It has been a stressful year as it is, at least ever since March. While a majority of workplaces eventually began to go back to their offices thus ending the ‘work from home’ lifestyle for many, everyone is back to their ‘routine’.
During the early months of the pandemic and during lockdown, a lot of social media users were talking about how COVID-19 is going to change everyone’s values and priorities, and while that may have been true for sometime, it seems like a lot have gone back to their normal stressful, work environment. Meanwhile, a lot are struggling to find a job to go back to having lost their original pre-quarantine lifestyle. In short, life has been a rollercoaster and if there is anything that can cure that, even at least momentarily, it’s yoga.
Yoga: Before or After Work?
Regardless of your routine, doing yoga in the morning before kick starting your day or doing it after a long day can make all the difference. Having work commitments or any type of commitments within the day can be a hindrance, and finding 30 minutes of peace is actually challenging in the world we live in.
“There are plenty of benefits regarding yoga, but doing it in the morning, right before work, is almost essential. Just like your morning cup of coffee, yoga can help make you more aware and alert, and obviously stretching your muscles helps prevent injury…Plus, if you’re a tosser and a turner, realigning everything with some morning yoga will help prevent muscle strain, and improve flexibility and posture,” writes Bustle.
It has been said time and time again by Instagram famous yogi’s and various well-established health websites that yoga helps in all-round fitness, stress relief, immunity, energy, inner peace, weight loss, posture and flexibility, self awareness, mental health, intuition and a lot more, as per The Art of Living.
Doing yoga specifically before work helps set the rest of your day. For a start, a morning yoga workout will help you manage your stress for the rest of the day. Generally, when the alarm wakes us up in the morning, our mind begins to race with endless tasks on our mental to do list. Those 30 minutes of morning yoga will be your mental cleanse that’ll help you think clearly and calmly in the face of most tasks.
On top of that, yoga will give you this sense of strength and confidence. Depending on the type of yoga you do, there are all kinds of poses that’ll somehow make you feel like you are on top of the world. Following a yoga-dedicated YouTube channel or downloading a specialized app will help you get started in learning all the tips and tricks. All you really need is a mat and comfortable space in your house.
It goes without saying that all these poses and different yoga workouts will force you into having much better posture at work, at home, and really whenever you’re sitting, standing or sleeping too.
“A morning yoga session will help you realign yourself, and learn how to naturally improve your slouch. The Mountain Pose, The Tree Pose, and the Downward Facing Dog are three excellent poses that are easy to learn, and useful to help fix the issue. It’s also an excellent solution if you suffer from lower back pain,” wrote Bustle.
Is Your Team Cool Enough To Do Yoga At Work?
More and more employers are realizing how important the health of the team is, for both company performance and for the employees’ personal life. Especially after COVID-19, we are witnessing major shifts in work life with employers opting to allow work from home, excessively flexible schedules, and more meaningful working hours, including yoga in the office is actually a possibility.
Photo from Trend Hunter
“Leading successful companies like Apple, Google, and Forbes have introduced Yoga into their corporate wellness programs and have reaped benefits like improved productivity and increased employee motivation,” according to The Locomotive Co., a workplace wellness platform.
We aren’t telling people to push their office desks out the window, replace them with yoga mats, and refuse to attend another meeting unless it includes a meditation session (or are we?). Regardless, a little bit of yoga is actually good for business.
Aside from the already obvious benefits of yoga, yoga during the workday at work will cause a positive interruption where employees can just relax for a little. Sitting at a desk from 9 to 5 is simply unhealthy. Odds are you are slouching and staring at a computer screen too.
Taking a yoga break (even if it’s 10 minutes) in the middle of the day, and with the team, can really help in increasing the energy in the room, improve everyone’s concentration and best of all, this is a team bonding activity. Sometimes, your body needs a little bit of stretching and breathing exercises to get you through the day. “Yoga, meditation and breathing exercises are a great way to effectively silence the noise and free the mind of clutter that is hindering productivity,” writes The Locomotive Co.
Photo From Yoga Journal
“It is proven that doing any form of physical activity every 30 minutes, including stretching or even standing up, greatly increases blood circulation and promotes oxygenation which is crucial for energy production,” they added.
All in all, any kind of light stretching or 5 to 10 minutes of relaxing music, deep breathing is definitely going to help boost the entire team’s mood. And let’s be honest, every work environment needs some peace and calmness to keep going. Next time you’re heading to work, pack your yoga mat with your coffee. Make it part of this ‘new normal’ that the entire world keeps talking about.
