McGee encourages people in all types of jobs to incorporate a bit of mindfulness into their workday, even if it’s just a simple breathing exercise.
Mind-body techniques like yoga can help counteract some of that stress and some of the physical demands of work, whether from hard manual labor or sitting hunched over at a computer, McGee says.
“Having any type of job nowadays is so stressful because of the long hours we spend working,” says McGee (who was not involved in the study). Kristin McGee, a yoga instructor in New York City and author of the upcoming book Chair Yoga, says that mindfulness techniques are important for managing workplace pressures, no matter what that workplace is.
Yoga and meditation are likely more popular because they’ve received much attention in the general public over the past two decades, the authors point out.Īs a whole, mindfulness practices can “address multiple workplace wellness needs, benefiting both employees and employers,” the study authors say. The new study also looked at the prevalence of two other mindfulness practices-tai chi and qigong-but did not find a substantial change in these rates over time. (The study authors were unable to find any mindfulness studies that had specifically focused on blue-collar or farm workers.) Mindfulness training has been shown to reduce burnout and mood disturbances in health care providers, and to improve sleep quality among teachers. In previous research, these types of workplace interventions have been associated with a host of benefits for employees. Men and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups within these occupations are the least likely to do them. Institutional obstacles, such as lack of funding, lack of time or personal beliefs, “should be addressed to make these practices available to all workers,” they wrote. On an inhale, let your hands rest on your thighs and slowly roll back up to seated.The authors say that employers in these occupations could benefit by identifying workers who do practice mindfulness techniques, and involve them in planning and promoting these activities for other employees. Let your body hang heavy over your legs and your head and neck relax. With the opposite hand or let your arms dangle to the floor. As you exhale, fold forward at your hips (rather than rounding the upper back) draping your body over your legs. Start with your hands on top of your thighs and take a deep inhale. Stay for three-to-five breaths and repeat on the other side. To increase the stretch even more, keep your back flat and spin lengthened and start to tip forward from the hips. You can increase the stretch by placing your right hand on the As you inhale, sit up tall and, as you exhale, enjoy the stretch. Let your right knee relax out to the side while keeping your foot flexed. Place your right ankle on top of your left knee. Switch the grip of your hands and repeat. Repeat this motion on your breaths at least two times. As you inhale, lift your hands up and away from your back, while gently lifting your chin away from your chest. Sit on the front edge of your chair and interlace your hands behind your back. Exhale back to center and repeat on the other side. On the inhale, feel your spine lengthen and, on the exhale, feel a deeper twist. Turn to look over your right shoulder and hold for four breaths.
Place your left hand on your right knee and your right arm over the back of your chair. Repeat this motion several times, inhaling into cat and exhaling into cow. This is cat pose.Īs you inhale, allow your belly to move forward, arch your back, send your sternum forward and look up toward the ceiling (if your neck is comfortable) or keep your head parallel to the floor. Be as round in the upper back as you can, pushing your mid-back toward the chair. As you exhale, round your back, pulling your abdominals into your spine, tucking your tailbone under and tucking your chin into your chest. Start with your hands on your thighs and sit up tall. You may find these poses beneficial if you have limited mobility or if you want to practice yoga while at work. Here are some basic chair yoga poses (called asanas) to get you started. You can do chair yoga nearly anywhere you can find a place to sit. Benefits of chair yoga includeįive chair yoga poses you can do almost anywhere Chair yoga is a gentle form of yoga that can be done sitting on a chair or standing on the ground while using the chair for support. As with many forms of exercise, it can be modified for people of varying abilities. Yoga has been shown to improve overall health when practiced regularly.