Yoga at Work

Yoga is a great way to create a positive attitude and energy in all aspects of life, including at work! Most of us spend a lot of our time at work and the majority of that time we experience stress, good and bad. Depending on what your job is, there will be varying degrees of physical and mental fatigue.

What to look out for:

Tight jaw, clenching teeth
Feelings of holding breath
Edgy, short responses
Negative attitude
Bringing negative energy back home (very important to notice!)

The impact of not making changes now will affect your future. Overtime, too much time spent in "fight or flight" mode will begin to fry your nervous system. You may experience insomnia, weight loss/gain, unhealthy appetite patterns, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, emotional breakdown, not being present or happy with your family, etc..... It becomes harder to create the shift to "rest and digest". The less we make the conscious decision to make a change in the present moment, you will never be able to re-program detrimental patterns.

What are some benefits of doing yoga at work?

Happier attitude = increased productivity
Possible "domino effect" to others
Being able to shut off when its time to go home
Feeling peaceful and content in your whole life

Here is an example of a practice to do at work:

(rule of thumb is every 2 hours - get up for 2 minutes - exercise consisting of stretches, breathing, positive affirmations at your desk if necessary)

Stand up! Breathe in - raise your arms over head. Breathe out - lift your chin and bend your elbows to kidneys to open your chest and heart. Do at least 5 x
Neck rolls/stretch
Wrist rolls/stretch
With your arms by your side, begin to twist side to side. Your arms will swing around your body in a carefree way. You may be able to tap the back on the kidney with opposite hand.
Dynamic chair: Inhale - reach arms over head. Exhale - bend knees and sink into chair pose. When your sitting bones get to knee level, drape your head down over the legs and relax your arms. Inhale - rise up, reaching up to sky, standing up. Exhale - arms to your side. Do this 5 x
Breathe: Inhale 5 counts, Exhale 6 counts. Repeat 5 x
Say to yourself: "I am at peace. I am at ease."
3 slow breaths to return back to your day