My Daily Routine as a Corporate Yogi
Alright #corporateyogis, so you have your morning routine down, right? You feel good about it and it makes the beginning of your day strong and powerful. (if you are still working on figuring out your morning routine, I got you, just read “My Morning Routine as a Corporate Yogi,” that I previously shared with you).
So now what? Well, by popular demand, I am happy to present steps to continue your day as a #corporateyogi regardless if you are working from the office, home or if you’re a #travelingyogi. Now, I don’t recommend you try all these at once; or you may have trouble sticking to them. I suggest trying one or two per week and seeing if they make a difference in your daily life. I promise it’s doable and worth it, so enjoy!
1. Morning routine.
Refresher: In addition to the routine that I described in my blog post, http://bit.ly/morningroutineyogi, I have begun incorporating another ritual: morning showers with positive thinking. I use morning showers as a cleanse from the past or prior day so that I can begin fresh (literally and figuratively) and with positive thinking. Mornings are vital to starting the day off right, so make sure you rock them!
2. Wear one item that represents you.
Standard professional clothing is always acceptable, however, wearing something that is unique to you, allows you to connect to your “real” life even while at work. For example, I wear a necklace that was given to me by someone special and when I see it or touch it, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. What is that one thing for you? Basically, make sure you have something on that carries a direct emotional connection to YOU.
3. Have physical reminders to stay centered.
Here is a picture of my desk. There is not much on it, I don’t like clutter; it’s a distraction. So don’t clutter your desk with unessential items, but rather keep it clean and simple with an object or two to keep you grounded and centered. I have a little monkey that my mama gave me. For you, it could be a small plant, or a photograph, or even just a post it that has your favorite quote on it that might center you daily.
4. Bring yoga to your office.
Well you all know about my #officeyoga shenanigans (@yogavich on IG) but if you don’t have the space or the environment to do that, I suggest you commit to a daily stretch whenever you get 5 minutes to yourself (in the bathroom, conference room, kitchen, wherever). When you commit to this, you will see, your afternoons will become less draining and you may even skip a cup of coffee for a pick me up! Point is, get your blood flowing and re-oxygenate your brain.
5. Food is always good, if it’s the right kind.
You know exactly what I am going to say. Avoid fatty foods, junk food, fast food ESPECIALLY when you are at work. Remember, what we put in our body (and when) affects our mood and our productivity. Eating healthy = high productivity and well leveled mood (no mood swings in the afternoon when everything seems to be annoying). What happens when we eat crap? We might enjoy the quick energy boost but the “high” doesn’t last for long, so we crash…hard. To avoid this, make healthy choices. You know what they are and if you don’t, maybe I need to write a blog post about that too :)
6. Have your own mantra / phrase.
I think it’s perfectly fine if the mantra or phrase is not your own, and something generic. But, I prefer to create my own because it speaks to me directly, and when I say it, it makes complete sense to me. Now, I have repeated the same phrase for months, I don’t try to make one up every day because I will forget it when I need it the most. So I say, make one up and use it until you truly feel like you need a new one. Oh and of course, write it down. Writing down anything makes it just that much more real. Why do we need this? Well when things get rough, saying a phrase (especially that you created) over and over grounds you, and calms you before having a full-blown reaction. Maybe you don’t need it, maybe you just want to listen to music, which is fine, but I would encourage you to try.
7. Carve out time for your practice.
I have mentioned many times that I make it to a yoga studio on average, about twice a week (better than nothing!). I know Monday and Wednesday nights fit into my schedule and include classes I love. So I try to stick to those days. When you need to leave on time, let your coworkers know ahead that certain nights you need to bounce. This makes it easy to just throw up a peace sign and be on your way.
8. Meditate.
This does not need to be a super long session; you don’t have to be sitting on a meditation cushion with burning incense. You can mediate while walking, or sitting in your office chair, you can do it before you get to work or right before you go to bed. It doesn’t matter when you do it, as long as YOU DO IT!!! Maybe if you are at work, your co-workers would want to join you. It can literally be a five-minute sit down with no one talking and all you do is concentrate on your own breathing. I know, I know, much easier said than done. I used to make an excuse that I cannot meditate at work, but that was just that, an excuse. I found the place and the time (usually in my car before I start walking to work) but I have meditated plenty in the office too, I call them “lunch time meditation sessions.”
So there you have it. Remember, no pressure, just incorporate one or two steps into your daily routine and see how it changes your entire day. Gradually, you can start increasing. I would say give it a month and only those things that end up working without too much force, you should use going forward.
Edits by the super awesome Marianna Golyak
#corporateyoga #businessyoga #corporateyogi #dailyroutine #morningroutine #yogalife
