work in balance stress at work yoga tips for a better business

Work in balance - Yoga tips for a better Business

a collection of practical corporate yoga tips you can use anytime

Devised by yoga teacher, management consultant and life coach Phil Aston

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1. Title: Breathe, relax and Re-focus

2. Title: Boosting The Creative Highway

yoga tips for business from yoga at work

As we go through our busy routines juggling tasks we like and maybe putting off ones we don't, we put tremendous strain on our mental and physical systems. The following exercise can be done at anytime and takes no more than 2 minutes. In fact the more you do this, the more the benefits will manifest in your day to day life.

1. Sit upright with the crown of the head uppermost. Close your eyes or keep them open. Relax your jaw.
(You may also practise this exercise in any position, depending on the circumstance.)
2. Become aware of your breathing and inhale gently through your nose. Try and do this as slowly, smoothly and deeply as you possibly can, without straining.

3. Breathe out, exhaling through your nose and count mentally the number one.
(make the outbreath gentle, slow and complete. Your focus should be on your abdomen, near your navel.
4. Inhale again, and this time as you breathe out count mentally the number two. Repeat this cycle until you have reached the number 4

If you lose your count start again, if you go beyond 4 start again. You should aim to repeat the exercise 3 times,
You can if you wish say mentally the word 'and' as you breathe in. Try and let the numbers fit in with your breathing, you may find your breathing and heart rate starts to slow down quite quickly.

Three rounds of this exercise takes no more than two minutes
Benefits: The benefits of this exercise are to increase concentration, improve mental balance for better decision making and relax the nervous system. Following your breathing in this way will very quickly slow down you heart rate and make you feel more calm.

Most importantly this exercise gives you important feedback to how focused and centred you are for whatever tasks are ahead of you. You may wish to practice this before entering a situation that requires a specific decision or could be stressful.

Basically if you cannot do one round of this exercise without losing count or your mind drifting elsewhere you are not ready to effectively tackle what is ahead of you.

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2. Title: Boosting The Creative Highway
The following exercise works on relieving tension in the neck. The neck is the super highway of the nervous system, tension in this area can cause headaches, stiff shoulders and blocked creativity.

We have all been in situations where in order to meet a deadline we pour our energy into writing that paper in one conscious flow. However, the reality is we are disrupted by phone calls, emails, people arriving at our desks and as a result of these interruptions, tension rises and we find our creative output declines. Once discomfort on any kind begins to set in, our body and mind will try to get our attention, whether that's the urge to fidget, loss of concentration or the onset of a headache.

Either following an interruption or at a point where you feel your thoughts are stagnating, stop your present activity and be aware of your posture, sit with the crown of your head uppermost and become aware of your breathing. Your feet should be flat on the floor with the palms of your hands on your thighs.

1. Keeping your eyes open, drop your right ear down towards your right shoulder on an out breath. Breathe in as you bring your head back to centre and repeat on the other side.

Tip:Try if you can to let your breathe guide the movement, so being aware of the beginning and end of each out breathe as your ear moves towards the shoulder and aware of the beginning and end of each in breath as your head moved back to centre. This will help integrate your mind and body and bring space between your thoughts.

Aim to do 3 / 5 repetitions on each side, although if time is short once each side will help.

2. Next drop your chin down towards your chest on an out breathe, with you eyes open, breathe in and follow your gaze across the floor (or whatever is in front of you) until your looking towards the ceiling. Breathing out from here gently bring your gaze back down until your chin again rests against your chest.

tip: keeping your eyes and following you gaze in this way, stops you straining your neck and is a good exercise for the eyes.

3. With your chin still against your chest, breathe in as you slide your chin up towards your right shoulder, breathe out as you move your chin back down and then in as your slide your chin up towards your left shoulder. Breathe out again as your chin slides back down and then finally gently lift your head and chin back to centre as you breathe in.

4. (optional) Sometimes if the tension in the neck and shoulders is tight we need to awaken the blood vessels beneath the skin with some gentle physical activity. This again can be done at your desk and takes no more than a couple of minutes although the freedom that you will feel in this area will last for a lot longer.

Sitting upright begin tapping your chest with your finger tips, the pressure should be enough for your to feel but not enough to bruise yourselves! Move your fingers across the back of your shoulders, the sides and back of the neck of the and back to your chest.

Then simply massage the large muscles across the shoulders and neck with both hands, firmly clenching and letting go as you do.

Finally repeat steps 1 - 3 and return refreshed and re-vitalised to the task at hand.

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