World Day for Safety and Health at Work: 5 Yoga Asanas for the Workplace

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The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated each year on April 28 to successfully promote the prevention of occupational diseases and accidents at a global level. This campaign intends to raise awareness and draw international attention to the severity of the problem, while simultaneously delving into ways to promote and create a safe as well as healthy culture, which can eventually help in reducing the number of work-related injuries and deaths.

World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2022 will explore the topic of participation as well as social dialogue in the creation of positive safety and health culture.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have witnessed that possessing a robust occupational safety and health (OSH) system (which includes meaningful and active participation of governments, employers, workers, and all relevant entities at both the national and enterprise-level) has been essential when it comes to the protection of working environments and the safeguarding of the health and safety of the workers.

Yoga at the Workplace

Health promotion at the workplace is surely intended to successfully enhance the health and wellbeing of the employee. Yoga asanas are easy when it comes to implementation and have been proven to be effective in the management of varied health conditions, including mental and physical stress. The overall effects of yoga on diverse mental health outcomes are proven to be beneficial, especially in combating stress. Findings of a study suggest that yoga has positive effects on health in the workplace, especially in reducing overall stress levels. 

5 Yoga Asanas for Employees at the Workplace

Yoga at work can keep neck pain, backache, joint problems, and muscle stiffness at bay as you spend long hours at the workplace. Give these 5 simple corporate Yoga asanas a shot, to effectively reduce workplace stress, physical pain, increased productivity, and decreased absenteeism, besides augmenting levels of motivation.

Just take ten minutes out of your work hours to practice these easy yoga poses at your desk or out in the fresh air. 

  • Siddhasana (Accomplished Pose)

Siddhasana (also known as Accomplished pose) is an ideal pose to meditate, for beginners. It is great for improving flexibility in the hips and groin or inner thigh muscles. Besides opening the practitioner’s hips, shoulders, and chest, Siddhasana also lengthens the spine, stretches the ankles, improves posture, strengthens calf muscles, and activates the chakras. Moreover, it helps the mind in staying alert, reduces anxiety and stress, and helps in balancing the activities of the reproductive organs.

  • Seated Crescent Moon Pose

This asana helps in improving flexibility around your neck and shoulders. The pose provides a deep stretch to the hips, groin, and thighs. It also helps to stretch and open the shoulders and chest and boost energy levels, while efficiently working to improve your body posture. This pose also improves the sense of balance of your body.

  • Seated Backbend Pose

From stretching to effectively strengthening the shoulders, this asana improves the respiratory system, by opening up the chest. It loosens up your vertebrae, offers relief from lower back pain, improves posture significantly, and gets rid of fat accumulated in the thighs.

  • Seated Figure Four Pose

This pose efficiently stretches the outsides of the hips as well as the glutes because it specifically targets a muscle that helps in hip movement as well as hip mobility: gluteus medius. Moreover, the pose successfully helps in relieving tension in the muscles around the sacrum and reducing lower back pain.

  • Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Forward Bend)

This wide-legged forward bend poses performed while standing is an effective warmup for several other wide-stance standing poses because it efficiently stretches the backs of the legs as well as the inner groin. Moreover, it calms the mind and eases fatigue, while improving blood circulation and toning the abdominal region.

To Sum It All Up

World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed every year on April 28. This year, the topic that will be explored is participation and social dialogue in creating a positive safety and health culture. The Health and well-being of the employee at the workplace are of paramount significance. Yoga offers a myriad set of advantages and benefits, especially reducing physical and mental stress. Five of the easiest yoga asanas or poses that can be practised at the workplace include Siddhasana, Seated Crescent Moon Pose, Seated Backbend Pose, Seated Figure Four Pose, and Prasarita Padottanasana.

 

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Suchitra Marwah

Suchitra is a certified yoga teacher with a specialized focus on Yoga for Children, Corporate professionals, Women's Health & Pregnancy