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Deep Breaths for Less Stress Workshop

ARE YOU STRESSED? If you are like 50% of the population you just might be.

Stress, it seems, has become an epidemic, with many of you reporting in our recent survey that you feel stressed out at work more often than you would like. 

But what can you do when you are dealing with long to do lists at home and at work, chronic tension draining your energy and no end in sight?

The mistake many people make is just to push through, drink more coffee, and take "unnecessary things" like exercise and mediation off the list of things to do.

It turns out that continually making this mistake is not only costly to productivity and happiness but can potentially be risky to your health. 

Because it lowers immune function, increases chronic tension and increases blood pressure and cholesterol, stress is implicated in every major chronic disease from IBS, to heart disease, to obesity, to diabetes and cancer. 

Ironically, the hustle and bustle pace of our busy lives means that...

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Think working out will prevent sitting disease? Think again!

You work out, you get enough sleep, and drink half your body weight in water everyday and if you are like most people you will think this is enough to stay healthy....but here's the crazy thing: it isn't. Many people mistakenly believe that just because they exercise regularly that sitting all day won't effect them. But unfortunately this just isn't true. Even people that work out on a regular basis are still at risk for sitting disease.

Sitting disease...what's that?

Sitting disease is a collection of risk factors used to describe the negative health impacts of a sedentary (or in-active) lifestyle. These risk factors include: obesity around the mid section, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high blood cholesterol. These factors make it far more likely that someone will get injured, get sick more often, get diabetes, develop chronic disease and even die younger.

Given that people sit anywhere from 7.8 to 11 hours a day sitting disease is becoming an epidemic in many...

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No bones about it: Yoga is amazing!

By now I'm sure that you have realized that Yoga has a long list of benefits such as relieving back pain and neck tension, lowering your stress level and boosting your productivity to name just a few! But did you know that it helps you build strong and healthy bones too?

Pretty awesome right?

In the poses we are placing our joints in a variety of positions which helps to circulate their fluid and stimulates renewal of cartilage, tendons and ligaments.

Simultaneously, the bones are isometrically subjected to forces many times those of gravity, which causes them to grow stronger.

                                        

Yoga uses such a variety of positions that it stimulates the muscles and joints from all sides! Which is also fantastic for building strength AND maintaining flexibility. 

This signals the mechanosensor cells within our bones...

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Does working a desk give you lower back pain? Then it might be time to lunge and squat!

 

Spending a significant portion of our day seated can take a toll on us in many ways. One area of our body that is often effected is our lower back, that can get stiff and painful without regular movement.

Couple this with tension in the surrounding muscles: hip flexors, hamstrings and lower back muscles plus the extra pressure on the spine when seated and we could have a problem on out hands: LOWER BACK PAIN!

So what can we do?

SQUAT!!

Research shows us that doing hip flexor stretches combined with holding a deep squat is a powerful way to maintain lower back, hip and ankle mobility.

In just as few as 10 minutes a day we can go a long way towards keeping our spines healthy and pain free!

Mobility expert Kelly Starrett suggests that we start with 10 one minute squats every day, working our way up to a 10 minute hold.

Eventually, we want to work our way up to a more balanced ratio of time spent sitting, to time spent mobilizing our body….but we have to start...

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Try this easy move you can do at your desk to ease neck and shoulder pain

Do you upper back or neck pain when working at your desk? So many of us do!

Part of the reason for this is because when we are working on the computer we tend to slouch: letting our shoulders and head roll forward. This takes us out of the natural S curve of the spine into a rounded C curve.  When this happens our muscles have to work harder to hold us upright and our head gets heavier and heavier.

In fact, for every inch your head moves forward of your shoulders it’s weight increases by approximately 10 pounds! 

This extra weight means the upper back and neck muscles have to work extra hard leading to extra tension and discomfort. This extra work can drain our energy and zap our productivity. This makes it extra important to take Yoga Breaks throughout our day to reset our posture and ease the impact of sitting. Click here to learn more about the effects of sitting on our bodies, minds, and spirit.

Watch this quick video to learn a move you can do right away to...

