The Benefits of Yoga for Businesses & Professionals

Yoga has long been regarded as one of the best forms of relaxation, and many more people are realizing the benefits of regular yoga sessions to reduce stress levels in their lives.

Some businesses have even included yoga as a benefit to their employees, as they have seen increased productivity and more contentment within the workforce as a result. Many employers have become aware of the fact that in addition to reducing stress, regular practice of yoga can also improve the healthy of their employees, and reduce sick time.

Yoga stretch. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Overall, it can be a good business decision to encourage yoga in the workplace, as it pays dividends in the long term.

Yoga has increased in popularity as well among business professionals who lead a fast-paced and stressful life, as many have found that regular sessions of yoga help to reduce their stress considerably, and make them more productive.

Yoga is also a very convenient form of exercise and relaxation as it can be performed almost anywhere without the need for special equipment.

A suitable chair in a carpeted office offers a business person may need to improve their health and mind at any time during the day when the opportunity arises.There are few forms of exercise and relaxation that offer such convenient benefits.

Yoga can also help to relieve the aches and pains that can accompany hours of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

Neck and back pain are common with office workers, as well factory workers who perform repetitive work throughout the day, and research has found that short breaks during the day where basic yoga exercises are performed, can relieve pain, reduce fatigue and increase safety in the workplace due to the improvements in these areas.

Yoga is beneficial to people of all ages and all levels of fitness. Even people who have never exercised before are able to start yoga and see results very quickly. It's a great way to help you stay healthy and fit, no matter where you work.

Video: Yoga Exercises for Computer Users

This short video demonstrates an excellent, simple but effective yoga stretch series you can do right at your desk. This will really loosen up your back, neck, and shoulders if you've been sitting at your computer all day. It can be done at home or at work, and it will take less than 4 minutes.

Do this daily for relief from stress and stiffness, and you'll find you have more energy, more flexibility, better posture, and less pain.

Yoga for Computer Users
Long hours at the computer can result in a stiff and/or painful neck, shoulders, and back, as well as tight hips and legs. Take a break from your computer ev...


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Yoga for Computer Users: Relieving Low Back Pain

Suffering with an episode of back pain this week (my last one was 6 months ago, and not that severe, so I've definitely been improving over the past few years!) I was reminded of how miserable it can make people. The default solution for back pain from the conventional medical industry is pain pills or surgery. However, twenty percent of all those who undergo surgery for lower back pain will get no relief. The remaining 80 percent will have continued problems ranging from mild to severe. All will have trouble with spinal flexion.

The lumbar region is most affected by sitting. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For some (like me) regular practice of yoga may help. Yoga does not offer cures. It simply promises that if you faithfully practice these asanas every day, there will be reduced episodes of pain and you will build up a strong and supple spine, restructuring posture and body image.

Once you have back problems you must remain conscious all through the day of how you stand, sit and lie down. Here are a few general guidelines:

• Always sleep on a firm (not necessarily hard) bed, with a flat pillow under your head and a thicker one under your knees. This will help the spine to reposition and adjust itself.

• Do not wear high heels as this promotes lumbar lordosis and throws the spine out of balance.

• When experiencing pain (even mildly) do not go in for break-dancing, strenuous aerobics, jogging, running or anything where you need to bounce or jiggle. Guarded activity is the key here.

For lower back pain, sitting is the most painful - and I can certainly attest to this. Sit on a firm seat, not squashy cushions, and sit on your buttock bones. Do not loll back on the tailbone or lower spine. Wedge a rolled towel or small cushion behind your back to keep you upright. Sit as often as possible in The Diamond Posture (instructions below)* in order to benefit the sciatic nerve and to cure a convex or a lateral curvature of the spine.

You may wish to consult a chiropractor and see if they can be of help - in some cases of acute pain, a chiropractic adjustment can provide immediate relief.

When the pain is acute and you can neither sit nor stand in comfort, rest in bed, apply ice packs to the area regularly, take whatever anti-inflammatory or analgesic medications your physician prescribes, and wait until the pain is milder before attempting any yoga postures.

Diamond Pose - Vajrasana (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These yoga asanas have healing and curative properties. They will act as a form of mild traction, gently stretching the spinal muscles in safe extension postures. Strength will be gradually built up in the paraspinal muscles and buttocks, abdominal organs will be toned and strengthened, and pressure points all along the spine will be stimulated.

* The Diamond Posture (Vajrasana)
Kneel on a thick carpet or blanket with your knees close together. Sit back on your heels and stretch up from your hips, balancing your head well so that a line drawn  through ear, shoulder, elbow and hip would be straight. You should sit often in this posture for greatest benefits.

