FIVE REASONS TO SAY YES TO A MIDWEEK YOGA OR PILATES CLASS

By Ben Binder, Founder of The Fitness Works

 

We all know the reasons why that mid-week class can feel a little more challenging to make time for. The meeting schedule fills up daily, and our wellbeing routines can slip down the priority list. So here are five reasons why stepping away from the desk and onto the mat for a lunchtime dose of mindful movement can make our day a whole lot brighter.

 

1. Improve your posture

As our energy levels dip in the afternoon, it’s normal for our posture to collapse. So a yoga or pilates practice that breaks up the working day could help improve the way we look and feel.

You will develop and learn to use your core strength through practice, helping you sit more functionally without even thinking about it. As your posture improves, pressure is released from the organs, allowing them to function with ease, circulation happens more efficiently, and you might even notice those niggling back and shoulder pains fading away.

2. Cool the nervous system and curb the stress response

Life is stressful. Tight deadlines or a lack of support can lead to a building sense of stress in our work lives (and yes, we take that stress home at the end of the day too). Mind-body movements are a great way of helping us manage that inevitable stress before it can become overwhelming.

We can help naturally shift the body back into its rest and digest system and back to balance through conscious movement and breathing practice.

3. Connect with the community

Yoga means union. That means it’s not just you and the mat but a whole lot of other people around the world practicing the same thing.

Take a class with the co-workers, move together and get to know each other a little better away from the meeting room. 

 

4. Get into your body to notice its internal signals (before burnout hits)

Ever feel like you spend your workdays ‘in the head’ while the body runs on autopilot? Practice a form of exercise such as yoga or pilates which can help us reconnect with our sense of embodiment through an act of re-noticing our felt self. The sensory method teaches us to notice the more subtle sensations of the body by tensing, releasing, and softening into poses or bringing awareness to our contact with the floor.

This bodily awareness infiltrates our day beyond the practice itself. As we become more aware of our internal signals, we can spot those nasty triggers of burnout before it’s too late.

 

5. Sleep better

We all know the benefits of a good night’s sleep but that doesn’t always make it easier to drift off at the end of the day.

More movement during your day could not only help you switch off quicker at bedtime but could also improve the level of your sleep quality through the night. So the next time you’re thinking of sacking off the lunchtime class, remember the deep night’s sleep you could treat yourself to at the end of the day.

LABS members can sign up to weekly Yoga or Pilates classes run by The Fitness Works via the LABS app.