Namaste Today September 7, 2016Featured, My LifeOff

The number of yoga practitioners has skyrocketed since 2012; increasing by 50 percent to more than 36 million. It’s no surprise that 72 percent of these yogis are women according to the 2016 Yoga in America Study conducted by Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance. Elizabeth Davis, owner of Svelte Fitness Studio in Brookhaven, Georgia (primarily a barre studio), increasingly emphasizes yoga at her studio. She considers it an important part of wellness, anti-aging and a well-rounded fitness routine. “In fact, we are offering all of our yoga classes for free in September,” she says, as part of a campaign to get the word out.  “We find that our clients are incredibly busy multi-tasking women with many priorities to balance. Several of them have found that taking an hour for a yoga class actually helps increase what they are able to get done during the week and allows them to get more ‘off their list’ with less anxiety.”

Statistics indicate she’s onto something. The Yoga in America study found that people are drawn to yoga for such reasons. Research from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health confirms these benefits and more, suggesting that yoga may reduce lower back pain, improve quality of life, reduce stress, lower heart rate and blood pressure, help relieve anxiety, depression and insomnia, and improve overall physical fitness, strength and flexibility.  In fact, yoga shows such a significant impact on health and wellbeing that much of the research focuses on yoga as a complementary medicinal therapy.

The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit word yuj, meaning to yoke or to bind, and is often interpreted as “union.” Yoga Alliance describes it as “a comprehensive system for wellbeing on all levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.”  Breath control, simple meditation, and specific body postures designed to create strength, flexibility and alignment are all aspects of the practice of yoga. While yoga takes on many forms, the individual experience for each practitioner differs. You might hear your yoga teacher refer to your individual experience, saying something like “meet yourself where you are today” or “everyone’s expression of this pose will be unique.”

Natalie Moore, a vice president and former Wellness Director at Fallon Benefits Group, says yoga is important for working women because it offers “stress relief and rejuvenation without being hard on your body.”  As a working mother of three children, she says she values yoga because she considers it a mindful practice that helps her quiet her mind and tune in to her body. Recently, Fallon Benefits hosted a wellness week, which included an onsite yoga class. Natalie observed that offering yoga in the workplace made it easier for those unfamiliar with yoga to try something new, experiencing the physical and mental benefits it provides while also bonding with coworkers.

Have you ever wonder why you feel so relaxed after a yoga class? Yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the body’s stress response.  For busy, working women this can be a valuable tool. If you want to tap into some of the benefits of yoga during the work day, here are a few suggestions to try.

  • Office yoga stretches to counter the effects of sitting at a computer
  • Wrist roll and shake (good for opening carpal tunnel)
  • Neck and shoulder release (hands clasped behind low back)
  • Seated cat/cow (chest opening and rounding through back)
  • Standing arm raises with breath, including side and mini back bend
  • Chair Warrior (standing Warrior I using the chair for support)
  • Mindful breathing to promote mental clarity and a feeling of calmness:
    • Match the length your inhale to the exhale
    • Focus only on your breath, counting both the inhale and exhale, making them a bit longer each time
    • Circular breathing
    • Inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 4, hold 4 – repeat

Namaste (the light in me honors the light in you)

By Autumn Tarter
Autumn Tarter is a registered yoga teacher with a Masters in Psychology.  She leads workshops for Stress Management in the Workplace and is passionate about taking holistic health into the corporate environment. Check out her recent story: Healthier Employees, Healthier Business

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