Locust Pose (Salabhasana) A (Photo credit: dejahthoris)

The Locust (Salabhasana)
Most yoga students are familiar with this posture. Lie flat, face down, chin on floor. Make your hands into fists and push them either under your thighs to help the lift, or place them alongside your body. Exhale and lift legs from your hips, tightening your  buttocks and stretching your legs up and back. Hold position for as long as possible, exhale, return to starting posture and repeat.

Cobra Pose - Bhujangasana (Photo credit: myyogaonline)

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
Lie face down, legs stretched back, buttocks tightened and knees pulled back. Place hands just below shoulders, exhale and lift head, then chest, shoulders and torso, pushing down from your pelvis and straightening your arms. From the back of your head to your tailbone, your body should be curved back. Push shoulders back and down. Push head back more. Stay like this as long as possible with normal breathing. Come down very slowly, and relax.

Seated twist (Bharadvajasana) (Photo credit: yogamama.co.uk)

The Twist (Bhardwajasana)
Kneel on the floor and sit back, bringing both feet to the right of your hips. Straighten your right arm, bring it across your body and turn to the left. Place your hand, palm down under your left knee. Exhale, turn your body more to the left and  clasp your right elbow with your left hand, from the back. Turn your head and gaze over your right shoulder. Fold position for a few breaths and then twist and look back over your left shoulder. Shoulders should be at right angles to the body. Come back to starting position and repeat on other side.  You should do this posture once every hour if you have lower back pain.

Check back later this week for some more yoga postures that can be of great benefit to frequent computer users, and others who spend much of their day sitting.

Video - Toning Exercises At Your Desk

While doing a few quick stretch and tone exercises at your desk won't replace your need to work out, you can help increase blood flow, improve flexibility and relieve stiffness, and prevent sitting-related pain by doing just some simple exercises such as these daily. She also gives a few other tips for getting in a bit of exercise throughout the workday when away from your desk as well. Give these a try, and you'll feel better and have more energy at the end of the day.

Office Workout Routine
Get a workout at work with our office fitness routine! Find more fitness videos at diet.com or own this video for less than a buck! Join Sarah from Diet.com as she demonstrates some easy exercise moves you can do while at the office. Learn how to ton...


Exercise Resources For The Office: 
   

Video - 10 Minute Office Yoga Workout

If you have a desk job, you know how stiff and achy your body can be after sitting all day. Here is a quick and easy yoga workout that can be done right in your office on your lunch break, in under 10 minutes. (Caution: Some of these moves may be hard on your lower back. Be sure to consult with your healthcare practitioner before beginning any new exercise routine, and use common sense - if a stretch or exercise hurts, don't do it!)

Use this quick and easy workout to strengthen, stretch and lengthen your muscles, prevent neck and back strain, and energize yourself during your work day.

Energizing Office Yoga - Inside Yoga Today Ep. 10
Oxygenate your blood, clear your mind, and stretch & tone your muscles with this energizing office workout with Neesha Zollinger. Its quick and can be done at your desk, in business attire.


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Ten Minute "Office Yoga" Tip

Whether you might be staying home with a new baby or working too many hours at the office, anytime is a good time for yoga. You can do yoga stretches and postures in bed, or even while driving to work!

Hundreds of fitness seekers use their lunch hour to squeeze in exercise and take off extra pounds.

Image via Wikipedia"I occasionally use my lunch hour for Yoga," said Jonie Ray White, 35, who works at the Arkansas attorney general's office. Downward facing dog and sun salutation are two of the postures she practices every day. Practicing yoga in the middle of day is the break that she needs to face the afternoon, said Ray.

Lunch-hour fitness routines become more popular in warm weather. Here are a couple you can try:

Kick Back Log-on Pose
 While seated, interlace your fingers behind your head. Relax your elbows and shoulders. Smile, breathe and stretch your elbows back. Let the tightness release slowly.

E-mail Meditation
While reading your e-mail, remember to breathe slowly and focus your attention on your breath. Make the out-breath two times longer than the in-breath. This will immediately calm you.

Photocopier Stretch
Place your hands on the edge of the copier. Stand back with feet apart. Drop your head and chest. Breathe and relax your shoulders.

Close-the-Deal Warrior Pose
Raise your arms to the sides with fingers pointed. Take a big step to the side, with your right foot out and knee bent, your left foot planted, left leg straight. Keep the upper body straight and strong, shoulders relaxed. Relax into the stretch -- don't hold your breath. Return to a standing position, switch sides and repeat.

For more fun yoga workouts, visit http://www.newholisticliving.com/exercise.html, or check out some of the resources below.

Good Office Yoga Resources: