How yoga improves morale in the workplace

The work day can be very stressful. From working long hours to having to deal with personal issues, a lot of stress can build up even when you’re at work for just a few hours.

From a company perspective, having stressed and unhappy employees won’t be as productive at work. When employees aren’t productive at work, the company doesn’t get what needs to be done and ultimately won’t make the most profit possible. From an employees perspective, being stressed will put a strain on your mental health throughout the day. Your boss will be able to recognize that you are not in a good mood; which could lead to a problem between you and your boss.

One of the ways to combat stress in your life is through yoga. Yoga is a great way to relax, regain your composure, and ease the pain of any previous experiences in your day. The great part about yoga is that there are many different levels, from beginner to advanced. Yoga for beginners is the approach to improve morale and reduce stress during the workday. A basic yoga session doesn’t have to take a long time. In just 20-30 minutes you can perform all the yoga poses, stretching and meditation you need to be more relaxed and stress free for the rest of your workday.

The beginning of a basic yoga session would start with some stretching and breathing. You would sit on your yoga mat, with your feet straight out in front of you and slowly reach for your toes. Breathing is the key component in this. Even if you are not flexible, you want to breathe during the stretch. Inhale very slowly counting one, two, three, four and exhale slowly counting one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. You want to do this stretch and breathe for about 45 seconds. Your breathing is what relaxes you, keeps you calm and ensures that you are going at a slow and relaxed pace. You want to focus on that breathing pattern during each exercise.

The next part of the yoga session is the basic postures. An excellent opening is child’s pose. In this pose, you should sit on your knees on the mat, then extend your arms out in front of you as far as possible. Place your palms on the floor, make sure your knees remain on the mat and your back is straight. This pose stretches the back, a place where a lot of stress and anxiety accumulate. This pose should be done for about 2-3 minutes. Another great starting yoga pose is downward dog and upward dog. These two poses stretch the hips and lower back. These should be done for about a minute each while you slowly breathe in and out.

The final pose of a typical yoga session is the corpse pose. Corpse Pose is done by lying on your back, with your hands on either side of you lying down. This pose is to totally relax the whole body and mind. You want to clear your mind of any stress or anxiety you may have previously had. The goal is to think about nothing at all. This pose is unique because not many people think about anything in their day. This should be done for 5-7 minutes, or longer if you like.

Taking a break from the workday is crucial. I recommend after lunch as a good time to do a 20 minute yoga session. Yoga will relax you and make you less stressed and feel better about yourself and your day. Encourage management at your work to get involved as well. Management will want higher morale and better productivity. It is a win-win situation for both parties.