Are you trying to learn how to concentrate on studies? This blog covers some of the best natural ways to increase focus and concentration through yoga, meditation, and other ways to help you stay focused and calm during your study sessions. Learn how a few simple tips can enhance your mental clarity and productivity.
Increasing focus and concentration is essential for success in various aspects of life, such as work, education, sports, and personal relationships. But it is important that you look for ways other than consuming supplements if you’re looking for how to concentrate on studies. Adopting natural methods for increasing focus and concentration can have numerous benefits for your mental and physical well-being. Here are some methods that you can try!
#1. Practising yoga daily
A student's life can be challenging, with increased distractions and high competition leading to stress. Students often search for tips to concentrate on studies but end up elsewhere getting distracted by receiving false information online or from friends. Improving the ability to concentrate is crucial, and yoga can be an effective solution for how to concentrate on your studies. Practising yoga asanas regularly can help build physical fitness and calm the mind.
Because of the hyper-functionality of our mobile phones, most people live a life that lacks any kind of physical activity. Children's studies and leisure activities revolve primarily around digital screens, and often wonder how to concentrate on studies. This is where yoga comes in. The asanas and techniques increase one’s concentration power and aid in building physical fitness. Moreover, yoga also provides a sense of tranquillity to the mind, ensuring that students can focus on their studies and be relaxed simultaneously.
Here are 5 asanas for improving concentration.
A. Tadasana (Palm-Tree Pose)
Tadasana is a simple yet powerful yoga pose that helps improve posture, balance, and focus, especially for people who are tied to their screens for long hours and are looking for an exercise to increase concentration.
B. Vrikshasana (Tree Pose)
Vrikshasana (Tree Pose) is a balancing yoga posture that promotes stability, strength, and concentration. Practice this if you are looking to maintain balance in your life.
C. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend Pose)
Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) is a calming yoga posture that stretches the entire back and promotes relaxation for people with a stress bound routine.
* Discovering that life skills are not everything we thought it was? You’re not alone. Thousands around the world are embracing the practice of daily meditation and breathwork. The results are transformational. Find out for yourself!
D. Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)
Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand) is an inverted yoga posture that strengthens the upper body, improves circulation. Anyone who is looking to calms the mind can practice this.
E. Suryanamaskar (Sun Salutations)
Suryanamaskar (Sun Salutation) is a sequence of yoga postures traditionally practised at sunrise to warm up, increase flexibility, and cultivate mindfulness.
These 5 asanas for improving concentration are helpful to increase focus and concentration and can be practised regularly. Incorporating these asanas into your daily yoga routine can help improve your attention and focus. Remember always to practice yoga safely and listen to your body. With consistent practice, you may find that your ability to concentrate improves both on and off the mat.
#2. Meditation
Many students wonder why it is so easy to learn movie dialogues by hearing them just once, but reading a single page multiple times does not help them grasp it. This is because our mind can only fully consume something when relaxed. And yet, it is difficult to be relaxed while studying as our academic lives are often stressful, and just a few exams can make or break our career.
Moreover, even while studying, many students feel that their mind is bombarded with thoughts, thus preventing them from focusing on anything, let alone studies.
Even day-to-day emotions, like jealousy, hatred, and irritation, cause havoc to the mind and make it challenging to concentrate effectively. This makes it hard for them to concentrate on their studies with so much going into their minds. This is where meditation can help you calm your mind while increasing your ability to concentrate. We recommend practising guided meditations available on the official The Art of Living Official Youtube channel. Your mind can be recharged within just 20 minutes to tackle several consecutive hours of work or studies.
The Art of Living also offers a free workshop on Meditation, Yoga and Breath to help students experience the benefits of meditation, such as improved concentration, clear thinking, mindfulness etc.
#3 Lifestyle changes
It is a fact that your lifestyle choices significantly impact your energy and concentration levels. But meditation is not the only answer to how to concentrate on studies; it needs to be accompanied by lifestyle changes as well.
Little things like sleeping hours and food choices can significantly affect our ability to grasp information. Too much or too little sleep makes the mind either feel lethargic or tiresome.
Similarly, too much food makes the mind tired, and too little food or spicy food intake makes the mind agitated. This doesn’t mean you must always live a military lifestyle or eat bland food. Just monitoring your sleep cycle and meals and being attentive to your daily routine can go a long way in sustaining concentration levels and retention power.
#4 Take a step back
You can tire out your mind when you work on a single thing for too long, even if it’s something you love. So, after every few hours, take a break and do something entirely different for a few minutes. This is one of the most basic natural ways to increase focus and concentration. Let the mind disengage, whether it is through exercise, jumbled words, throwing the ball around, or just lying down. Just like a bow needs to be pulled back for the arrow to shoot forward, this could be the break that helps you power through work more effectively.
Based on wisdom talks by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Related Articles-
- Meditation: What is Meditation ?
- The Benefits of Meditation
- Meditation for Beginners
- How to Meditate ?
Frequently Asked Questions about concentration
Food is important to increase concentration because the brain requires proper nutrition to function at its best. Nutrients such as carbohydrates, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, including concentration, are essential for optimal brain function. Proper nutrition is vital for overall health, including brain health and concentration. Here are some of the foods that boost your memory.
- Berries: Berries, such as blueberries, known as Nature's superfood, strawberries, and raspberries, are rich in antioxidants that protect the brain from oxidative stress.
- Nuts: Nuts and seeds, such as almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds, are a good source of vitamin E and healthy fats that support brain health.
- Green leafy vegetables: They are an excellent source of nutrients that support brain health, including concentration.
As food can be one of the best natural ways to increase focus and concentration, look for vitamin-rich foods. Vitamin B1, which is found in capsicum, almonds, soya beans, walnuts etc., is essential for brain function and helps with memory function. It converts carbohydrates into energy which is necessary for brain and body functioning.
There is no way to speed up the concentration process, but you can clear your mind of all the unnecessary thoughts as a first step. If you want to know how to focus on your studies, try meditating for a few minutes to help relax your mind, which will help improve concentration. Try our beginner-friendly Online Meditation and Breath Workshop and learn Sudarshan Kriya™, the world’s most powerful breathing technique.
Yoga is beneficial for people of all ages, from children to elders. However, certain yoga practices may be more suitable for different age groups based on their physical capabilities and needs.
Children can start practising yoga from a young age, typically around 3-4. Several yoga programs of The Art of Living, such as the Intuition Process, are specifically designed for children, which can help improve their flexibility, coordination, and concentration.
Yoga is considered the best exercise to increase concentration. However, if you don’t wish to practice yoga, there are other ways. For example, you can train your brain by playing mind games, which makes the brain alert. Also, try taking a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and give your thoughts some space to organise themselves a little better.
