3 Ways Yoga Can Benefit The Businessperson

The lot of a modern businessman is a stressful one and there is always so much to
do. It would take a pretty compelling set of reasons to convince a successful
businessman (or even an unsuccessful one) to add something else to an already
packed schedule, so why would he even think about regular Yoga classes. In this
article we examine the three main benefits of Yoga and how they apply to the busy
businessperson.

Benefit Number One: Physical Health
All business-mans ultimate goal is to become wealthy isn’t it? Have you ever heard
the saying that your health is your wealth? Believe me it is true. No matter how
much money you have you cannot benefit from it if you are dead and personal health
is often neglected in today’s busy corporate world. But the question is not whether
one can afford the time for exercise to become healthy; it is whether they can afford
not to. Health is a shifting scale – you are not either healthy or dead. It’s important to
think about how much your level of health affects your work. A healthy body will
allow you to concentrate more, work harder and increase the time you spend
productively.

Yoga is the perfect way for a businessman to look after their physical wellbeing.
Because the exercises are so incredibly low impact they can be performed even by the
most out of shape person, and the more regularly they are performed the better that
person’s health will become. Yoga is a very efficient method of releasing tension and
stress. During a workday certain blockages develop around the body and many of our
vital organs do not get the full amount of oxygen and nutrients that they need to
function at peak efficiency. Yoga stretches different muscles groups in certain ways
that will lead to these blockages being released and the blood flow bringing the bodies
organs all the oxygen and nutrients they need.

Yoga’s health benefits are both immediate and long term. In the short term blood
flow is increased and the body functions better because it is achieving the nutrients it
requires. Tension is also released from muscles and the bodies lymphatic system is
able to more effectively deal with waste products. In the longer term these will be
ongoing benefits and the digestive system will also function more efficiently, which
has innumerable health benefits. The general balance, co-ordination and flexibility
will also be greatly enhanced.

Benefit Number Two: Mental Health
Have you ever considered the importance of a breath? We know that when someone
stops breathing they die, and even this simplistic understanding should tell us how
important it is to breath. But breathing properly is often ignored. It is vital not only
for the numerous health benefits, but also for the strong mental advantages it allows
us.

Yoga sessions will usually begin with a standing, breathing exercise. The simple
process of taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly is incredibly calming and the
basis of the breathing exercises that are a vital backbone to the Yoga discipline. The ​
key to this breathing is that it draws our attention to the one simple action of
breathing. We become very aware of the life giving benefit of a deep and controlled
breathing cycle and are able to achieve a level of calmness that we often don’t seek
out in our everyday lives. That calmness itself is a stepping-stone to achieving focus.

The ability to focus is probably the single most important primary skill in a work
environment. There is always so much going on around us and so much that needs to
be done that it is difficult to focus on the single task we are doing because of the
multitude of things ‘in the back of our mind’. Regular Yoga teaches techniques to
quickly clear the mind of all these other distractions and then focus our mental efforts
on a single task. It is also a great provider of personal discipline. The self-discipline
that is learned from focusing on the body and becoming master of oneself is a key
benefit of Yoga.

Benefit Number Three: Happiness
Happiness is a goal that is often sacrificed in the short term in exchange for some
mystical point in the future when everything will come together and be okay. Yoga
doesn’t move you any closer to that mystical time, but because you develop such a
strong sense of self and connection with yourself, it is common to become more
content with your current situation. You will find that the more you practise Yoga the
more you will be comfortable spending time alone as well as amongst other people.
Your sense of self worth will increase and you will perform better in social situations.
This is perhaps the most important gift that Yoga will give to you.

FIND A BEGINNER YOGA CLASS NEAR YOU –