Blog

A quick fix acupressure release

By businessyoga

COVID-19 has highlighted how vital our immune system is for fighting off viruses.

If we have good internal health, then we are better equipped for fighting bacteria and viruses.

Here are some simple things we can we do to improve our health inside and out:

  • Sleeping properly: try to establish a sleeping pattern and stick to that routine
  • Eating well: A healthy balanced diet actually positively impact gut health, and gut health is not only connected to physical wellness but our mental wellbeing
  • Exercise regularly: Exercise keeps us young (as you know the spine is supposed to move in 6 directions to stay healthy and well!), and again, exercising releases endorphins (the happy chemical) in our body.
  • Taking regular breaks from desk based work: As you know, sitting still for long periods of time can have all sorts of negative effects on the body, so take breaks often and get moving.

At Business Yoga we also offer chair massages, which work with acupressure points to release stress and boost health. Acupressure has its foundation in traditional Chinese medicine and is a method of activating the body’s self-healing mechanisms. Like acupuncture, which uses tiny needles, acupressure stimulates the body at certain meridians, or pressure points.

Acupressure can help with a range of health issues such as;

Immune health

Neck pain

Sore muscles

Fertility

Digestion

Stress/anxiety

Back pain

Nerve problems

Hormone balance

Smoking

For an acupressure massage, you don’t need to remove clothing. The masseuse will use their fingers, palms, elbows to gently press on specific points on your body. This is restores flow and balance to the life energy flowing through you.

Here is a little technique to try yourself to release neck and shoulder pain (often the result of a stressful day at the office).

According to Dr. Moreau, there are several pressure points to use in the relief of shoulder pain, beginning with one of the most commonly used points, which is easiest to find by placing the thumb and the first finger between the shoulder area and then finding the centre (where the ‘web’ of the thumb is).

Here is how to apply pressure and release tension in that area:

1. Find the route of the pain in the shoulder area.

2. Press with a firm pressure until you feel a mild ache.

3. Hold for five seconds breathing deeply.

4. Release and repeat three more times.

Meditation tips

By businessyoga

Nowadays, I love meditation, but that was no easy feat. It took 10 day Vipassana retreats, silent retreats with Mooji, years of yoga practise to finally find stillness and quiet without thought, and still some days I observe the mind wandering.

On those days, when my thoughts wander off, I am not hard on myself, I remind myself that it takes practise and that’s where this beautiful journey begins.

Here are some tips for meditation:

  • The Monkey Mind (“Right, think of nothing. Is this right? I don’t feel any different. What shall I have for dinner? Shut up brain! My boss really annoyed me today. Stop thinking! Ahhh!”)

This is completely normal and all part of your journey. The reason we practise is to get better at slowing down our thoughts and letting go of them so we can connect to the present moment. A great way to start is by using a guided meditation. There are thousands of guides on YouTube you can access for free and they will provide you with that much needed focus to ease you into your practise and help keep those thought rambles at bay, but here is one we made earlier that we hope will leave you feeling relaxed and fulfilled.

  • Active Meditation

If you’re doing something mindfully, then you’re meditating. Swimming, showering, drawing, dancing, painting, even doing the dishes! If you let your activity bring you into the present moment, then you’re meditating! I love this way: for me this is true flow

  • Be more Tree

Sometimes just being in nature puts us into a meditative state, one where we are truly in touch with our inner state: our inner sense. Try walking or just being… or even tree hugging!

  • Intuitive Meditation

This is my favourite way to create and is a beautiful way to connect to the heart of who we are! To imagine, to dream, to allow our mind to let go of our current reality, the stories holding us back and build our own universe… to allow possibility into our lives. Want to know more about this? Head over to our sister site Maya Gandaia.

Prioritising our to do lists to combat overwhelm

By businessyoga

A few weeks ago, I was feeling really overwhelmed, and realised I needed to make some changes, to make my life simpler and to put some systems in place to feel better held at work and in creating the life I would love.

I came up with a list of ways to make life a little simpler. Here are some suggestions that we hope might also help you:

  • The to do list in order

Start by listing all of the tasks that you must carry out. Next divide a big sheet of paper into four and put the tasks into the correct places from urgent and important, urgent not important (I find it amazing to realise where our priorities really are by adding this detail), followed by medium and low priority tasks. Try to balance the fun and the urgent tasks, but don’t let yourself be tempted by tasks you want to do versus the ones you need to do.

  • Plan rest periods

We need a re-boost every 90 minutes, so scheduling a change of scenery, energy and activity can really make a difference to how well we work. Try creating structures: times of the day for emails or creative tasks, including time for rest or to go to nature, and make these as important as the moments of work.

  • Be open and honest so you can embrace change

If you’re really ready for a big change, you’ve got to be honest with yourself about what your heart truly desires. Have a physical, emotional and mental clear out.

  • Make a list about what matters to you most

This could be family, friends, money, health. It could be a goal you’re working towards such as a promotion, or getting out of debt. This is now your priority and if you want to add new things to your list of what matters to you most, you should question first if it negatively effects your 3 goals, if it does, maybe you should reconsider adding this into your life, and also why you are adding it.

  • Truly create from your genius

My own to do list only passes if I have seen the end result in my land of plenty: a meditative state to connect with what my heart desires. Find out more about and create your own land of plenty at Maya Gandaia.

