5 Yoga Practices That Make You More Productive

Here are five simple practices taken from the Limbs of yoga that will enhance your on-the-job satisfaction, success and sanity.

5 Yoga Practices That Make You More Productive

Get daily updates directly to your inbox

Most people know yoga as a physical practice that increases strength, agility, and flexibility, but the postures done on a mat are just a fraction of what it has to offer. Yoga’s foundational philosophy offers a treasure trove of other practices that can help you be more effective and productive at work.

Based on the yoga sutras written thousands of years ago by an Indian sage named Patanjali, this ancient wisdom has much to offer the modern workplace. Organized into Eight Limbs, these yoga practices offer an ethical framework, a personal code of conduct, and practices that lead to greater self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and resilience — all of which contribute to personal effectiveness in the workplace.

Yoga doesn’t offer prescriptions or make demands, but karma is a prominent principle. Karma means that every action or thought has consequences, and we are responsible for what happens to us. Yoga practices help people clearly see this connection, which leads to increased personal accountability and more mindful decision-making.

5 Yoga Practices That Make You More Productive

Here are five simple practices taken from the Limbs of yoga that will enhance your on-the-job satisfaction, success and sanity.

Non-Violence

This yogic precept, called ahimsa, has physical and mental aspects. For example, consider how you talk to yourself. It matters. When your inner critic harangues harshly, listening to that negative nattering — or worse, believing it — creates uncertainty, dampens enthusiasm, and slows progress. Ahimsa is a practice of compassion, which begins with compassion toward self. It also means doing no harm to others or yourself. The practice helps you consciously avoid doing your body harm (eating junk food, not resting properly, etc.) Pushing yourself is fine, but not to the point of depletion, exhaustion, or injury.

Breathing

Because we don’t have to think about it, it’s easy to lose sight of the power that can be generated when the breath is consciously harnessed. The fourth Limb of yoga, called pranayama, translates as control over life force or energy. Breathing techniques can be done unobtrusively at work, and have the ability to calm you, ground you, or energize you. Breathing deeply before responding to questions or comments also creates space for a more thoughtful response.

Contentment

Also known as santosha, this is an antidote for self-doubt and judgment and gets you unstuck from disappointment or discouragement. Practice starts with remembering that you always have a choice about how to react in the face of your circumstances. When emotions like fear, frustration and irritation get the better of you, practice making a conscious choice to remain content.

Practicing non-attachment to outcomes is another essential part of the practice. When you get attached to a specific outcome, two things can happen. First, it squelches creativity and flexibility because you’re focused on a single “right” outcome. Second, when things don’t turn out as hoped for, the blame game becomes an obstacle to problem-solving and resilience. Do your very best, but recognize you can’t control how everything turns out.

Meditate

Once considered an ascetic pursuit, a growing number of prominent businesses and institutions are making meditation a part of the workday — Aetna, Google, General Mills, Harvard Business School and Merck to name a handful. A regular practice, called dhyana in yoga, helps tame the restless mind that keeps you from being focused and fully present. Research has shown meditation increases emotional intelligence, mental clarity, self-awareness, and creativity, qualities that will serve you well in the workplace.

Self-Discipline

One of the precepts in the Eight Limbs is tapas, which literally translates as fire. Practicing tapas means burning off bad habits or mental blocks to help you push through the discomfort of change or new learning. Develop a habit of taking the long view when things get tough or uncomfortable (i.e. I know this is hard now, but there will be a payoff if I persist). That creates tapas, and consciously practicing at work aids in skill development and new learning.

Productive Yoga Practices

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

 

Rate this blog entry:

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to our top stories.

 

Published from

Report this post

Add blog
 

What do you think ? Comment below

No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment

Comments

Pure Jobs Blogger
Already Registered? Login Here
Guest
Friday, 04 October 2024
6 Things To Do Before Leaving Your Job
How To Tailor Your Resume For Specific Jobs

Most popular

It is commonly thought that first impressions in business are the impressions provided by employe...
Sarah Ellis
06 July 2017
Making a little bit of extra money from home need not be difficult. There are plenty of ways to e...
Sarah Ellis
13 June 2017
How does your resume score?
How does your resume score? See how your resume stacks up. Submit now.

Career news, advice and insights -Purejobs

Poll

How Long Have You Been Job Searching?

Feed

Subscribe To Us And Stay Updated with the latest career advice on pure-jobs.com.

Related post

No post has been created yet.

Follow us:

Advertise with us

Would you like to advertise here? Place your banner or link here.



Subscribe to updates from our blog

PLEASE NOTE! WE USE COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE BEST USER EXPERIENCES

However, by continuing to use the site without changing settings, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.