Benefits of Yoga For Working Professionals | Aparna Sharma |Consulting Editor| The People Management
Some interesting facts about Yoga:
- Yoga is a more than 6000 year-old practice with the aim to achieve healthy mind and body.
- The ultimate goal of Yoga is to help the disciple transcend the self and attain enlightenment through the combination of physical and mental exercises.
- Its true essence revolve around elevating the life-force that lies at the base of spine in the human body.
- At the physical level, yoga postures or ‘Asanas’ are taught to the practitioner while breathing exercises or ‘pranayama’ forms the part of mental techniques aimed to facilitate meditation or ‘Dhyana’ that in turn, discipline the mind.
In this age, when virtual world co-exists with reality, finding a work-life balance is not an easy pursuit. In fact, stress and burnout are real issues as busy professionals with demanding lifestyle is a common scenario these days in every metropolitan city.
Stress is a major point of discussion among employees in every workplace. Moreover, a woman’s role in a present-day society has evolved beyond household chores – whether offering unconditional support at home or contributing to the family income. Undoubtedly, this increased level of physical activity is directly impacting the level of stress and anxiety amongst them. The importance of yoga in a woman’s life has increased manifold.
This is why nearly every employer has recognized the importance of organizing yoga sessions in their office premises. Who wouldn’t want a set of productive employees?
How can practicing Yoga help Working professionals?
1. Neurological: When an individual dedicatedly does yoga, his/her neurological system becomes balanced and is naturally conditioned to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
2. Psychological: Regularly practicing yoga opens up multiple avenues for growth on a psychological level. The disciples gain clarity of thought, inspiration and courage to bring about vital changes in life.
3. Creative: Practicing yoga on daily basis unleash creative juices to flow easily by releasing mental blocks. Likewise, meditation helps one reach deeper recesses of mind, bring creativity to the play naturally.
4. Intuitive: The mind and body trapped in chaos and tension buries its intuition capacity while the body switches to the survival mode. When we practice yoga on daily basis, it charts a space in our body physically, calms the mind, and releases the tension thus, helping our intuition to rise up the surface for offering guidance.
5. Connected: Practicing yoga helps connect the individual to the higher self. This in turn, helps the individual gain a tendency to be empathetic and humble. Practically, these are the qualities of person who can be an excellent team-player when it comes to a workplace environment.
6. Body Awareness: Practicing yoga will give you an increased level of awareness of your own body. While you will be asked to make small and subtle movements in your posture to improve your alignment. Over time, this will facilitate the comfort level in your own body, leading to improved body posture and greater self-confidence.
Yogic exercises recharge the body with Cosmic Energy while facilitating a sense of:
- Attainment- a perfect state of equilibrium and harmony
- Promoting self- healing.
- Removing negative life forces from the mind and toxins from the body
- Enhancing personal power
- Increasing a sense of self-awareness
- Helps to gain focus and concentration
Last but not the least, yoga activates the nervous system thereby reducing stress and anxiety.