What stops you from being healthy?
Well in our experience one of the biggest factors why people don’t commit daily to things that improve their health or well-being is TIME.
Time is a funny thing isn’t it?
We often hear people say things like “If I just had more time…” or “There needs to be more hours in a day”.
Well the truth is, there isn’t!
And there never will be more than 24 hours in a day. Each of us gets the same time – it’s how we spend it that really matters.
For many of us, we work 8-10 hours a day. Put some sleep time in there and it leaves us with less than 5-6 hours each day to get everything else done: kids, cleaning, driving, making dinner, showering etc.
Well at Innergy Corporate Yoga we are passionate about helping others to be healthy. We strive to make taking care of yourself so darn easy to do, that you will never again have the excuse “I just didn’t have time”. So if you find you just “don’t have time”, try these 5 tips to help your mind relax, stretch out tight muscles and give yourself a boost of energy.
Because everyone has 2-3 minutes…
AND … take a look at how you can bring our NEW Chair Yoga program into your office!
5 Wellness Tips for Optimal Health in the Workplace:
(1) Just breathe – Sit in your chair, feet flat on the floor, legs at a 90 degree angle. Contract your abdominal muscles slightly, lift up through your chest and lengthen your spine. Drop your shoulders down your back. Place one hand on your belly and the other hand on your chest. Close your eyes and relax. Exhale completely. As you inhale, breathe into your belly, feeling your belly press gently into that hand. Try not to breathe into your chest (The hand on your chest should not move). As you exhale, feel your belly move back toward your spine. Take a few breaths like this, inhaling into your belly, as it expands outward like a balloon filling with air, then exhaling, belly flattening. Keep trying to focus the breath into your belly, not your chest. (The position of your hands will help you to feel where your breath is moving within your body.) Breathe like this for as long as you like, then place your hands on your thighs for a moment, open your eyes and return to work.
(2) 3 Breaths with Arms -Stand with your feet hip distance apart, feet parallel to each other. Stand away from your chair and desk. Contract your abdominal muscles, lift your chest up and relax your shoulders back and down. Be tall and lifted. Turn your palms to face forward, drawing your shoulders back a bit more. Close your eyes. Exhale your breath all the way out. As you inhale, sweep your arms up toward the sky. Lengthen your spine and ribcage. Look up if it’s okay for your neck. Keep your abdominals contracted, tailbone tucked slightly. Continue to sweep your arms up until palms are touching. As you exhale, turn your palms down and bring your arms back down by your sides, turning your eyes forward again. Repeat 3-5 times. When you are finished, stand quietly for a moment, take a few breaths, then open your eyes and return to work.
(3) Sit up Straight – Just sitting up straight in your chair can do wonders for your body and energy levels. Mom wasn’t just nagging you all those years ago, she knew what she was talking about! When you have to sit, follow these guidelines: Feet flat on the floor, legs at a 90 degree angle. Pull in your abdominal muscles slightly to engage your core (this takes the pressure off your back, which was not designed to hold you up for hours and hours). Roll your shoulders up, back and down. Take frequent breaks from sitting by getting up and moving around or stretching.
(4) Neck Stretch -Sit in your chair, feet flat on the floor, legs at a 90 degree angle. Contract your abdominal muscles slightly, lift up through your chest and lengthen your spine. Drop your shoulders down your back. Place your hands on your thighs. As you inhale, lengthen through the crown of your head a little more, and as you exhale, gently lower your right ear toward your right shoulder. Relax your right shoulder and drop it down away from your right ear. Optional: To move deeper, release your left hand to the underside of your chair and gently hold on as you stretch deeper, maybe even leaning slightly to the right. Stay here, breathing in and out, for at least 30 seconds. Inhale and lift your head and body back to center. Exhale, lower your left ear toward your left shoulder. Repeat steps 3 and 4 on this side. To come out, inhale your head and body back to center. Give your shoulders a shake, and repeat again on both sides if you have time.
(5) Be More Mindful – Be aware of how you sit, how you breathe, what your thoughts are during the day, how you speak to others, how you show up in your life and so much more. Being mindful is simply recognizing what you’re doing and how you’re being and paying attention.
And if you’d like to learn more about Chair Yoga, a simple wellness program you can do right at your workplace that involves:
-no yoga mats
-no special clothing
-no special space or room
-no showers
. . .then take a look at this new program here. We’re so excited to be offering this program to businesses across Canada.
Chair Yoga is perfect for offices who want results quickly like more energy and less muscle tension but don’t have the time to roll out a regular yoga or wellness program.
To set up your free 15-minute in-person consultation to learn more about Yoga Refresh, contact us today.
The Innergy Corporate Yoga team
We’re in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Halifax and more!