We are all aware that working long hours takes a toll on your mental and physical health. Despite that, did you know that an average individual spends nine hours a day working?
Sitting in the same position all day will naturally leave your body stiff, sore, and sluggish.
The accumulating pile of work can make you feel overwhelmed and stressed. The stress exhausts your body and mind.
And your productivity goes downhill.
In this context, the three most commonly discussed topics today are:
- Overrunning work stress.
- Dealing with Corporate anxiety and
- Eliminating burnouts.
But How? Most importantly – how to achieve this without compromising on time or travel?
Let me cut to the chase – the answer to your itching problem is YOGA!
We all know that feeling, “Just one more cup of coffee to pull an all-nighter and make it to the deadline”. But, beware! Caffeine negatively meddles with your sleep cycle and disturbs your sleep.
You might wonder – why compromising on sleep is a big no-no for productivity.
Inadequate sleep affects about 45% of working adults and their work quality. Sleep deficiency also leads to a lack of energy. The decreased productivity and lack of energy results in fewer chances of your next promotion.
Yoga is a great way to increase productivity without relying on short-term stimulants like caffeine and their side effects.
Two, compromising on your sleep hours.
Three, compromising on your work or personal time.
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Reasons why yoga is a better alternative:
- Yoga helps you tackle any problem with ease and improves focus.
- If done right, deep breathing is an instant medication for your stress and anxiety.
- Just 10-minute yoga stretching will help you 5x your productivity at work with higher energy levels.
- Deadly back pain can be reduced completely. Yoga also improves body posture and alignment.
- The meditation and relaxation techniques will allow you to stay undisturbed and complete a day’s work in just a few hours.
Here are a few simple yet effective yoga practices for increased productivity
Bellow Breathing Practice (Bhastrika Pranayama)
Practice Duration:
20 seconds with 2-3 rounds a day.
Why practice bellow breathing?
The bellow breathing practice is a magical formula to energize your body instantly.
When you are tired with zero motivation and a deadline to meet, sit comfortably and practice bellow breathing for a few minutes.
- The bellow breathing practice oxygenates the entire body instantly. Increased oxygenation leads to an instant energy boost and increased productivity.
- It also eliminates laziness, feeling of haziness and tiredness.
- It activates your mind and improves concentration.
How to practice?
- Find a comfortable and well-ventilated place.
- Sit comfortably in any posture. Keep your spine lengthened.
- Now, close your eyes and observe your breath.
- Inhale, and slowly pull your belly inward while raising your hands.
- Make a fist with your palms
- Now, pull your fists down as you exhale forcefully
- Continue the practice 2-3 times.
- Now relax your palms on your thighs.
- Slowly, open your eyes.
The Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)
Practice Duration:
20 seconds with 2-3 rounds a day.
Why practice the tree pose?
It’s easy to get lost in work and mindlessly sit in front of our screens doing tasks without thinking about whether or not they are efficient or precise.
Can you imagine being focused at all times? This would increase our productivity in the workplace by a huge number. That is why we need to practice the tree pose.
The tree pose primarily helps to restore focus and concentration. It also provides strength and stability for the legs.
How to practice?
- Find a comfortable and well-ventilated place.
- Stand with your feet together.
- Now, inhale, place your right foot on your inner left thigh. Bring your feet close to your upper groin.
- Raise your arms over your head and join your palms together.
- Hold and maintain your balance.
- Exhale, slowly release your pose, and breathe well.
- Repeat the same pose on the other side.
- Continue the practice 2-3 times.
The Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
Practice Duration:
30 seconds with 2-3 rounds a day.
Why practice the triangle pose?
Let’s do a small activity:
Stand with your feet together. Bend forward and try to touch your toes without bending your knees. If this is challenging, that is when you know you need this posture to save you!
- The triangle pose eliminates body stiffness.
- It also addresses obesity by toning the muscles around the hips and the abdomen.
- Desk jobs affect our body posture and alignment. The triangle pose lengthens the spine and fixes posture when practiced regularly.
How to practice the pose?
- Find a comfortable and well-ventilated place.
- Now, close your eyes and observe your breath.
- Stand with your legs slightly wider than shoulder-width distance.
- Inhale and raise your right arm.
- Exhale, bend your upper body to the left side and slide your left arm down to hold your left ankle.
- Hold the pose.
