What does it mean to practice yoga? If you were thinking yoga pants and long days at the studio sweating in a room with other people, this article might surprise you after all. You see, there’s no need to feel like you have to go “all out” just to enjoy the benefits of yoga. For instance, did you know that you can practice at work?
This awesome infographic from Furniture at Work breaks down some awesome yoga poses to try out. Which one is our favorite? Well, the Chair Spinal Twist tends to keep things nice and loose even when we’re sitting in front of a mountain of paperwork…
But let’s get a little deep on the topic, shall we? Yoga is powerful, and there are some things that we can do to make it even more effective.
1. Repetition and Routine
Don’t wait for a sore back to start looking into yoga poses you can do at work. Take time on your breaks to fully get up, stretch, and even practice a bit of mindfulness. There’s nothing wrong with being grateful for everything that you have. Multiple studies have shown that the more that we appreciate what we already have rather than constantly chasing better things, we tend to have a better outlook overall. We are certainly a world that has plenty of “stuff”, so why not focus on improving our minds now?
We like to set a timer in the office to all get up and do different stretches and yoga moves, because we can’t trust ourselves to automatically take the break. You might be the same way, so don’t feel guilty about taking that time at all.
2. Safety
It goes without saying that if you don’t want to end up with other injuries, you’re going to have to take yoga poses seriously. While they might not feel like much, it’s still easy to end up hurting yourself without really thinking about it. The rule of thumb that we’ve always used around our office is simple: if it starts to hurt, it’s time to stop. Sure, there are times where you’ll be deeper into yoga and want to challenge yourself. However, starting out is a time to learn your body and how it moves rather than trying all of the super challenging positions. You may feel some soreness at the beginning, but it will even out later.
3. Have Fun
When we mention office yoga, a lot of people feel like they’d be too embarrassed to even try it out. Don’t be nervous about “working out”. After all, who would criticize you when you’re trying to take control of your health? Don’t worry too much about that — get out there and have a good time!
Overall, look at the infographic above and see if you can find a yoga pose to start with. You’ll find that while it might feel slow at the beginning, there will come a point where the moves will start becoming automatic in your mind. Enjoy!