Our Favorite Ways to Practice Yoga During the Workday
With September being National Yoga Month, we thought we’d tack on to our post about the 5 Ways to a Healthier Workday with some yoga-specific tips for bringing this healthy practice in to your work week.
Not only can incorporating yoga in to your overall fitness routine help calm anxiety, reduce stress, and increase mental clarity and mindfulness, but bringing yoga in to your work environment can also bring great benefits to your team.
Read on for some of our favorite ways to practice yoga during the workday:
Desk Yoga
You already know that sitting for prolonged periods of time is harmful for your health, but even if you’re good about getting up to stand and walk around every 20 minutes (like you should), your desk can still be hurting your health.
That’s right, not only do we have to worry about too much sitting, but the way we sit is also important because poor posture can mean major health concerns related to neck, shoulder, and back pain/stiffness.
One thing that does help with keeping proper posture as well as keeping your muscles nice and loose is performing yoga right at your desk. The best part is you don’t need any equipment and it’ll leave you feeling better immediately.
Here are some of our favorite desk yoga routines that are perfect for fitting in before a meeting or whenever you just need a five minute break:
5 Office Yoga Poses (That Won’t Freak Out Your Coworkers)
Office Workout: 6 Yoga Poses to do at your Desk
Lunchtime Yoga
If you try out some desk moves and discover this whole “yoga during work” thing is really for you, check out gyms and studios close to your workplace to see if they offer 45-minute lunch-time yoga classes. There’s honestly no better way to break up a workday than with some time to relax, but you’ll also be getting a great workout that’s good for your mind and body.
Or if you’re not really looking to leave work or change clothes, pull up Youtube on your computer and find a 15 – 20 minute yoga sequence you can do before grabbing a bite to eat. Also, YogaWorks offers online classes at a variety of skill levels and class lengths for a small monthly fee that you can access anytime (ideal for the lunchtime yogi).
Kick Off Meetings With Yoga
Of course, we realize not everyone may be able to integrate yoga in to their work day in the ways mentioned above (for example, nurses and technicians who may not have their own office), but almost every workplace holds team meetings every now and then.
So, next time there’s a meeting on the calendar, suggest that the person leading the meeting (or if it’s you, just go for it) start off with some gentle yoga poses and stretches that will get everyone feeling zen before diving in to the agenda. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of poses to choose from that don’t involve getting on the floor.
And it may sound cheesy, but if you frame this meeting warm-up as a way for everyone to just take a breather for a couple minutes and get in the right head space, we guarantee your meeting will have a great energy that follows.
Have a Yoga Team Building Session
Finally, if you find that your team really responds well to kicking off meetings with a few minutes of yoga, take it to the next level by inviting them to take a full yoga class as a recreational break.
You don’t have to have a meeting afterwards, it can simply be a team-building session that you hold in your office once a month or so to show that you value your team’s mindfulness and wellbeing. If it sounds weird, it’s not, there are lots of yoga instructors out there who specifically do these type of corporate/team-building classes where they’ll come to your workplace to hold a class, it’s pretty cool!
So what do you think? Would you try incorporating a little yoga in to your workday to improve your health and wellness? Let us know how it goes!
