Classical yoga has developed over time to include many different styles for a range of situations, needs and preferences. However, the majority of Yoga styles still fall neatly into either the therapeutic or the meditative category. Both categories have many hundreds of different Asanas, (poses or positions) and all of these are designed to benefit both the body and the mind.
5 Prayer Position:
Yoga takes the five ‘prayer’ positions and uses a corresponding yoga position to activate the seven chakras in the body. A Chakra is a type of energy field or is sometimes thought as a key position in the flow of energy throughout our body. Each different type of Yoga and each different Yoga position will have a different chakra as its core emphasis. All of these positions, which we tend to think of nowadays in Western Yoga as exercises, were in fact originally the preparation for the Yogi to enter a state of meditation.
Asanas:
The actual positions or poses of Yoga are known as Asanas and they may seem complicated or difficult to a new Yoga student. It’s important not to forget that all of the basic positions of Yoga are designed to improve the bodies strength and flexibility, and as these characteristics are improved it also makes the positions more comfortable and easier to settle into. The deep stretching that is the basis of most Yoga positions is beneficial for trauma disorders, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow amongst others.
Before you begin you may find it beneficial to attain a basic knowledge of the philosophy and theory behind Yoga, however this is not a requirement or essential to your success. It does assist with being comfortable settling into and performing the poses associated with Yoga, and it should be remembered that if you cannot do this then you will probably not benefit from Yoga.
Common misconception about Yoga:
There is a common misconception about Yoga that it is only for the tremendously flexible who can contort themselves into weird and wonderful positions. Chanting is often also associated with a Yoga class in people’s preconceptions. Neither of these ideas is true.
The Yoga positions are generally quite easy to get into but they do have several different depths in many cases. This means that a completely beginner can move into a position and still benefit from it at a great level after many years of Yoga.
There are some advanced positions that a beginner should probably not bother themselves with. Just as you are not going to compete with top marathon runners on your first day jogging, but can still get benefits, you are also not going to be able to ease into some of the positions that an instructor is capable of. Likewise, if you are pregnant or perhaps have an injury such as a bad back you should inform your Yoga instructor before you begin. There are some positions that can actually be detrimental to certain conditions. Twist exercises with a recurring back injury is one of these.
Yoga is something that is most beneficial in a comfortable environment, as the muscles will stretch better when they are still warm. It’s important to learn the discipline to enter and leave each new pose or position slowly. Not only does this help avoiding injury but also the movement from one pose to another is often part of the program. Don’t hold the poses and positions longer than is natural for you either. As you become more used to practicing the Yoga positions each day the benefits will allow you to hold a position with more ease for longer periods of time.
When practiced correctly the benefits of Yoga are many. Lubrication of the joints, ligaments and the tendons will result directly from performing the exercises best suited to you. Posture will increase dramatically and you will also experience a sense of well-being. There is also a deeper spiritual level to Yoga (it actually has its own philosophy and code of ethics) that you will move closer towards and enhance each time you stretch and go through the breathing exercises.
Yoga as a Form Of Corporate Stress management
In a corporate environment one of the things that makes a critical difference for employees is a relaxed congenial environment. The headquarters of Google is filled with beds, relaxation equipment, slides, canteens and staff libraries. Google is the most productive places in the world where every idea seems to be another winner.
The message is clear – we care more about the results not about how long or hard you work. Not surprisingly, the results come and the staff are happy to work long hours in a relaxing environment knowing that they will not be harshly judged by their co-workers for taking a relaxation break. In less ideal environments, the stress levels high because every move, every decision, everything the staff does could impact on the future of a company. Successful businesses have recognized that this stress can never be productive. Google is providing recreation facilities inside corporate buildings.
Yoga is one of the most effective forms of stress relief. Stress puts people on an edge and frequently leads to mistakes compared to more relaxed person. In the modern corporate world, stress is usually a counterproductive thing.
Yoga – forms of stress relief
Yoga can be utilised on a number of different places, situations and levels. Anulem and Vinolum is a perfect example of Yoga breathing. When overwhelmed with too many thoughts or too much information or problems at once, these exercises are helpful to calm the thought process and allow you to maintain focus. These exercises can be performed standing in an elevator, sitting in a chair or even while driving a car as they are merely a deep and focused way of breathing. A simple Steady breathing exercise can also treat the cramps and bad back posture.
The simplicity of being taught to breath properly may strike some corporates as strange. Nobody teaches us to breath, or sit or even stand. These are simple things that we spend our whole day doing, yet at no point in our lives are we actively taught them. Incorrect posture when sitting is a very serious problem if you are in front of a monitor all day, but simply learning the correct way to breath can align your body properly and solve many of the problems associated with this bad posture. The most natural of human movements, taking deep breathes while focusing on them can pull your body into shape.
Yoga class can be best fitted to the existing problems such as Obesity or joint pain. Yogic Kriyas can be a great help in treating blood pressure problems and ailments of the kidney. Poor agility is a result of poor balance and this issue is frequently confronted and quickly overcome with a range of balance-enhancing Yoga exercises. Some people who have reported daily occurrences of problems like anger, tension, hypertension, stress and headaches have achieved very good results simply from using Yoga to it’s full potential. The increased flexibility that Yoga provides is a godsend for people in sedentary job environments.
The mental advantages of Yoga are also quite clear. Yoga has an ability to redirect our thinking to a more positive frame. The most common form of Yoga used in corporate stress management is Hatha Yoga because it is a particularly potent form of physiological and psychological cleansing. In any environment stress is a normal occurrence, what differentiates a successful person from an unsuccessful one (and by extension a successful business from an unsuccessful one) is how we deal with that stress. Hatha Yoga, and Yoga in general provide executives with the tools they need to deal with stress on a daily basis.
Some businesses will go as far as getting a staff medical done and passing the results on to a Yoga instructor who will formulate a customized program for an individual based on their health needs. Different Yoga techniques deal with different problems and a qualified instructor will be able to find those best suited to an individual’s personal situation. Through recognizing Yoga’s ability to deal with the individual needs of employees and incorporating it into part of the daily work schedule businesses are creating a happier work environment and being rewarded by their employees by increased productivity and a greater loyalty and appreciation of their employer.
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