm mind when you hit the pillow. Yoga can aid in this. The International Journal of Yoga has found that the slowing of breath and focus on the present shifts the “balance from sympathetic nervous system and the flight-or-fight response to the parasympathetic system and the relaxation response,” and as a result, lowers heart rate. Thus lowered heart rate creates tranquility, a greater sense of well-being, and less anxiety. By converting what we learned in yoga into our mindset as we wind down for the night, we have the power to normalize our sleep cycle. Asanas, pranayama, and yoganidre all relieve any stress, tension, and fatigue you may be feeling, providing you the power you need to fall asleep and creating a more restful slumber.4

Additionally, substantial evidence concludes that sleep plays an essential role in learning and memory processes. Scientists have recently been able to manipulate sleep to reach such conclusions. Many studies have found the absence of sleep impairs neurocognitive processes (among other processes), thus resulting in worsened school performance. By sleeping more, we can actually study less.5

Appreciate Yourself and Feel Powerful

Yoga has taught me to not be so hard on myself but rather thankful for myself. I realize that I don’t need to stress the small stuff and, by doing so, I develop a new perspective of problems I am facing. Certain poses, such as the warrior II pose, awaken my own power. By working every muscle and releasing tensions, I feel the connection, both mentally and physically, between relaxation and strength. As I search for stillness of body, I end up discovering stillness of mind. I also feel better about myself because even the simple act of attending a yoga class adds balance to my life and achieving a balanced life is essential for my personal effectiveness and happiness.

Other benefits of practicing yoga include boosting immunity, perfecting posture, lowering blood sugar, building awareness, improving relationships, and encouraging self-care . It’s no wonder that a study by the Yoga Journal found that 20 million people in the US practice yoga. If you haven’t yet joined the yoga revolution, here is your chance. Namaste.

Yoga teachers (and my house mates!) Heather and Chloe strike a yoga pose after a successful and sweat inducing yoga class.

 


KLARC Yoga schedule:

Mondays
9-10: Vinyasa Yoga with Keri (will begin in Oct)
3:30-4:30: Yoga with Chloe
6:30-7:30: Restorative Yoga with Taylor

Tuesdays
9-10: Yoga with Lisa
4:30-5:30: Power Vinyasawith Heather
Wednesdays
9-10: Vinyasa Yoga with Keri (will begin in Oct)
Thursdays
9-10: Yoga with Lisa
3:30-4:30: Power Vinyasa with Heather
7:30-8:30: Yoga with Chloe
Sunday
4:30-5:30: Yoga with Staci

mindfulness yoga

Sources cited:

1. “How Yoga Helps Reduce Anxiety and Manage Stress.” American Yoga Association. American Yoga Association, n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2015.

2. Castillo, Michelle. “Yoga May Improve Focus, Ability to Remember New Things.” CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 10 June 2013. Web. 02 Sept. 2015.

3. Shragge, Rebecca. “Sleep Deprivation Soars among College Students.” The Aggie. The California Aggie, 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.theaggie.org/2010/02/17/sleep-deprivation-soars-among-college-students/>

4. “Yoga.org.nz/members-preview.” Yoga and Insomnia. Yoga.org, 5 Aug. 2008. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://yoga.org.nz/benefits/physiological_benefits/yoga_insomnia.htm

5. Woodyard, Catherine. “Abstract.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 30 Dec. 0005. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3193654/>.

  1.  “How Yoga Helps Reduce Anxiety and Manage Stress.” American Yoga Association. American Yoga Association, n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2015.
  2.  Castillo, Michelle. “Yoga May Improve Focus, Ability to Remember New Things.” CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 10 June 2013. Web. 02 Sept. 2015.

Posted

in

by

Comments

29 responses to “The Importance of Yoga for Students”

  1. dianne Avatar

    As a counter to the pressure and stress of academic, athletic, and social demands, the mellowness and quietness that comes through in this blog is cherished and welcomed.

  2. Extreme Cleanse Avatar

    I want to to thank you for this wonderful read!! I definitely enjoyed every
    bit of it. I have got you book marked to look
    at new things you post…

  3. Lee Trotman Avatar

    This blog was… how do you say it? Relevant!!
    Finally I have found something that helped me. Cheers!

  4. angry birth Avatar

    Good article. I am experiencing some of these
    issues as well..

