"MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH IS THE SUCCESS OF COMPANIES, INSTITUTIONS AND ORGANISATIONS" Yoga, as a set of physical and meditative exercises, provides this state of health and happiness for those who practise it. A study carried out by researchers at the University of Bristol concluded that employees who practised physical exercise before or during working hours were happier, suffered less stress and were more productive. They performed significantly better in the three areas assessed: mental-interpersonal, production and time. Yoga is increasingly found in workplaces through corporate wellness programmes. The practice has long been a reality in large, successful companies and is spreading to many others around the world. https://arquivos.rtp.pt/conteudos/yoga-nas-empresas/ Successful leading companies such as Apple, Facebook, Nike and Forbes have introduced yoga into their corporate wellness programmes and have reaped benefits such as greater productivity and increased motivation and creativity among employees. Cascais City Council and Maia City Council have introduced yoga and meditation into their health programmes to reduce the rates of stress, depression and illness among civil servants and the general population. https://www.cascais.pt/atividade/atelier-do-bem-estar-inspiracao-felicidade https://www.dn.pt/sociedade/yoga-e-meditacao-para-combater-o-stress-em-funcionarios-publicos-5153021.html Some very practical examples of how yoga at work can improve employee productivity and motivation are: 1. Relieving common aches and pains for company workers Employees often spend long hours at a desk in front of a computer or at some other repetitive task every day, most of the time in incorrect postures. These incorrect, uncomfortable, non-ergonomic postures are harmful and cause pain. Back pain, spinal pain, tendonitis, neck tension, stiff shoulders, heavy legs, slow and insufficient blood circulation, etc. Thus jeopardising productivity, performance, creativity, motivation and the pleasure of working. Yoga at work helps to relieve all these pains and helps to reduce tensions caused by stress, irritability, improving the flexibility and support of the body and increasing body awareness. 2. Promoting team spirit It's human nature for a stressed-out person to be hostile and aggressive, which brings negativity to the company and affects the mood of all the other employees, making them less motivated. A harmonious working environment is more productive when everyone co-operates with each other. Practising yoga at work can help improve mood and keep the environment calm, as it helps to reduce levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. What's more, yoga in companies allows employees to take part in an experience together, regardless of their skill levels, and creates an opportunity for them to relate to each other in a relaxing and relaxed environment, creating empathy with one another. 3. Reduce stress and increase motivation, concentration, focus and productivity Tight deadlines, demanding workloads and too many meetings can create a huge mental burden that prevents employees from concentrating on their tasks and making intelligent decisions. This mental pressure often leads to burnout. Yoga exercises are a great way to effectively silence mental noise and lead to bright, inspiring and creative ideas. The increased blood circulation from yoga practice also helps to improve brain function. 4. Exercising the body and promoting general health Movement is fundamental to our general well-being. The most common complaint from working people is the lack of time to exercise their bodies. This increases anxiety and pressure in the long term. By offering a yoga class during working hours, or during breaks, employees will feel calmer, better about themselves and grateful to the company that provides them with this moment. Our body is a perfect machine that needs constant maintenance. As well as a healthy diet, it needs strength, flexibility, balance and movement. Human beings have jobs that require them to repeat postures and movements every day, most of the time. And time goes by until the body starts to become rigid, crystallised, unbalanced and unhealthy. It is in this context that yoga provides a complete physical activity, with postures that work all the internal and external organs of the body. It is the only physical practice in which all the exercises are always accompanied by breathing, providing more energy, vitality, regeneration and purification. It eliminates toxins, strengthens the immune system, balances the nervous system, promotes correct postures, promotes physical-motor coordination, corrects breathing patterns, increases strength, flexibility, balance, creating physical and mental well-being, promoting general health. Our mind is the organ in our body that produces thoughts. Thoughts are ideas. Ideas create reality. Meditation is one of the tools of yoga that has three main objectives: Silencing the mind from thoughts; Observing thoughts; Orienting thoughts. With the constant practice of meditation we start to live in a more conscious, present, calm and positive way, without levels of anxiety, stress, nervousness and mental fatigue. This increases concentration, focus, discipline, creativity, lightness, motivation, co-operation and success. Yoga is an integrative practice recognised by the WHO and the Ministry of Health. Many scientific studies have proven its benefits, such as: Relieves pain: arthritis, fibromyalgia and back pain: - Harvard University https://www.health.harvard.edu/alternative-and-integrative-health/yoga-for-pain-relief Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease - European Journal of Preventive Cardiology - Harvard: https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/yogas-health-advantages-may-extend-to-the-heart ECC- European Society of Cardiology: https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Yoga-has-the-same-potential-as-exercise-to-reduce-the-risk-factors-of-cardiovasc Helps with memory - Instituto do Cérebro do Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, 2017: https://www.einstein.br/pesquisa/instituto-do-cerebro/projetos-de-pesquisa/efeitos-da-pratica-do-yoga-no-envelhecimento-cerebral Combats anxiety, depression, Alzheimer's - University of California: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/what-it-about-yoga https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/reduce-pre-alzheimers-cognitive-impairment-get-yoga-mat Improves brain function, cognitive skills, the ability to control impulsive emotional responses and habitual patterns of thought and action - University of Waterloo: https://uwaterloo.ca/news/news/yoga-and-meditation-improve-brain-function-and-energy-levels Provides health and well-being - Study by the Public University of São Paulo proves: https://www.scielo.br/j/csc/a/4ZSqcXDmvfXGtbSkB8hw73v/ *