26 Mar Why You Need To Yoga When Working From Home
The importance of yoga is growing over recent years. Our lives are super busy both in and out of the office. We can’t seem to keep up. We are stressed out 24/7 and burn out is reached more frequently than ever before. While you can’t eliminate stress, yoga can prevent some of its causes or, at least, provide you with a healthy way to cope with them. Here are some of the reasons why every office worker could use some yoga in their daily routine.
In theory, organisational psychologist Kathryn Page informs how well-managed stress is incredibly helpful if you need motivation. However, she also notes that most of the stressors Australians experience today are more than what the average employee can handle, from excessive workload to office conflicts. Eventually, the stress piles up, leading to problems such as sleep deprivation, irregular eating habits, and even difficulty in connecting with other people.
Here are five reasons how a yoga routine can help every office worker to cope better with stress.
1, Increases energy.
If you start the day low on energy, chances are you’ll get stressed more quickly, or even drive yourself to early burnout. Yoga makes an excellent dynamic morning routine to help jumpstart your day. You don’t always need a dedicated yoga teacher or a trip to the studio either, as you can practice a virtual yoga class in the comfort of your home. Some of the suggested poses might include Sun Salutations and low lunges, which are known to pump blood and boost energy levels. Power Living’s online yoga studio, yogaholics, has created a desk yoga sequence that you can do at your desk. We link to it further below.
2, Clears the mind.
Sometimes, much of our stress comes from overthinking a problem or dealing with several things at once. A brief yoga session can help you clear your mind so that you’re able to focus on each task individually. A big part of yoga is knowing how to breathe properly, which is a huge help for emptying the mind whenever you feel overwhelmed. Some breathing exercises you can do between tasks include the Ujiayi Breath (victorious breath) or Kumbhaka Pranayama (breath retention).
3, Alleviates body pain.
Sitting in front of a computer all day takes a toll on more than just your eyes. It can also lead to lower back pain, stiff neck, and other physical pains, which adds to the office stress. Luckily, regular yoga practice can help offset most of the aches and even strengthen your muscles and bones enough to prevent them from happening as frequently. Pain-Free Working details a couple of stretches you can do to alleviate minor back pain, including gentle forward folds to release the spine and a few alternating cat and cows. Make sure to perform them on flat surfaces and not on your bed, if you are at home, to get the most out of the exercise. For minor neck pain, try Bharadvaja’s Twist (seated twist with bind) or everyone’s favourite, child’s pose, which should be enough to get you through most of the kinks.
4, Detoxifies your body.
Being trapped in an air-conditioned space all day gives you little chances to sweat, which Thrive Global informs is how your body usually eliminates its toxins. While gentle yoga is not very likely to make you sweat (unless you are in a heated room), yoga does aid in the detox process in other ways. Twisting poses such as the seated twist and Noose Pose help stimulate blood circulation, which also keeps your organs functioning healthily. Poses like the revolved half-moon compresses your liver, helping it squeeze out the toxins and force them into the body’s disposal system.
5, Improves your mood.
All the feelings in your body are a result of biochemical reactions, believe it or not, and yoga can help by triggering the release of some of these good chemicals to help improve your mood. Specifically, yoga helps produce oxytocin, which is also known as the “love hormone”. They flood your body with feelings of happiness, thus balancing out the stress hormones being produced at the same time.
All in all, yoga’s benefits outweigh your lack of motivation to roll out your mat. Even a few minutes of deep conscious breath or a gentle yoga flow can change your mood from stressed out to calm and energies. It also lifts your mood. Most importantly, nobody is too old or too busy for exercise, and no other physical activity drives that point more than yoga. Whether you’re at home or in the office, in your mid-20s or late 50s — yoga will make sure that your mind and body are always in optimal condition. All you need is the motivation to do it. You will not regret it, ever.
Start your yoga journey with us now.
There hasn’t been a better time than now to start your yoga journey. And no, you don’t need to be able to touch your toes for it. You have a body; then you can practice yoga. Simple as that. But don’t worry, we won’t leave you hanging here, trying to figure it out on your own. How about you have access to Australia’s best yoga teachers and all just a click away? Head over to Power Living and join one of the many daily live stream classes. Or join their online yoga studio, yogaholics. There you have 24/7 access to hundreds of different yoga classes and guided meditations. Start your free 10- day here.
As promised here is your guided desk stretch. Let Shauna guide you through ten-minutes of desk stretches to break up your day working away. You won’t even have to leave your chair. You will feel like a new super stretched human afterwards. Supercharged and even more productive than before. You are welcome.
Let’s start your yoga journey with us now!
Exclusively written for Power Living by Meghan Dodd