Four Yoga Techniques To Reduce Stress At Work

Could Yoga make your day less stressful in work? Do you think your stressful job could kill you? Do you have deep feelings of hostility toward your workplace? Let's look at four time-tested Yogic methods you can learn right now.

1. Breath: In work, many people breathe shallow, or unconsciously hold their breath, throughout the day. In Yoga, we learn to control our breathing. This control of breath is called "pranayama." There are many variations of pranayama, but let's work on one natural breathing exercise.

Inhale slowly and let your stomach relax. Exhale slowly and draw your navel in toward the spine. This is not a forceful breath, but it is a conscious breath. There is no need to make it complicated, but you should try this when you are feeling stressed.

2. Mantra: The power of mantra goes beyond the sound of a mystical Sanskrit syllable. The power of mantra is the same in prayer or positive affirmation. Therefore, if you are unfamiliar with mantra, you can pray or practice positive affirmations.

How does mantra, prayer, or positive affirmation reduce stress? People commonly clutter their minds with negative thinking. If you practice a positive affirmation, such as: "It is enough to have done my best," you fill your mind with positive thoughts and energy.

3. Posture: Your spine should be straight, as often as you think of it. Sit, stand, eat work, talk, and walk, with good posture at all times. Just like breathing, this is a matter of making yourself conscious of it. In a Hatha Yoga class, we cover many postures (asanas), but you can carry good posture into every facet of life.

4. Diet: There is no need for a big lecture here. Most people know how to eat right. It stands to reason that less processed, whole, and natural foods are good for you, unless you have an allergy to something in particular.

Monitor your caffeine intake during work. You may want to consider reducing beverages full of caffeine. One of the substances most often associated with heart palpitations is caffeine. This reaction to caffeine can happen without related stress. Therefore, consider your heart health and switch to beverages with less or no caffeine.

Summary: Do not expect to make all four of these changes in a single day. Start with the easiest one and move forward. It is so easy for people to advise you to get another job. In some cases, that is the best option, but a pro-active mindset toward naturally reducing stress, with techniques from Yoga, is a viable solution.

Copyright 2009 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications