How to ease work-related stress with yoga
Have you ever heard someone say that their job is slowly killing them? The sad part is that it may actually be true! Job related stress continues to be a main contributor in many health issues. Negative effects like increased risk of a heart attack, depression or premature aging is now tied to work-related stress. To make matters worse, sitting down for extended periods of time is considered to be worse than smoking. Yes, sitting is the new smoking! Yes, life requires us to be busy and sometimes we must sit down and get things done. But are you always using that time for something necessary and productive? Take the guesswork out, pull out your phone and check your screen time and see how long you have spent on your phone and for what!
Inactivity is detrimental to health
An inactive lifestyle can result in a shorter lifespan, plagued with many health issues. Humans by nature, are wired to be active. Whenever we don’t get enough activity, certain functions in our bodies are affected. A sedentary lifestyle is further promoted through always-on practices that promote staring at digital screens for extended periods of time. Heart disease and diabetes is constantly on the rise due to lack of physical activity.
Sitting in front of a computer screen for hours causes tightness in the hips, legs, neck and shoulders. This can cause serious back pain and other body aches over time. Furthermore, the effect of this is that, overtime, you tend to develop bad posture. Once you become comfortable with bad posture, it is difficult to undo it. Sitting eight hours a day and staring at your smart phone in between can cause serious damage to your spine.
Do some yoga asanas to ease the tension
Yoga postures that target areas of tension are known to be an effective ailment for desk jockeys. The added bonus is that yoga can also aid in calming down the mind. This can really help if you have a high-pressure job. Often times stress begins in our minds. We get worked up about all the things we have to do or get irritated by a coworker and then our nervous system reacts to it. Yoga helps the practitioner to tap into our thoughts, which in turn allows us to pay attention to the patterns of the mind. This added awareness is key when you navigate through high stress environments.
Let’s look at 5 yoga poses that can help you with work-related neck and shoulder pain:
1. Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
2. Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
3. Fish Pose (Matsyasana)
4. Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)
5. Cat & Cow Pose (Marjaryasana & Bitilasana)
Apart from the asanas, you can start adding some pranayama practices in to your life. Pranayama are breathing techniques used in yoga. They are thought to be effective in calming the mind and adding much needed oxygen to the body. You can refer to this article to learn about pranayama. So, there you go … Life is full of choices. The choices we make today shape our tomorrow. Make your health a priority. Being active is a lifestyle. It can also add more adventure to your life. Instead of heading to the bar for drinks and fatty dishes, take a walk in your local park. Plan your dates around something that breaks a sweat. Release some pheromones, feel better, do your body some good. Most importantly, do some of the asanas mentioned above and give your body the opportunity to rejuvenate. Keep moving, keep flowing and create a healthy YOU.