Yoga, meditation, training in communication skills, and other proven stress management techniques can play an important part in any Occupational Health and Safety Programme, especially for companies setting themselves up as government-approved healthy workplaces.

The benefits of a healthy, stress-managing workforce are proven. Taken alongside employee demands for a more balanced lifestyle, training in stress management and Yoga could help you meet your company’s real health promoting workplace needs.

Employees and employers alike are realizing the ease of yoga and its benefits. No leg behind the head poses here, just energy enhancing and stress relieving ones, combined with simple breathing techniques.

Why Yoga?

Because a healthier workforce means a happier, brighter workforce.

Training is available in various forms of Yoga from gentle stretching to strong Vinyasa flow as well as in calming breathing, effective communication, meditation and relaxation techniques.

Even more reasons for you to get your workforce into yoga

· Helps with team building
· Employees learn stress management
· Increased productivity
· Improved enjoyment
· Employees improve awareness, focus and control
· Mental clarity improves

YogaWellbeing has taught in a number of different corporate environments and is able to provide a variety of teaching arrangements

At work sessions

Designed to meet the needs of the company and employees and usually offered before work, during lunch or straight after work. Classes can be fully paid for by the company, subsidised by the company or the company can choose to just provide the space free of charge and then ask employees to pay on an individual basis (subject to a minimum hourly rate being achieved).

One off or time limited sessions

A single session or a number of sessions for company conferences, ergonomic and desk exercise training, away days or team building events can be arranged. With a background in organisational Psychology, Kim specialises in designing workshops to meet all needs from those that follow the more traditional yoga class format to those which focus on relieving workplace tension, improve concentration and relaxation and that help to avoid common workplace ailments such as backache, shoulder ache and RSI.

YogaWellbeing can design and deliver sessions to meet the individual needs of your company and can range from 15 minutes – 3 hours.

For a list of company references and recommendations please contact Laura at YogaWellbeing.

Supported Shoulderstand

Salamba Sarvangasana

(sah-LOM-bah sar-van-GAHS-anna)
salamba = with support
sarva = all
anga = limb

It comes around so quickly. Asana of the week is here again and we have a bit of a challenge for you all. We hope you enjoy your shoulderstand.

Step by Step

Fold two or more firm blankets into rectangles measuring about 1 foot by 2 feet, and stack them one on top of the other. You can place a sticky mat over the blankets to help the upper arms stay in place while in the pose. Then lie on the blankets with your shoulders supported (and parallel to one of the longer edges) and your head on the floor. Lay your arms on the floor alongside your torso, then bend your knees and set your feet against the floor with the heels close to the sitting bones. Exhale, press your arms against the floor, and push your feet away from the floor, drawing your thighs into the front torso.

Continue to lift by curling the pelvis and then the back torso away from the floor, so that your knees come toward your face. Stretch your arms out parallel to the edge of the blanket and turn them outward so the fingers press against the floor (and the thumbs point behind you). Bend your elbows and draw them toward each other. Lay the backs of your upper arms on the blanket and spread your palms against the back of your torso. Raise your pelvis over the shoulders, so that the torso is relatively perpendicular to the floor. Walk your hands up your back (toward the floor) without letting the elbows slide too much wider than shoulder width.

Inhale and lift your bent knees toward the ceiling, bringing your thighs in line with your torso and hanging the heels down by your buttocks. Press your tailbone toward your pubis and turn the upper thighs inward slightly. Finally inhale and straighten the knees, pressing the heels up toward the ceiling. When the backs of the legs are fully lengthened, lift through the balls of the big toes so the inner legs are slightly longer than the outer.

Soften the throat and tongue. Firm the shoulder blades against the back, and move the sternum toward the chin. Your forehead should be relatively parallel to the floor, your chin perpendicular. Press the backs of your upper arms and the tops of your shoulders actively into the blanket support, and try to lift the upper spine away from the floor. Gaze softly at your chest.

As a beginning practitioner stay in the pose for about 30 seconds. Gradually add 5 to 10 seconds to your stay every day or so until you can comfortably hold the pose for 3 minutes. Then continue for 3 minutes each day for a week or two, until you feel relatively comfortable in the pose. Again gradually and 5 to 10 seconds onto your stay every day or so until you can comfortably hold the pose for 5 minutes. To come down, exhale, bend your knees into your torso again, and roll your back torso slowly and carefully onto the floor, keeping the back of your head on the floor.

Wellbeing benefits
It stimulates the thyroid gland and so is very useful in cases of hypothyroidism. It helps swollen sinuses, chest colds, sore throat and improves eye sight and memory, varicose veins and pinched nerve in the cervical vertebrae. Helps facial paralyses, tones the entire body and gives a youthful glow. It helps in the maintenance of the organs in the pelvic region.

Prohibitions
It should not be done in the following cases: slipped cervical vertebrae, high blood pressure, heart disease or ailments of the ears and eyes, where increased pressure on the head would cause the condition to worsen, hyperthyroidism, enlarged liver or spleen and slipped discs. Contra-indicated for the first three days of menstruation. Consult doctor before practicing during pregnancy.

