Written by Lydia Lacey

Yoga has become increasingly popular in the corporate world – and for good reasons too.  Proven to be beneficial for overall physical, mental and emotional well-being, yoga is the ideal practice for any professional in the corporate world looking to de-stress, be healthy and happy. With corporations such as Apple, Nike and Google, along with numerous companies in London incorporating yoga into the work week for their staff, it’s clear that yoga has something vital to offer to your everyday office worker.

Sitting for long periods of the day has now been equated to smoking, in terms of the damage it has to your health. Inactivity in conjunction with stress from work can literally strip years off your life, unless necessary action is taken. Fortunately, practicing yoga can counteract the variety of negative health effects an office job can bring. This includes:

Poor posture & Immobility

Many workers that are hunched over their desk for the majority of the day experience some form of back or neck pain. Sitting hunched forward for long periods shortens the pectorals (chest muscles), whilst weakening the trapezius (muscle round the lower back of the neck). This is damaging to the spine, and serves to create a hunched over posture. In addition, the hip flexor muscles are also shorted, becoming restrictive and inflexible. Immobility in the hips is the leading cause for falls in the elderly, which is why it is important to retain physical flexibility as you age.

Yoga both stretches and strengthens your chest, back and hips, and is the ideal practice to counteract the negative effects being seated for most the day has on your body. By targeting these areas, yoga serves to not only improve posture, but resolve a great deal of back/neck pain too.

Stress & Unhappiness

Through simply stretching, your body releases dopamine – a chemical within the brain that increases feelings of happiness. As stress is naturally stored within the muscles of the body, stretching relaxes both the body and the mind, as they’re both intimately connected.

In addition, through yoga, you learn how to slow down and expand through the breath, which has a relaxing effect on the sympathetic nervous system, essentially switching your mind from fight/flight mode, to relaxation mode. This is a helpful technique, in moments of stress and/or anxiety in the workplace.

Weight Gain

Sitting for long periods of the day not only weakens your abdominals, but it also compresses the stomach too, which slows down digestion – typically leading to weight gain. Sitting for long periods of the day can also lead to bloating, cramping and constipation, which is a great source of discomfort for many.

Fortunately yoga not only engages and strengthens the abdominals, but also aids digestion too. Twisting postures tone and stretch the abdominals, serving to massage the internal organs and promote blood flow, which aids digestion and detoxifies the body.

Could Yoga Benefit You?

There are a series of yoga poses and stretches that can improve virtually any health problem created by office inactivity or stress. Whether it’s insomnia, poor circulation, immobility or back pain, there will be a yoga pose that can aid in overcoming the problem. As nothing is more important than your own health and happiness, it is important to look after your body the best way you can.

To find out more or to book a corporate class with Lydia, click the contact link here.