Hatha yoga is a centuries old practise of movement and relaxation. We know now, through modern science that what we are achieving through breathing techniques, movement, balance and strength exercises is activation the parasympathetic nervous system - moving our body from a 'fight or flight' stress response to a calmer state.
What we are doing, and what has always been the aim of Hatha Yoga is optimization of the self: body and mind. As you may imagine an optimized body is one that is free of tension, pain and injury, and an optimized mind is one that is calm and focused. This is the modus operandi of our movements which also encourage greater flexibility, strength and balance.
If you apply this to an office worker - who may spend their whole day sitting at a desk - we practise yoga to loosen common areas of tightness which are a direct result of desk working: tightness in neck, shoulders, hips and back pain. We also address another common occurrence in an office: Stress. It's unavoidable in the modern world - but by taking a break to practice yoga we may be able to reduce stress and improve overall wellbeing.
So maybe the question isn't 'Why do yoga at work' but, 'Why not?'
Take a look at my latest yoga video with some simple moves for office workers
Namaste x