How do you get into the pose?
Lay down on your back. Raise legs, keeping seat on the floor, legs bent. Raise legs and pelvis so that it is perpendicular to the floor and pelvis is slightly pushed forward and higher than shoulder. Keep palms on the seat to support yourself in the pose, upper arms on the floor, elbows and shoulder blades moving inwards towards each other. Now that you are in the pose, relax and feel the stretch. Keep awareness on the breath (breathe normally) and on the stretch.
When you are ready to let go of the pose, exhale and lower the body one vertebrae at a time. Bring the body completely down. Relax. Prepare for counter pose.

For every forward bend, there is one backward bend to balance off the body’s energies. Sarvangasana usually balances off with Matsayasana .
Matsyasana helps in the case of hyperthyroidism, if the problem is not serious. It activates the pituitary and pineal glands, improves eyesight, rheumatoid arthritis of the back and lethargy. But since hyperthyroidism is contraindicated for sarvangasana, they are to be done as an asana pair only in the case of therapy for hypothyroidism or during a normal asana practice.

It’s about that time again, that we consider which Asana of the Week is right for the pages of the Yoga Wellbeing. Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand) is this weeks top pick, we have even included the counter pose. Seen as the leaves are soon going to be changing a rusty colour and we are going to be reaching for those extra layers before going into savasana the relaxation pose. We thought an asana that helps to relieve chest colds and sore throats would be a bright idea.

Wellbeing benefits –

• It stimulates the thyroid gland
• Helps swollen sinuses, chest colds, sore throat
• Improves eye sight and memory
• Tones the entire body and gives a youthful glow

Be careful if –

• You have a slipped cervical vertebrae
• Have high blood pressure
• Heart disease
• You have just started to visit Aunt Flow (ahem menstruation, I am still not sure about that word)

The Asana -

• Lay down on your back. Raise legs, keeping seat on the floor, legs bent.
• Raise legs and pelvis so that it is perpendicular to the floor and pelvis is slightly pushed forward and higher than shoulder.
• Keep palms on the seat to support yourself in the pose, upper arms on the floor, elbows and shoulder blades moving inwards towards each other.
• Now that you are in the pose, relax and feel the stretch.
• Keep awareness on the breath (breathe normally) and on the stretch.
• When you are ready to let go of the pose, exhale and lower the body one vertebrae at a time.
• Bring the body completely down.
• Relax.
• Prepare for counter pose.

The counter pose – Matsyasana (Fish pose)

For every forward bend, there is one backward bend to balance off the body’s energies.

Wellbeing benefits –

• It activates the pituitary and pineal glands
• Improves eyesight
• Improves rheumatoid arthritis of the back and lethargy
• Tones the entire body and gives a youthful glow

Be careful if –

• You have pinched nerves of the cervical vertebrae
• You have heart disease
• You have a hernia
• Have high blood pressure

The Asana -

• Bend backwards, put elbows on the floor, palms on the pelvis, crown of the head on the ground.
• Stay in the pose for a few seconds, keep your awareness on your breath.
• Keep palms on the seat to support yourself in the pose, upper arms on the floor, elbows and shoulder blades moving inwards towards each other.
• When you are ready to let go, come back to padmasana by pushing your body up with the help of your elbows first and then palms.
• Relax.
• Lie down in the relaxation pose savasana and stay here for a couple of breaths.

Feeling the inner peace and overall Wellbeing that this combined practice has created.

Here at Yoga Wellbeing we sat scratching our heads wondering what would be a worthwhile weekly post. After a couple of cups of tea (and hob nobs) we decided Thursday would be a great day to feature Asana of the Week, as it’s only one day away from the weekend. We thought it would be helpful to feel as though you were toping up your yoga practice at home. So we have decided that Vrksana the tree pose would be a gentle pose to start off with.

Wellbeing benefits –

• Improves sense of balance
• Strengthens thighs, calves, ankles, and spine
• Stretches the inner thighs, chest and shoulders
• Relieves sciatica and reduces flat feet

Be careful if –

• You suffer from insomnia or low blood pressure.
• Have high blood pressure, do not raise your arms above your head. Bring hands into prayer.

The Asana -

• Bend the right leg at the knee, raise the right thigh and bring the sole of the right foot as high up the inside of the left thigh as possible.
• Balancing on the left foot, raise both arms over the head, keep the elbows unbent and join the palms together.
• Hold the posture while breathing gently through the nostrils for about 10 complete breaths.
• Lower the arms and right leg and return to the tad-asana, standing position with feet together and arms at the sides.
• Pause for a few moments and repeat on the opposite leg.

The challenge of this asana is maintaining balance on one leg. Poor balance is often the result of a restless mind or distracted attention. Regular practice of this posture will help focus the mind and cultivate concentration. Imagine that the foot you are balanced on is the root of the tree and the leg is the trunk. You may be unsteady for a while and find the body swaying back and forth, but try not to break the concentration. Regular practice of this asana improves concentration, balance and coordination. Because the weight of the entire body is balanced on one foot, the muscles of that leg are strengthened and toned as well. As you advance in this posture and are able to remain standing for more than a few moments, try closing the eyes and maintaining your balance. Tree pose is a brilliant asana and has loads of benefits, so get outside and practice near a tree of your choice.