3 Ways Yoga Helps You Work Better

When you practice yoga, you feel pretty good during and even after class. Did you know that your yoga practice can help you do better at work?

Without trying, your work life benefits. Really! Here are a few ways yoga helps you at work.

Work More Efficiently

Practising yoga is not just about the physical movements. As you practise yoga, the mind becomes clear, present, and focused on the task at hand. Distractions are less distracting as your mind can concentrate faster and with more ease.

At work, your mind begins to operate this way because it is used to doing so. Do you notice that you become immersed in your tasks quickly and can focus for longer periods? When someone comes to speak to you, do you see how you’re able to switch quickly and get back to your original task?

That’s yoga at work.

Be Less Stressed

Breathe slowly. Breathe deeply. You probably heard your yoga instructor say this at least a few times during each class. It’s worth repeating over and over because of the benefits of breathing deeply and slowly.

Your breathing has most likely changed since you began practising yoga. It’s a subtle change so you might not notice that you now breathe deeper and slower even outside of yoga classes. The breathing helps keep the body more relaxed so the negative impacts of stress are reduced.

The simple act of breathing deeply and slowly is not always that easy. A person in a tense, anxious, or agitated state is not able to do this easily. Someone who is emotional cannot do it either.

The good news is that, with some effort, someone who is not calm but intentionally breathes deeply and slowly will within minutes become more at peace.

Work Better with Others

No man or woman is an island, yet at some point in time we have all wished that we didn’t have to deal with some people at work. Yoga can’t eliminate challenging situations, but it can help make it more bearable in different ways.

Let’s look at how yoga helps you face these challenges.

Think about the time when your yoga instructor told you to come into Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) or Halasana (plough). You probably broke a sweat just thinking about it the first time. In hopes of mastering it, you even looked forward to practising the asana!

When that angry customer, difficult co-worker, or not-so-nice boss approaches you next, shift your perspective to look forward to the opportunity to learn and master the situation – just like you did with asanas.

Remember that yoga is not just exercise. Incorporate the mindfulness you cultivate to be present.

Be mindful of your body and your breath; it’s a great measuring stick to know how you are. View challenges as just that, something for you to over come, not shy away from!

You’ll feel less stress at work and be able to handle whatever is thrown at you, if you incorporate yoga into your day.