Yoga for Finals

For all you Yogis who are currently students, there’s generally one thing standing between you and your summer break…finals. Whether it’s final exams, projects, or papers, this time of the year can bring long hours in a library or coffee shop hitting the books, doing research, and/or writing until your fingers fall off.

It’s quite easy to get swept up in the work and feeling like there’s not enough hours in the day to prepare for everything. Before you know it, an entire day has gone by having only stared at a book or computer screen with the possibility that you haven’t taken much time away from your studies for yourself or for your body.

From my own perspective as someone who has gone through the rigors of higher education and who works in higher education, finals time can be quite tough on the body physically, mentally, and emotionally. While it could seem that not even a moment of the day can be taken for anything other than studying, I’m going to share some very brief yoga exercises and postures which take limited time and can help you drop into presence before embarking on everything else you have planned for the day. For those of you not in education, you can apply this to your work life…end of quarter time periods, closing out deals, and/or big projects coming to completion.

Reclined Bound Angle with Box Breathing

When spending time sitting at a desk all day, our posture generally sits in a contracted position with the chest and groin closed off. Reclined bound angle creates a shape where the chest, groin, and midline of the body can expand therefore making space for the lungs. It might be appropriate to set yourself up in a different way than what is pictured. You can have support beneath the knees, around the feet, or under the head. You might opt to have your back flat on the ground or different support under the back.

Box breathing is a balanced breath (the length of time for each increment is the same). You can begin with a count of 4 for each step of the breath practice below and progressively increase to longer lengths of time.

• Inhale
• Retention at the top
• Exhale
• Retention at the bottom*If you are new to breathwork, just focus on the inhale and the exhale for the same amount of time until you are able to comfortably do so.

Reclined Bound Angle Pose on a bolster featuring Box Breathing

Warrior 2 into Triangle

Sometimes flowing from one pose into another helps to quiet the mind. Open hip postures keep the chest and groin open while expanding into the space around. Start in a standing position with the feet set up for warrior 2 and try following this breath pattern:

• Inhale to extend the arms forward and back
• Exhale to bend the front knee into Warrior 2
• Inhale to straighten the front leg
• Exhale to laterally bend into Triangle
• Repeat 3-5x

Warrior II

Triangle Pose with a block outside the front foot

Easy Twist (variation on Revolved Side Angle)

There’s nothing like a good twist to free the spine and open the chest and upper back. You can take any variation of this posture that feels appropriate for you. You can opt for the back knee up or down. Perhaps it is appropriate to take the twist a bit deeper with the elbow hooked outside the knee. Challenge yourself to keep your breath deep and steady.

Easy Twist (variation on Revolved Side Angle)

Bridge Pose

The hip flexors take a hard hit when you’re sitting in a chair all day. Bridge pose (and backbends in general) are the antithesis of a typical slouching sitting pattern, so it’s definitely not to be skipped! As with any of the other postures shared here, take the variation that serves you best on the day you are practicing. I like an active bridge to bring vitality into the body, but it may be more appropriate for you on some days to take a supported bridge. Either way, allow the front of the pelvis to widen and the corners of the chest to expand outward.

Bridge Pose

Happy Baby

To end, let’s take the feet up towards the sky and the legs wide, again putting yourself into a shape that is different from what you may be spending a vast majority of your time in for the rest of the day (i.e. sitting at a desk or computer). Try to relax your shoulders and head towards the floor. Relax the face in the process, and if you experience struggling to take hold of the feet, bring your hands to your shins or your thighs. Allow gravity to assist the settling into this posture. It might be appropriate to place blocks beneath each thigh for a grounding sensation.

Happy Baby

You can complete this entire sequence in 15-20 minutes, or you can take each shape when you need a small break from your studies. At some point, give yourself a savasana (5-10 minutes) perhaps with binaural beats or a short recorded sound bath!