Over the last decade the life of a human being has changed dramatically, the lives we lead in cities are fast paced and intense. This type of lifestyle can lead to high levels of stress, which over time can really take its toll on the body! In 2016 it was found that around 12.5 million working days were lost due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety. (3) “Stress is a psychological process initiated by events that threaten, harm or challenge an organism or that exceed available coping resources”. (1)
Although it may seem like it’s something we could really live without, stress is a natural part of being a human and keeping us alive!
Managing Stress
What is important is to find the balance in life of accepting stress and being able to control the emotion. Ways in which this can be done is through techniques like Yoga and Meditation, in recent years the yoga industry has had a massive boom as people and workplaces are starting to acknowledge the huge array of benefits it has to offer, especially in a stressful environment.
Many companies have started introducing morning or lunchtime yoga sessions for their employees, so they too can benefit from these amazing qualities that yoga can provide for our brains and bodies. Yoga is an ancient Indian science which can be practiced in the form of Pranayama (breath work), asana (poses/postures) and meditation. (2)
Pranayama has been widely used in the practice of meditation and yoga to control the feelings of stress, panic attacks and anxiety; it is a variety of breathing exercises used to expand the size of our lung capacity, in addition the maintenance of good physical and mental health. (2) The word Pranayama literally means ‘extension of life force’ in Sanskrit and can be given more importance towards good health than Asanas (yogic poses).
“With our “normal” sedentary way of living, we only use about one tenth of our total lung capacity. This is sufficient to survive and just tick over, but not sufficient enough for a high vitality level, long and high resistance to disease.” (1)
Overcoming Preconceptions
The average person would find the idea of sitting still and not thinking for a number of minutes very challenging, and therefore probably thinks of meditation as a daunting prospect. However what yoga can provide is a way to form an active meditation, whereby you can actively move and focus on your breath. By focusing your attention on your breath you are able to quiet your mind and thoughts, therefore making time for the individual to relax and explore inner peace.
“I am encouraging every abled bodied person looking for a place to begin with yoga to find the most available source of yoga that we have every minute of the day and that is your breath” (1)
In Conclusion
Whether you are; an individual looking for a way to calm the craziness of life, a business trying to find a way to keep your employees happy, motivated and healthy or somebody who is curious to discover and feel the magical benefits of yoga. Give it a try! Initially start with 10 minutes a day and slowly build it up, you will really begin to feel the power very quickly!
If you what to know more ways on how Yoga and / or Meditation can help you or your staff, please don’t hesitate to contact me :).
Namaste,
The Knotted Yogi!
References
- Research-Based Perspectives on the Psychophysiology of Yoga. Singh, Umesh Pal. 2017.
- Effects of Bhramari Pranayama on health – A systematic review. MaheshkumarKuppusamy. 2017.
- Health and Safety Executive. [Online] 2017. http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress/.
The Knotted Yogi 