Stress Relief

Stress in the Workplace Yoga as Stress Relief Additional Benefits

Stress Relief

	Stress is a physical and emotional response we experience when the demands of work and life begin to overwhelm. Stress comes from both *external* and *internal* factors.
	External Factors evolve from the environment around you, including: Your job Relationships with others Your home and family Daily situations and challenges Outside expectations	Internal Factors control your ability to handle theses external stresses, and include your: Physical health Mental state and stability Emotional well-being
If you do not have proper balance and control of your internal factors, they are unable to deal with and facilitate the stresses from the external.

Today’s economic upheavals foster workplace stress, which is more prevalent than ever. Downsizing, layoffs, mergers and bankruptcies have cost hundreds of thousands of workers their jobs, and cause uncomfortable, stressful situations in the workplace as staffs get downsized and workloads get upsized.

60% of lost work days each year can be attributed to stress
75-90% of visits to health care providers are due to stress-related conditions, increasing employer health care costs

~American Psychological Association

Your physical, mental and emotional well-being determine how you will respond and deal with demands of work and life when stress begins to overwhelm.

When stress gets out of control, effectiveness in the workplace can be dramatically reduced as:

Concentration becomes difficult
Human error increases
Morale decreases
Teams become dysfunctional
Projects take longer and cost more
Client relations suffer
Employee frustration results in apathy

There are many techniques one can use to reduce stress. One of the most widely recognized is physical exercise, which relieves stress by releasing endorphins, the natural hormones that make you feel better. Along with this, other techniques used in stress relief include:

breathing exercises
aerobic exercise
muscle relaxation
visualization
listening to music
meditation

When you are stressed, tension is stored in the body, making you feel tight, and often causing pain. Therefore, deep stretching is another technique used to combat noticeable physical stress. The practice of yoga integrates every one of the above stress relief techniques in a peaceful and easy way attainable to everyone!

Yoga involves stretching the body and forming different poses that require physical exercise, while keeping your breathing slow and controlled. This is all done in an environment designed to relax your mind, incorporating soothing sounds and promoting guided visualization and instructed meditation. The body becomes relaxed and energized at the same time! Back to Top

Forbes recognized yoga in a recent article, Best Workplace Stress Relievers. And it’s not hard to see why. While generally the first and most profound benefit noticed from yoga is stress reduction, there are many other benefits of a steady yoga practice in the workplace:

Greater productivity
Improved staff performance
Greater commitment to work
Improved staff retention
Reduced absenteeism
Stronger team bonds
Greater staff morale
Improved creativity and problem solving

Physical Benefits of Yoga:	Mental Benefits of Yoga:
Increased energy levels Enhanced muscular strength Greater cardiovascular endurance Improved flexibility Improved balance Weight control/reduction Improved sleep Lower blood pressure Improves immune function Improves posture Releases unconscious muscular gripping	Reduced Stress Relaxes the nervous system Improves the function of the nervous system Improves brain function Improves memory and concentration Calms the mind Aids in countering depression Balances moods Increases alertness Increases happiness