Corporate offices can be stressful environments leading to poor mental health among employees. Sedentary office jobs are terrible for your body, causing at best, aches and pains and, at worst, muscular-skeletal disorders, diabetes, depression and heart disease. This is why the increasingly popular practices of yoga and meditation are being implemented in workplaces across the world. Yoga is known to improve strength, balance and flexibility and meditation is thought to enhance self-awareness and improve sleep. So why should we be practising these during our lunch breaks?
Here we’ll explain the benefits of lunchtime yoga and meditation.
Increased productivity
Yoga helps to increase energy, positivity and boost employee morale meaning you are able to be more productive in the office. When it’s easier to get more work done, it reduces stress levels because individuals are worrying less about deadlines and what needs to be finished. Meditation also helps to improve your attention span and memory, making small tasks in the office easier and effortless.
Increased focus
A demanding working day filled with constant meetings, endless emails and impending deadlines can cause mental clutter, impeding your ability to think clearly. Even a 10-minute meditation can help clear away this clutter and give you a stress-free mindful time to enjoy on your own. Both yoga and meditation help to cultivate a still and focused mind.
Better immunity
Fighting sickness is important and the more sickness that passes through the office, the more days of work will be missed spent suffering on the sofa. Yoga can help strengthen your immune system and stimulate your lymphatic system to oust toxins from your body. Meditation can also work to improve health functions such as improved immune function, reduced blood pressure and enhanced cognitive function. Overall, practising a more mindful lifestyle will take some of the weight off your shoulders and help your body to function in a more optimal way.
Control anxiety
1 in 4 people in the UK suffers from mental health problems every year, anxiety being the most prevalent of these conditions. Yoga and meditation, a combination of meditative practice and physical activity, can help to ease anxiety in adults. One study found that employees who used a mindfulness meditation app for 8 weeks experienced improved feelings of well-being and decreased distress and job strain, compared with those in a control group.
Yoga and meditation can be incorporated into the workplace by creating designated areas for these practices and providing either virtual or in-person workshops and classes to help promote mindfulness.
POW Food is a healthy meal delivery service providing delicious and nutritious meals for your office and home. We aim to harness the power of wellness to optimise productivity and create happier workplaces. Alongside our meal delivery service, we also provide lunchtime meditation sessions to help your team come back from lunch energised and refreshed. Visit our website today to learn more about the services we provide.