Doctors and psychologists have long recommended yoga and meditation to combat stress . While doing yoga won't cure depression, incorporating the practice into your routine has many benefits.
Practicing yoga, for example, is an excellent way to reduce work-related stress!
Opt for a yoga routine accompanied by Magic Me , our anti-stress solution to help you feel calm in all circumstances!
First of all, what is stress?
Talking about anti-stress yoga and meditation to reduce stress is good, but we should first understand what stress is exactly.
Stress is originally a survival reflex. It is normally triggered only in the event of a life-threatening situation. However, you will have easily noticed that this stress reflex is triggered in many situations that are absolutely not dangerous for our vital health. When I have to make an important phone call with a client or when I am overwhelmed with work, for example. However, these situations are extremely conducive to stress at work, and stress means multiple adverse effects on your body and mind. Bad mood, anxiety, anguish, difficulty sleeping, disturbed metabolism, the consequences of stress are numerous.
To reduce this feeling of stress that overwhelms us, we must re-educate our mind so that we no longer perceive these situations as dangerous.
Doing yoga to reduce your stress reflex
Doing yoga at home , in the studio or at work can help us manage this stress reflex because it helps us to anchor ourselves in the present moment and no longer think about our worries. This stress is very often the result of a projection into a negative future situation (e.g. this telephone appointment that went badly) or the memory of a similar situation that went badly for you or for a loved one. Who has never stressed about doing a task because they have seen several people around them also fail while trying to do it?
The goal to limit this stress reflex is to develop its anchoring in the present moment? This may seem abstract to you but you will quickly understand. Most of the time, we stress by anticipation. If we focus on the present moment, this stress has no reason to exist because the negative situation apprehended does not take place. The question now is, how to anchor ourselves in the present moment and stop apprehending these negative situations? Well, unsurprisingly, it turns out that yoga and meditation are excellent answers to this problem.
Developing your anchoring to focus on the present moment
The most effective way to successfully anchor yourself is meditation. Taking a few minutes in a quiet place (without outside noise, ringing phones or crying children) focusing on your breathing or the sensations in your body allows you to truly return to tranquility. A few minutes during the day or during your lunch break if you have a quiet place available will do the trick.
If meditation doesn't interest you, there is also the yoga option! Whether it's gentle or dynamic yoga, focusing on your breathing and postures will also allow you to find this general state of well-being.
Not very athletic? Try Yin Yoga, which is a gentle but deep yoga. The latter uses classic postures of Indian yoga but with an approach of deep letting go. It is a yoga that is mainly practiced on the floor, which makes it very accessible to people who may have mobility problems. It is also sometimes practiced in hospitals. The goal of Yin Yoga is to achieve total muscle relaxation to stretch the deep tissues without pain. The latter generates better blood circulation and energies, as well as a deep feeling of relaxation.
Are you athletic and do you like to challenge yourself? Why not try Vinyasa or Ashtanga Yoga? Very often associated with fitness, these types of yoga are very physical. Indeed, they are particularly sporty yoga because the movements follow one another to the rhythm of breathing, which will have the effect of increasing body temperature. Good physical condition is widely appreciated to perform more complex asanas (postures in Sanskrit). But it is also a very good way to create this physical condition, because yes, yoga and in particular Vinyasa or Ashtanga, it builds muscle!
What if we did yoga at work?
A study has shown that the sedentary work style that many French people have causes serious damage to the back in the long term (76% of employees say they suffer from back pain linked to prolonged sitting). This same study observed that practicing yoga, particularly stretching postures (such as child's pose or downward dog) relieves lower back pain. Doing yoga is great, but why not do it at work directly? Indeed, with the benefits demonstrated above, there is a real interest in practicing it during the week. However, we all know that when we leave the office in the evening, we are quickly very busy and it becomes difficult to find time for a new activity. Some companies have observed that doing sport at work is an excellent way to relieve the stress of the day, to have better concentration afterwards and above all to create group cohesion between the different employees.
Now you will have understood, all the reasons are good to start yoga, so don't wait any longer!
Which yoga mat to choose?
This article is written in collaboration with Yogom, a French brand of eco-friendly yoga mats . Discover the different Yogom products on their shop: more than 40 non-slip and eco-friendly yoga mats and just as many accessories for yoga and meditation . Do you want to practice at home ? Discover the Yogom Academy, a library of more than 150 free online yoga classes (gentle yoga, dynamic yoga, meditation, etc.) available on Youtube.
