Physical inactivity, mental fatigue, poor posture, and frequent or persistent headaches. If you work at a desk all day– especially if you spend hours using a computer–these physical symptoms might be very familiar to you. And you have probably already heard that yoga may help relieve all of them.
But what about mental effects of working in an office? Corporate environments tend to be both stressful and socially isolating. (Be honest: how many times do you e-mail your boss rather than talking to her in person?) This type of work is also repetitive in nature, which may dampen your creativity, reduce your ability to concentrate, and wear down your mental sharpness over time.
Fortunately, yoga can also help you manage your mental health.
By practicing asana and meditation, you learn to harness your innate inner strength and gain self-discipline. You discover how to become present, calm, and focused, and how to remain that way even when confronted with obstacles. These skills follow you off the mat and into your daily life, including the time you spend at work.
For example, the steady, even breathing you perform in class can also help you reduce anxiety before an important meeting. The concentration developed by practicing balancing postures, such as eagle pose or tree pose, also teaches you to ignore outside distractions and remained focused on your tasks.
Additionally, yoga is a highly creative practice. It encourages you to go beyond your limits and take on new challenges without the fear of failure. Over time, this leads to a more positive, can-do outlook, which leads to greater productivity and self-management. Yoga can even help you become more self-reliant and self-motivated, which makes you more independent and a better problem solver.
Finally, yoga gives you discipline over your thoughts and attitude. Knowing that you can choose to remain positive makes you better able to manage your stress and less susceptible to it in the future. Yoga can’t reform your demanding boss or problematic coworker, but it can make it easier for you to interact with difficult people without being affected by their behavior.
Radiance yoga offers classes at lunch time, in the evenings, and all weekend long. There’s a class that fits into even the busiest schedule! Call or drop by the studio today and come get your Om on with one of our talented teachers and a group of fellow yogis and yoginis. Leave the briefcase in the car, and we’ll see you on the mat!
