deadlines, drama, and downward dog

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By: Kelsey Zeidner
Kelsey Zeidner is a freelance writer and avid yoga and meditation practicer.  Kelsey writes about all the great topics in life (e.g. health, fitness, yoga, beauty, food, events, people, ...

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drop and do yoga

It’s happening again. That familiar feeling makes itself known as your heart starts to beat a little faster than usual, and that healthy, organic lunch you had feels like a boulder in your stomach.

The overwhelming amount of work piling higher and higher on your desk is just too much to handle. If only you knew that a few deep breaths or gentle stretches could calm your nerves. Nevertheless, there’s plenty to do, so you edgily get back to work and try to swallow your stress.

In these times of ten hour workdays and little to no “me time”, working adults are feeling the pressure pushing down on them and are trying, with only slight success, to push back. If only there was a way to ease their minds while revitalizing their bodies. Oh wait, there is, and it’s been around for thousands of years. You know, when humans hunted for their food? Adding yoga techniques to our working day is the simple solution to the complex problems of the daily rat race. Short hatha yoga breaks can help improve concentration, lower blood pressure, and up the happiness factor at any job.

The ideas and practices of being “healthy” are at the forefront of an overwhelming number of news stories and studies being done today, but the public typically fails to realize that health is not just physical. Humans need to be healthy mentally as well, and while cardio and strength training will get a body trim and svelte, hatha yoga is what will keep a mind at ease.

It may be hard to believe, but the facts can’t be ignored: hatha yoga and meditation can help lower high heart rates and blood pressures. And who frequently complains of these ailments? Stressed out and overworked employees. Spending just ten minutes a day practicing hatha yoga can provide the mental, emotional, and physical break the working world needs.

Sometimes we all just need a minute to catch out breath. With workers pounding out powerpoint after presentation after pricing analysis all day long with no break, going a little crazy is bound to happen. While most do not have the option or funds to take a vacation from work, a mental vacation is a more cost effective and work-friendly way to ease the pressure. Studies suggest that for every hour of sitting, there should be ten minutes of movement. Hatha Yoga and meditation can help get employees back to work refreshed and ready to power through.

There was recently an article released regarding higher amounts of young people having heart problems. The main reason was stress, and for a young person trying to find a job, start a job, or keep a job, the stressors are numerous. Despite the fact that a problem with your heart is more serious than a cold, both can keep you out of work. Less stress equals less sick days, and less sick days equals more work getting done. The amount of sick days and ailments an employee has can be detrimental to not only their well-being but to the company as a whole.

While the benefits of yoga breaks at work run far and wide, many business owners have yet to take notice. Especially if a company offers paid sick leave, the yoga break could be an inexpensive way to save money and ensure that the work that needs to be done is, in fact, getting done. For office workers that understand the benefits of yoga and meditation but can’t find a way to implement it in their 9-5, below are some tips to get started:

1. Breathe deep:

Sit up straight and take deep breaths (about three seconds in, six seconds out) for about three to five minutes. Take notice of your slowing heart rate and anxiety reduction.

2. Seated yoga:

Sit up straight in your chair and place feet flat on the floor. Hold your arms out and clasp hands together, turning your palms outward. Raise your clasped hands over your head and stretch up towards the ceiling. Hold this pose until your body feels less tense.

3. Full out hatha yoga:

If it wont get you fired, see if there is an empty room you can occupy for several minutes and do some hatha yoga poses and stretches.

Coworkers might be taken aback at first, but they’ll be crow posing all over the place once they see how well adjusted you’ve become.

Read next >> 10 tips to strengthen your yoga practice