Believe it or not there’s an old fashion approach to yoga, Pilates and mediation that focuses on soothing your soul, healing your inner self, releasing your hidden passions and other wonderfully sounding life enhancers that, let’s be honest, seem like a big waste of time.

But a benefit of yoga that perhaps we’ve over looked is how different forms of movement and breathing can boost your productivity when it really matters. So consider this, one of the reasons yoga was invented and is practiced is to clear the mind in preparation for mediation. Using that definition, why can’t we, flexible workers alike, use yoga to clear our minds in preparation for fulfilling our potential at work.

We were intrigued and so sought out a few yoga experts (a.k.a the other type of flexible people) to learn how the right techniques and movements can boost productivity, reduce stress and create an overall working haven of awesomeness we can use in our careers – the challenge had been set.

Breathing

Adults can take up to 30,000 breaths every day and the way most people take these breaths can, from a yoga perspective, be both a cause and a result of stress.

Which, when you consider how your breathing can change dramatically, makes perfect sense. Think of the last time (and your breathing during this time) you watched a horror film, went on a rollercoaster or had a bad dream forcing you to wake up suddenly. These short, quick breaths draw air in to your upper lungs and forces you to tense some part of your body, whether it’s your jaw, neck or lower back – all prime problem spots for office workers.

Yoga can help control these breaths and create a naturally slower respiratory rate reducing tension and quite literally forcing you to relax. One quick way of doing this is getting in the habit of breathing through your nose instead of your mouth, this also warms and filters incoming air, which is a happy bonus.

Other benefits of practicing yoga include:

• Motivation – You’ll be surprised how much 10 or 15 minutes of controlled breathing can force to think, evaluate and act. The yoga technique of breathing into your heart is a good way of doing this

• Anxiety – Something we all face on a weekly basis, anxiety during a meeting or a conference call can physically stiffen your body and (through personal experience) have a huge affect on the job you are trying to do. Breathing through your spine and concentrating on a specific area of your spine will give you a sense of stability and reassurance, leading to your fear and anxiety dissolving away

• Self-Confidence - Simple yoga breathing techniques and positions can help improve your self-esteem which, you don’t have to be an experienced instructor to know that will have an instant affect on the pride you take at work.

We agree, this all sounds too good to be true. Can controlled, regular and focused breathing really have such an effect on our stress levels that we see productivity sky rocket? There’s only one way to find out.