  5. neuroxium brain pill Avatar

    Inspiring quest there. What occurred after? Thanks!

  6. muscle advance creatine supplements Avatar

    WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for building
    nutritional diet

  7. Pure Max Garcinia Avatar

    Hi there, I would like to subscribe for this webpage to get newest updates,
    so where can i do it please assist.

    1. Carly Robb Avatar
      Carly Robb

      Please send me an email at car046@bucknell.edu and I will add you to the email blast.

  8. www.4drone.co.kr Avatar

    Hey! I know this is kind of off-topic however I had to ask.
    Does building a well-established blog like yours take a large amount of work?
    I’m completely new to running a blog however I do write
    in my diary everyday. I’d like to start a blog so I can share my experience
    and views online. Please let me know if you have any kind of recommendations or tips for brand new aspiring bloggers.

    Thankyou!

  9. thong cong nghet Avatar

    I have been browsing online more than 2 hours today, yet
    I never found any interesting article like yours.
    It is pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all
    web owners and bloggers made good content as you did,
    the net will be much more useful than ever before.

  10. jaynie mae baker Photos Avatar

    whoah this blog is magnificent i love studying your
    posts. Keep up the great work! You understand, many people
    are searching around for this information, you could
    aid them greatly.

  11. งาดํา Avatar

    I am regular reader, how are you everybody? This post
    posted at this web page is in fact nice.

  12. sales techniques video, Avatar

    If some one wants expert view on the topic of running a blog after
    that i advise him/her to visit this webpage, Keep up the nice job.

  13. Foods that age our skin Avatar

    I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Exceptionally well
    written!

  14. slumber pm Avatar

    This is the right blog for anyone who really wants to find out about this
    topic. You know a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really would want
    to…HaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a subject that’s been discussed for a long
    time. Excellent stuff, just great!

  15. website design software Avatar

    I am extremely impressed with your writing skills as well
    as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself?
    Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it’s rare to
    see a great blog like this one today.

  16. Cheap Cloud Storage Avatar

    Fascinating blog! Is your theme custom made or did you
    download it from somewhere? A theme like yours with a few simple tweeks
    would really make my blog stand out. Please let me know where you got your theme.
    Thank you

  17. Maurice Avatar

    Hi, after reading this amazing article i am as well delighted to share
    my familiarity here with colleagues.

  18. seo los angeles Avatar

    Amazing! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a entirely different topic but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Great choice
    of colors!

  19. drukowanie plakatow Avatar

    Do you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as
    I provide credit and sources back to your site? My blog site is in the very same niche as yours and my visitors would genuinely benefit from a lot
    of the information you present here. Please let me know if this alright with you.
    Thanks!

  20. tp-link c7 ac1750 Avatar

    Simply desire to say your article is as astounding. The clearness in your post
    is simply great and i could assume you’re an expert on this subject.
    Well with your permission allow me to grab your feed to
    keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up
    the enjoyable work.

  21. minecraft free account generator mac no survey Avatar

    Great information. Lucky me I came across your website by accident (stumbleupon).
    I have book marked it for later!

  22. WordPress online education theme Avatar

    Pretty! This was an incredibly wonderful article. Thank you for
    providing these details.

  23. letti a castello a scomparsa verticale Avatar

    Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I actually enjoyed reading it, you
    will be a great author.I will always bookmark your blog and definitely will come back
    at some point. I want to encourage you to continue your great work, have
    a nice weekend!

  24. Million Dollar Duplicator Avatar

    I want to to thank you for this good read!! I definitely enjoyed every little bit of it.
    I have got you saved as a favorite to check out new things you post…

  25. Terraria Hack Avatar

    An outstanding share! I’vejust forwarded this onto a coworker
    who had been conducting a little research on this.
    And he actually bought me luncch simply because I found it for him…
    lol. So allolw me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!!
    But yeah, thanx for spending time to discuss
    this matter here on your website.

  26. iphone 6s Avatar

    Fabulous, what a web site it is! This blog gives useful
    data to us, keep it up.

  27. http://geekworksdevelopment.com/ Avatar

    I’m really impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog.
    Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself?
    Either way keep up the nice quality writing, it is rare to see a great blog like this one nowadays.

  28. Millionaires Blueprint Avatar

    I like the valuable info you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your
    blog and check again here frequently. I am quite sure I’ll learn many new stuff
    right here! Good luck for the next!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *