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This article originally appeared promptly.com.
The American workforce has become more mindful. In a new?study?in excess of 85,000 adults, yoga practice among U.S. workers nearly doubled from 2002 to 2012, from 6 percent to 11 percent. Meditation rates also increased, from 8 percent to 9.9 %.
That’s good news, say the study authors, since pursuits like?yoga?and?meditation?have been shown to improve employee well-being and productivity.
“Our finding of high and increasing rates of exposure to mindfulness practices among U.S. workers is encouraging,” they wrote within the Cdc and Prevention (CDC) journal?Preventing Chronic Disease. “Approximately One in 7 workers report engagement in some type of mindfulness-based activity, which individuals can bring understanding of the benefit of such practices into the workplace.”
The study, which surveyed adults on whether they’d took part in specific activities within the last year, says individuals with jobs were more likely to practice mindfulness techniques compared to those who have been unemployed. (However, the participants were not asked where and when they practiced these activities, therefore it is unknown the number of everyone was actually doing them at the office, versus on their own time.)
The authors point out that incorporating mindfulness practices in to the workplace experience-through employee wellness and stress-reduction programs, yoga and meditation classes and web-based offerings-can be considered a method for companies to inspire their workers to take part.
The study also identified room for improvement in certain sectors. Blue-collar and service workers were less likely to rehearse mindfulness techniques than white-collar workers, and farm workers less. Household income and education levels partially accounted for these disparities, although not entirely.
The authors state that employers during these occupations may benefit by identifying workers that do practice mindfulness techniques, and involve them in planning and promoting these activities for other employees.
Institutional obstacles, such as lack of funding, insufficient time or personal beliefs, “should be addressed to make these practices open to all workers,” they wrote. Men and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups within these occupations are the least prone to do them.
In previous research, these types of workplace interventions have been of a host of advantages for employees. Mindfulness training has been shown to reduce burnout and mood disturbances in health care providers, and to improve sleep quality among teachers. (The research authors were unable to find any mindfulness studies that had specifically focused on blue-collar or farm workers.)
The new study also checked out the prevalence of two other mindfulness practices-tai chi and qigong-but didn’t look for a substantial alternation in these rates over time. Yoga and meditation are likely popular because they’ve received much attention in the general public in the last 2 decades, the authors point out.
As an entire, mindfulness practices can “address multiple workplace wellness needs, benefiting both employees and employers,” the research authors say.?Kristin McGee, a yoga instructor in New York City and author from the upcoming book?Chair Yoga, says that mindfulness techniques are essential for managing workplace pressures, no matter what that workplace is. “Having any type of job nowadays is really stressful due to the extended hours we spend working,” says McGee (who had been not involved in the study). Mind-body techniques like yoga can help counteract some of that stress plus some of the physical demands of work, whether from hard manual labor or?sitting hunched at a computer, McGee says.
McGee encourages people in all kinds of jobs to incorporate a little bit of mindfulness into their workday, not just a simple breathing exercise. Research has revealed that?slowing down and deepening breath?might have real effects on wellbeing, including controlling blood pressure and improving heartbeat. “That oxygenating breath helps pay off the mind and reminds you that you’re responsible for your breath and your body,” McGee says. “It’s an excellent tool for avoiding knee-jerk reactions, and achieving better control over the situation.”
To stretch a little at the office, McGee recommends side bends to help prevent back soreness and stiffness. These can be done standing or seated in a chair: Keep the back straight, raise your arms overhead, interlace fingers and press palms toward the ceiling, and bend gently to right and then left.
Other work-friendly yoga poses include?spinal twists, (which may be done seated or standing)?eagle arms?(great for stretching out wrists and shoulders), and?mountain pose?(for resetting your posture, boosting energy, and improving focus).
