How To Use Meditation Before Studying
We’ve heard that meditation before studying improves concentration, helps you to remember facts, and can help to improve exam results. And all of that is one hundred percent true. Scientific research shows that there are many benefits of meditation for students.
If you find it hard to focus when studying, if your concentration is not 100%, or if you’re worried about exams, you should consider using meditation before studying. This will help whether you’re studying for a degree, mid-terms, certification, further education, or any other type of learning.
Let’s take a look at the benefits of using meditation for studying. Then we’ll show you how to meditate before studying for your exams.
There are many different benefits of meditation for studying. They include:
- Improves focus and concentration
- Reduces exam-stress
- Makes it easier to learn new things
- Helps you to relax between study periods
- Makes you more intelligent
- Helps us Tune Out Distractions
Simply put, if you practice meditation, studying will be easier, more enjoyable, and much more effective. And you will improve your exam results too.
Think about it. On any given day you have a million-and-one things running through your mind. You’re thinking about friends, work, dating… you have a ton of thoughts running through your mind. Then you sit down to study. You lack concentration because of everything you’ve got going on in your life. And even though you know you should focus on learning, it’s impossible because of the noise in your mind.
Meditating before studying quietens your mind
Simply put, you need to quiet your mind before you study. Then you will be able to focus.
Research shows that meditation increases alpha brainwaves in the posterior parts of the brain. Therefore, by using meditation for study, you increase alpha brain waves that help you to relax and focus.
Plus, meditation before study empties your mind of all that noise, the thoughts, and the anxieties, so you can concentrate. In essence, it prepares your mind so that you can learn the things you are supposed to be learning.
Meditation reduces mind-wandering
Mind-wandering is one of the primary problems you might have experienced when you’re preparing for exams. Mind-wandering makes it incredibly difficult to learn because it prevents you from focusing on the material, so while you are trying to revise for your history exam, you keep thinking about Tinder instead.
What causes this mind wandering when studying is a lack of working memory (short-term memory that deals with immediate conscious perceptual and linguistic processing.) But research shows that meditating stops your mind from wandering when you’re revising.
There are many ways to meditate before studying. Here is my best meditation script for studying, followed by three more excellent ways to use meditation for studying.
- You can choose to sit on a meditation chair, kneel, or even stand. For most people, we recommend sitting in a comfortable chair. Place your feet shoulder-width apart squarely on the ground. Your knees should be directly above your ankles. Make sure your spine is straight but comfortable. Lightly roll your shoulders back then relax. Gently move your head from side to side then relax. Slightly tuck your chin down to elongate your neck.
- Place your hands in Gyan mudra. To do this, place your hands palms-up on your thighs. Let your fingers extend out gently. Curl your index fingers and thumbs so they touch the pads.
- Close your eyes gently.
- Focus your mind on your breath as it moves between your nostrils. Observe how your breath enters through your nostrils, moves through your mouth, your throat, and into your diaphragm. Hold your breath for two seconds at the end of the inhale. Then exhale and watch your breath move out of your body. Then pause another two seconds. Continue to do this for ten minutes.
- As you do this you will find your mind relaxing and calming. Once you feel this sensation of calmness, meditate on it. It will feel like an open space. Observe the space. You will become incredibly relaxed. Continue for another five minutes.
- If you experience thoughts or feelings simply observe them. Let them come and go as they will.
More types of meditation for studying
1. For concentration when revising or doing homework
Arguably the most crucial reason for meditating when you study is that it improves your focus. You’re not going to learn anything if you can’t focus on what you’re reading.
One of the best ways to concentrate is to practise Zen meditation before studying.
Sit in a quiet room facing an empty wall, look down at a 45-degree angle, and take 108 mindful breaths. This will increase your concentration.
Related article : 6 Amazing Tips for Revising During the Summer ; Amazing Tips to Make Children Do Homework
2. Meditation For Exam Stress
Probably the worst thing about exams is stress. It’s only natural for you to feel a little bit stressed about exams. They have a significant impact on your future.
That said, exam stress is only going to make it harder for you to study. If you feel like you cannot study because you’re stressed about exams, meditation can help.
What you will want to do is to use breathing meditations to reduce amygdala activity and to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, which will help you to relax and focus.
When you start to feel stressed while studying, stop and take 108 breaths through your nose while meditating on the movement of breath around your body. This will help you to relax and refocus.
3. For general intelligence
You know you want to ace your exams. But perhaps you wonder if you are intelligent enough to score in the top percentile of students. Trust us, you are.
You can make yourself more intelligent just by sitting and focusing on your breathing for a few minutes.
Scientific research has revealed that meditation heightens activity in parts of the brain associated with studying and memory (frontoparietal brain regions, including the prefrontal, cingulate, and parietal cortices). So, if you’ve ever wondered if you’re smart enough to ace your exams, meditation will make you more intelligent.
Best Techniques
So, those are the best ways to use meditation for studying. But what are the best meditation techniques for studying? Here are three exercises.
- Mindfulness: Use general mindfulness to cut out distractions and focus on studying.
- Listen to meditation music while studying.
- Anapanasati: Anapanasati (mindfulness of breath) is the best meditation for exam stress. So, when you feel the heat, focus on breathing.
You might also be interested to take a look at our recent blogs for more study guides.
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