Transcript Work is a Lifestyle

Work = Lifestyle:
Reduce Stress and Encourage
Health through
Yoga at Work
Brienne Diebolt-Brown, M.S.,
R.Y.T. (Registered Yoga
Teacher)
A sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity
can contribute to or be a risk factor for:
Anxiety
Cardiovascular
disease
Mortality in elderly
men by 30% and
double the risk in
elderly women
Depression
Diabetes
Colon cancer
High blood
pressure
Obesity
Osteoporosis
Lipid disorders
Kidney Stones
Stress
The benefits of workplace wellness
include:
Improving employee health
Reducing preventable health care
utilization and lowering health care
costs
Enhancing work performance
Improving employee satisfaction and
retention
Yoga’s Physical Benefits
Yoga appears to be equal or superior to
exercise in reducing symptoms associated
with diabetes, multiple sclerosis,
menopause, kidney disease, pregnancy,
menopause
In a study of renal failure patients there
were significant reductions in pain,
fatigue, and sleep disturbance
In research on healthy individuals, yoga
was found to be superior to exercise on
nearly every outcome measured
Ross, A.; Thomas, S. The Health Benefits of Yoga and Exercise: A Review of Comparison
Studies. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Vol. 16, No. 1, 2010, pp. 312.
Yoga’s Psychological Benefits
Yoga relieves symptoms of
schizophrenia, mental illness
including depression, anxiety, and
obsessive compulsive disorder.
In both healthy and diseased
populations, yoga was found to be
effective or better than exercise at
reducing salivary cortisol and
oxidative stress.
Ross, A.; Thomas, S. The Health Benefits of Yoga and Exercise: A Review of
Comparison Studies. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Vol. 16,
No. 1, 2010, pp. 3-12.
Who can do yoga?
Predominant Yoga Styles
in the U.S.
Ashtanga – Vigorous and highly athletic style marked by a
set sequence of poses. Each pose is performed once and
held for 5 breaths, followed by vinyasa.
Bikram – A demanding sequence of 26 poses and two
breath exercises, always done in the same order and
manner, in a humid room heated to 105 degrees
Hatha – Slower, gentle pace. Props such as blankets, blocks
and straps are often used. (ex. Iyengar, Viniyoga,
Sivananda, Integral, Kripalu, Restorative, Nidra)
Vinyasa/Hatha Flow – an evolution of Ashtanga, poses are
designed to flow from one to another, not a set sequence,
less gymnastic but still athletic
Anusara – sometimes flows like vinyasa/hatha flow but
more resembles Iyengar for its focus on alignment
Kundalini – an energizing practice that blends repetitive
gestures with strong breath techniques, meditation, and
chanting with less attention to anatomical precision
8 Limbs of Yoga
5 Ethical controls – nonviolence,
truthfulness, nonstealing, sexual
discipline, greedlessness
5 Ethical observances – cleanliness,
contentment, discipline, self study or
scriptural study, surrender to a higher
power
Postures
Control of vital energy through the
regulation of breath
8 Limbs of Yoga cont’d
Sense-withdrawal – the practice of
removing external stimuli and reducing
their effects
Concentration – the ability to place
attention deliberately and hold it
indefinitely
Meditation – mental absorption yielding
insight and self-knowledge
Enlightenment – complete integration
between the self and the universe
Hiring a Teacher for your Wellness
Program
Contact a local yoga studio in town and see if they have a
yoga teacher to recommend/lend
Ask the teacher how many hours of training s/he has:
– Some training programs require that the teacher teach
concurrent with training so as to better understand yoga
principles
– Some training programs require the teacher to study 200
hours of anatomy, theory, techniques before applying to the
teaching process
Ask the teacher what disciplines of yoga s/he has studied.
Ask the teacher for the name and contact information of
his/her yoga mentor/teacher
OR Look up the teacher’s name on
http://www.yogaalliance.org/ or
http://www.theyogaregister.org/ (not all teachers who are
well-trained choose to be members of these organizations)
Questions?