By Debby Spitzer
With a challenging job, two kids and my favorite yoga teacher (my sister) a half hour away from me, I had stopped doing yoga. It was just too difficult to fit into my day. but one day at work, a colleague suggested I try the yoga class offered in our office twice a week during lunch. Before I knew it, I was looking forward to going to yoga class and even felt disappointed when I had to miss a class. I now leave class relaxed and ready to tackle my stressful job.
It turns out I was not the only one who felt this way. “This class centers me and helps me deal with the chaos of my day,” said one fellow corporate yogi. “It fits in well with my day, and I come back to work feeling energized,” said another. Others reported how it improves balance, helps focus on staying in the moment and helps with overall positive well-being.
For me, taking a yoga class during my lunch hour was a tapas. Tapas refers to the heat and light produced by friction, but on a mental and emotional level, tapas can refer to breaking the patterns and habits we’ve built over the years. “Friction is produced when we go against the grain,” said Yoganand Michael Carroll, acting dean of the Kripalu School of Yoga.
Corporate yoga instructor Sherry Hana loves knowing she makes a difference for her students. Yoga quiets their minds and helps them reflect and work with their bodies in whatever way they need to so that when they return to work they have a renewed sense of well-being. She also likes watching students grow – students who started out not knowing exactly what yoga is or perhaps not being able to do a traditional chatarunga but now can do so confidently and beautifully.
Since employers may benefit from reduced health insurance rates by offering wellness programs that include yoga, ask your human resources department about adding a yoga class at your workplace. If attending a corporate yoga class isn’t an option for you or you don’t work in an office, check out your local park district or health club. Many times you don’t have to join the health club to take classes.
Our lives are busier than ever, and we spend our time racing from one event to another. The problem is this racing around is usually for other people – not for ourselves. A yoga class is focused on you, and you deserve the “me” time. It will improve your health and mood, which will make you happier and better able to handle the stresses in life – whatever they may be. You will be happier and so willy our boss, family and everyone you interact with. Yoga is a tapas well worth doing.
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