Yoga, the best partner in the office

For many, the office is the place where you spend most of the day and sucks up most of the vital energy. Few, in fact, have a peaceful relationship with the workplace, which is generally considered a prison and a source of stress and tension .

And yet, more and more companies are realizing that to get the most out of their employees in terms of productivity this gloomy vision must be subverted in favor of a more holistic, reassuring and reassuring conception : in short, investing only in talent is not enough of its staff, but it is also necessary to do this on maintaining well-being and harmony within the workplace.

Apparently these are the latest trends that are gaining ground among the global capitalism giants: in Silicon Valley there are not the big names that offer yoga and meditation courses for employees.

As you can see, we are not talking about a hippy revival or some bizarre new age drift: in the heart of California, from the incubator of the most important technological trends of the millennium, we return to look at oriental spirituality as it happened at the end of the 70s when it all started ...

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Yoga, a purification from the digital

At the base of the interest for the various holistic disciplines, above all of oriental matrix, there is what has been defined " digital intoxication ", that is our dependence on the device summarized by the famous essay " High Tech-High Touch " by the "futurologist " John Naisbitt . Although dated 1999 it appears surprisingly current in his analysis: " For every technology introduced into society there must be the counterweight of a human drive that restores balance - that is, a high touch -, otherwise the technology is rejected. The more high tech there is, the more high touch is needed. The accelerated growth of technology has produced a stronger push than ever in the search for meaning, a desire for community, a thirst for spirituality and a desperate need to understand ".

Since it has been estimated that work passes, 70% of the day becomes vital to work on the well-being that this place can offer to optimize employee productivity. Thus, from 2010 to today, more than a quarter of the major American companies have launched stress-reduced programs that are comforted and encouraged by the many studies that confirm the benefits of meditation or yoga on the economy . Explain the concept Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn: “ Slowing down the pace and dedicating time to the self, people are more creative and productive and the results at work are definitely better. This changes the whole organizational approach, from hierarchies to leadership ".

Coffee break: some ideas to switch off at work

In Italy, with regards to these issues, we are in prehistory and it is very difficult for any of our readers to take advantage of meditation rooms or a yoga course at work. Being able to carve out a small haven of peace is not impossible even while sitting at a desk.

We therefore propose a few simple exercises to be carried out at any time of the day you feel discharged or overwhelmed by agitation; a more or less extensive parenthesis during which to rediscover one's centering and calmness:

Remove the back from the back of the chair and straighten up as if a thread were pulling you up from the top of the head, having the foresight to slightly retract the chin to lengthen the cervical vertebrae. When you are well aware of the spine, stretch your arms upwards with palms touching. Inhale in the center, exhale to the side, then return to the center and perform on the other side. To be repeated 5-6 times (or more) for each side, alternately.

The cervical is often a weak point for those who spend many hours bent over the desk, so let's not forget to take care of them: move to the sitting position described in the previous point to perform slight "yes" and "no" with the head so as to engage the first cervical vertebrae (atlas and axis). Then widen the movements by making slow movements of the head in one direction and in the other. If you feel discomfort when your head goes back, be careful not to exaggerate the movement and keep your head supported.

Still in the well-known sitting position, open the chest, lower the shoulders and grab the elbows behind the back. If you can do it with agility, put your hands together - palm against palm (anjali mudra) - behind your back for some respiratory cycle and then dissolve the position. Complement this exercise: "hug" so that your hands touch the shoulder blades. Change the crossing of the arms.

Since for many hours the hands are often forced on the computer keyboard or on the mouse, do not forget to loosen your wrists and fingers . Here are some exercises for the phalanges: 1) to open and close the hands in a fist 2) to let the thumb touch all the fingers of one hand and then the other, one by one 3) join the hands palm against palm in the most adherent way possible and spread the fingers by lightly pressing your hands against each other. Once these exercises have been completed, execute some wrist circling.

Now we are going to remove some of the tensions that are accumulating on the back during the day . Perform a torsion of the trunk bringing the right hand on the left knee and turning towards the back of the chair on which it sits. The left will go to position either on the armrest or on the backrest. Perform on both sides.

Now let's move on to the lower limbs: cross the legs carrying an ankle on the knee. One hand is on the knee, the other on the ankle and the torso comes forward, as straight as possible with the shoulders open. To be repeated on both sides.

These exercises can be performed at any time of day by staying in the workplace. Precisely because of the location that is not suited to concentration you may find it more difficult to remain well centered; therefore, especially at the beginning, the effort could be slightly greater than in a session at home or at a center. To overcome the problem at least in part, you can use relaxing music to load on any device, even a mobile phone, which will help you to isolate yourself from the noise and distractions you have around you.

Take the opportunity to get better in the office too

Italy is not a country that can make comfort at work its flagship (and unfortunately, for far more serious reasons than not offering a yoga course to employees) and yet, as always, the possibility of improving, in small, a situation is in our hands. Afferriamola!