- Now, inhale, straighten yourself up and repeat the posture on the other side.
- Continue the practice 2-3 times.
The Plough Pose (Halasana)
Practice Duration:
20 seconds with 2-3 rounds a day.
Why practice?
Stomach disease is one of the most commonly prevalent concerns to be addressed.
The food we eat significantly affects our energy levels and bodily functions. They also contribute to other issues such as indigestion and constipation.
- Practicing the plough pose stimulates our digestive system aiding in better digestion. This allows proper absorption and elimination of indigested food.
- The plough pose stimulates the thyroid glands that regulate metabolism. How is stimulating metabolism linked to productivity? Increased metabolism means boosted energy levels and increased productivity.
- Working eight to nine hours every day causes stiffness and decreases blood circulation. Low blood circulation causes fatigue. The plough pose is partly inverted. Hence, enables reverse blood flow promoting better body functioning and rejuvenation.
How to practice?
- Find a comfortable and well-ventilated place.
- Lie down on your mat comfortably.
- Bring your feet together.
- Lift your legs and your hips while supporting your hips with your palms.
- Clench your glutes, and keep your knees straight.
- Now, try to place your feet on the mat behind your head.
- Hold your pose and breathe comfortably.
- Now, supporting your hips, slowly bring your legs up and exhale, gently release your legs, and roll back on the mat.
- Lie down comfortably and observe your breath.
- Continue the practice 2-3 times.
The Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)
Practice Duration:
20 seconds with 2-3 rounds a day.
Why practice the pose?
Desk jobs for long hours lead to chronic pain, headaches, restlessness, and stress. The bridge pose is a boon for stiffness caused by prolonged sitting.
- The pose engages your spine, legs, hips, and neck. It rejuvenates tired legs, strengthens your knees, and stretches the hips and neck.
- It’s most significant effect is on the spine and back muscles. The pose stretches all the back muscles improving flexibility and mobility in the spine. A healthy spine reduces back pain and corrects posture.
- The bridge pose stimulates the endocrine system. The endocrine system is mainly responsible for hormone release and mood changes. Hence, a stimulated endocrine system can sponsor a good mood. A good mood favors’ a stable mind and improved information processing.
How to practice the pose?
- Find a comfortable and well-ventilated place.
- Lie down on the mat comfortably.
- Bend your legs bringing them close to your glutes.
- Keep your feet apart (almost parallel to your hips).
- Now, slowly inhale, support your hips with your palms, and lift your hips and chest up.
- Try to get your chest to touch your chin.
- Hold your pose and breathe comfortably.
- Now, slowly, exhale and release your pose to lie down on your mat.
- Continue the practice 2-3 times.
The Corpse Pose (Shavasana)
Practice Duration:
40 seconds to 1 minute.
Why practice The Corpse Pose?
The nervous system is the commander system of the body.
It communicates processes such as digestion, immunity building, and breathing in the body.
Under a lot of pressure and stress, the nervous system gets overstimulated, affecting your bodily functions.
Overstimulation also develops the sense of being overwrought and exhausted. Exhaustion ultimately leads to a decline in your work efficiency.
The corpse pose is best known for it’s nature of calming the nerves. This is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to rejuvenate your body and calm your mind. A rejuvenated system results in more energy and productivity.
How to practice?
- Find a comfortable and well-ventilated place.
- Lie down on your back comfortably.
- Make sure to keep your body loose and stay away from electronic gadgets.
- Keep your feet slightly wide, palms facing the ceiling, and your neck relaxed on the mat.
- Stay in this posture and try to bring your focus to every part of your body. Become aware of your body and mind.
- Take a few moments to observe your breath.
- When you are comfortable, slowly sit up.
- Now, slowly open your eyes.
Cautions:
- Do not practice these yoga poses if you suffer from injuries, surgeries, or breathing problems.
- Avoid practicing yoga immediately after meals. Give it a minimum of forty minutes before starting your practice.
The benefits of yoga might sound amazing, but we know it can be hard to believe something so good could be true.
That’s why we want you to try it for yourself!
You can do these poses in the morning, during work hours, or before bed. They can be done as individual poses or as part of a flow.
And the best part is that you don’t need to go to a yoga studio or have a lot of experience to get started. All you need is a yoga mat and some comfortable clothing.
Now is the time to begin your journey with yoga and yogifi.