YOGA FOR CONCENTRATION

Concentration through Yoga:

Name any endeavor that can be achieved without the help of concentration!! Tough isn't it? But for most of us a concentrated mind is not our natural state, like a honey bee our mind is forever buzzing from one thought to another either focusing on tensions to be faced in the future or mistakes in the past and this my friends; is where the prime benefits of yoga can be seen.

Thanks to the tough postures or asanas (especially the balancing ones) one can’t help but disconnect him/herself from the troubling thoughts thus gradually teaching one’s subconscious to simply be in the moment and focus on the task at hand, another way by which these asanas help is by stimulating the spine thus energizing the nervous system to back up your focused mind.

The rhythmic breathing which accompanies all of the postures, or in some cases forms a stand alone A asana has a series of benefits on its own; for starters it helps one in getting centered and focused during the pose; the extra oxygen invigorates your brain thus calming it down and build concentration, by synchronizing your breath with your movements your mind is eased into the challenge of each pose thus allowing you to focus on a single stance at a time which in turn improves your mental well being.

Another yoga technique which helps one improve their focus is the guided meditation. By having a guru walk you through the process of thoughtless awareness the stress producing activity of the mind is reduced, effectively replacing you inner turmoil with peace and thus increasing one’s mental strength and ability to stay in the present moment.

But learning to be in the present moment is not all about getting your concentration on track, some of the other benefits one gets along the way include, an improvement in sleep and increase in ones energy levels, a normalization of  one’s blood pressure (which is a side effect of getting  reduction/ a complete freedom from anxiety and/or depression ) and of course an improvement of one’s mood

Here a few asanas which would help you improve your concentration and be in the moment .

I would suggest simple postures in the beginning for the starters like ...

Santulasana followed by Natrajasana:

Stand straight with legs close to each other and gently bend your right leg and hold you right ankle with right hand.keep your arm straight and the other arms raised up close to the ear. stand straight and once able to focus with your eyes opened then close the eyes and balance which involves total focus and more awareness in the part of the body which is grounded.

Once your are able to focus and hold for longer ,up to 20 secs or more then slowly shift to Natrajasana (the third picture in the post).

Once you are able to perform simple one with ease then go for advanced postures,

                 

These are few examples.You can try most of the balancing postures closing the eyes which will help not only for adults to focus and improve concentration  but also for kids in their studies.Try it.

Hari om Tat Sat