Crystals that help with sleep

By businessyoga

We spend most of the day busy, moving from one place to the next, ticking off the to do list. By the time night time comes and we stop to unwind, sometimes the opposite happens, and our brain starts to process the events of the day and that little thing that niggled at you earlier that you didn’t have time to think about whilst you were distracted with the ‘to do’… now that event is going around and around in your head…

To calm the mind, we have to calm the body and soul, we need to come back to homeostasis… to become one with nature, and to do this we have to heal our energy. Here are some crystals and how their properties can help us find stillness:

  • Moonstone

Moonstone is perfect for easing negative thoughts. Moonstone reduces our emotional stress, decreases our anxiety and promotes feelings of peace.

  • Rose Quartz

Rose Quartz is known for its positive healing energy, and can bring on feelings of love and satisfaction.

  • Howlite

Howlite Crystals have a calming energy that helps reduce tension and insomnia. Place the crystal under your pillow and feel the relaxing energy rising up and helping you drift off.

  • Amethyst

Sleeping with this crystal deepens our sleep and helps the brain attune to calmness and positivity. Amethyst also purifies our aura, ignites the crown chakra and sets us on a path to divine wisdom.

  • Lepidolite

Lepidolite brings feelings of self-love, happiness and appreciation whilst also soothing and calming the soul.

When our cup is empty, how can we be of service to the world? (Tips for coping with trauma and stress)

By businessyoga

When we are stressed, we are inside of trauma. We all go through tiny traumas every day, and with each experience, our brains and our bodies respond. We enter into that heightened state of arousal: fight or flight (found out more about that here)

Our fight or flight response can involve a range of emotions, like anxiety, overwhelm, anger, and emotional outbursts. If you (like many of us) are experiencing that, know that you are not alone. Today we are offering some simple tips to deal with trauma and bring you back to homeostasis (find out what homeostasis means here), we would love to offer some tips for coping and transmuting:

1. Identify your emotions.

What emotions are you feeling? Stressful situations put us out of our power, and can result in us feeling angry, lonely, frustrated, scared or sad. Take some time to identify what you are feeling and why? Then see if you can take responsibility: is there anything you can do about the situation? Perhaps, if you are feeling scared, you may be able to then figure out some steps that would reduce this. Fun fact: we only hold emotions by 90 seconds (read more about that here).

2. Delay the urge to binge or go into a negative cycle.

Here are some suggestions to delay the urge to eat, or drink, or think negative thoughts:

* Go for a walk

*Try tapping (Here is a link and an explanation)

*Talk to someone (call a friend or a coach (Read why I recommend everyone has a coach here))

*Choose to be healthy: take a moment to meditate on this: what is the obvious thing to do if you choose to be healthy? (Try that meditation here)

*Journal or free write (this can be a great way to find out what we are feeling and let the emotions release).

3. Feeling angry? Let that anger out!

Those emotions that stay: it is often because we are ‘choosing’ to hold on to or bury them instead of get those emotions in motion. Here are some suggestions to let them out:

*Exercise: try boxing, running, or TRE (link here)

*Punch pillows

*Listen to music

*Shout (but not at someone!): Maybe cycle somewhere remote and scream and shout it out! Or just try communicating it with words to the person inviolved…

*Create it out: for example paint or write, maybe write a poem or a song!

4. Slide to the other polarity

You are not alone! Many of us feeling sad or overwhelmed. Hate and love are on the same vibration. So are sadness and joy. Try to turn the emotions you are feeling into their opposite. Here are some tips to make that happen:

Gratitude: Make a list of things you are grateful for (gratitude lists and journals are great)

Blessings: Think of 3 ways you can make your day a blessing

Give joy to someone else: The hermetic law of giving and receiving might be out of sync for you, so when you are feeling sad, try to do something nice for someone: then maybe this will trigger your feel good vibrations and heart opening!

5. Talk about your feelings.

This may be the most powerful way to release our emotions: tell somebody… and it will also bring them closer to you: sometimes we have no idea those close to us are suffering.

Wellness Tips for combatting a sedentary lifestyle

By businessyoga

Humans are built to stand upright, but evolution hasn’t caught up with modern times where the typical human sits most of the time!

The human body: from the heart to the bones and bowels, works best in an upright posture, and a sedentary lifestyles can actually shorten our life. But with offices set up for sitting, and most activities in our modern world involve chairs, it can be hard to avoid it.

Sedentary lifestyles are linked to:

  • Back pain: Those who sit frequently have an increased risk of poor spine health and disc degeneration. (This is especially true if we don’t work on our posture, don’t use ergonomically designed chairs or workstations, and if we don’t dedicate time to working out.
  • Type 2 diabetes: The risk of developing diabetes is 112% higher in those who walk fewer than 1,500 steps per day.
  • Varicose veins: Prolonged sitting can cause blood to pool in the legs.
  • Depression: Researchers think sedentary lifestyles could correspond to a lack of exercise, and so depression.
  • Weight gain: Digestion isn’t as efficient while sitting.

So here are few tips for you to put in place in your day to better look after your health:

  • Fidget… try to move as much as you can in your chair! Yes your colleagues may think you are strange but you keep your body alive and working!
  • Buy a desk bike! I have one and am a massive fan: Here is the one I use! (or click the link below)
  • Use the stairs rather than the lift
  • Walk to work instead of getting the bus: or even just get off one stop early (Or park farther away from wherever you’re going)
  • Take walks during your rest breaks.
  • If you don’t have a standup option for your desk, buy a monitor/keyboard stand so you can work while standing and let yourself stretch your legs.
  • Book a business yoga session for 15 minutes once a day!

Let us know how you get on: you may even notice an improvement in lower back pain within a few days!