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Celebrate Posture Month with 50% off the ABCโ€™s of Strong Posture Workshop

Sit up straight, stand up tall….you’ve probably heard this advice SO many times right? And for good reason! Posture is so important, so important that it now has its own month, May! May is Postural Awareness Month, so I’ll be sharing lots of tips and tricks to help you strengthen your posture.

Want to learn more about posture and why it's so important? Check out this short Facebook Live I did on the topic!

 

 

Slouchy sitting and bad tech habits are a common cause of back and neck pain, as well as headaches, and are a major drain on your energy. So what can we do about it? Learn the ABC’s of Strong Posture in my fun and interactive workshop!

From May 1-30th I am offering 50% off this fun and interactive workshop that will teach your team:

  • the key elements of posture so they can sit taller with less pain and tension
  • how to use their breath to lower stress and boost energy
  • tools and tips to integrate into their workday immediately

Book your...

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Why should you do stretching exercises at your desk? To prevent sitting disease!

Did you know that the average American spends about 55% of their waking hours every day sitting??? 

This adds up to almost 8 hours everyday sitting, and this finding is on the low end, with other studies that many people are sedentary (ie: not moving) for 12 or more hours everyday. WOWZERS!!

So what does this all this sitting mean for your health?

Remember how we talked about how Sitting is the New Smoking ie: how all that time parked in a chair is not only wreaking havoc on your derriere, but also your health? Well unfortunately, it’s true and it even has its own name: SITTING DISEASE!  “The growing body of research on sitting disease has found a strong correlation between long periods of sitting and elevated risk of illness or injury.” YIKES!!!…..like what you might be asking yourself???? 

It turns out that sitting for so long everyday puts someone at a higher risk for:

  • weight gain (especially around the midsection where it...
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FREE 5 day โ€œDesk Yogaโ€ Challenge starts April 22nd!

Did you know that taking short Yoga Breaks throughout your workday is a great way to:
  • ease the chronic tension in your neck and shoulders
  • strengthen your core muscles for better posture
  • balance the effects of chronic sitting
 
Within just a few deep breaths Yoga Breaks help to boost your productivity by:
  • lowering your stress levels
  • keeping your brain alert and sharp
  • boosting your creativity and focus
 
AWESOME RIGHT?
 
I’m so excited to help you get into the habit of taking Yoga Breaks throughout the day with this FREE 5 Day “Desk Yoga” Challenge!!!
 
Sign up by HERE:๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿฝ
http://bit.ly/takeayogabreak to get your challenge worksheet!
 
Each day at 7am HST/10amPST/1pmEST  in my  Yoga at My Desk Tribe I will be going live to show you 1 stretch and 1 strengthening move for a different area of your body, plus a breathing exercise to help you focus and quiet your mind!
 
Then once you have done the...
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What drives me to do what I do? Learn more in this Podcast episode!

I am excited to share that I was recently featured as a Stand Out Expert on the Stand Out Be You Podcast! Take a listen to learn more about my journey as an entrepreneur and how I became interested in helping people integrate the tools of Yoga into their workday.

Yoga is such a powerful way to help you move, stretch, breathe to boost your energy, lower your stress levels and increase your focus for more productivity. And Im excited to share these tools with you!

Are you here on Maui? Learn more about my different in person Workplace Wellness services HERE .

Want to learn how to take Yoga Breaks at your desk? Check out the Yoga at My Desk Online Course  or join the Yoga at My Desk Tribe on FaceBook HERE.

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Remember how much fun recess was as a kid? It turns out adults need them too!

Do you remember how much joy you felt when you heard the recess bell sound? Hooray, time to go outside to play!

And within an instant everyone would grab their snacks and head outside to skip, play ball, talk, whatever. Wasn’t it fun?

Spoiler alert: 

It turns out that recess really wasn’t all fun and games, it actually serves a purpose! 

According to research from Georgia State University, the brain can only focus for 45-50 minutes at a time. In order for it to regain focus, it needs novelty and downtime to process information at high speeds again.

Interesting right?

While you thought you were just out there having fun you were actually:

  • increasing oxygen and blood flow to your brain
  • improving your balance and motor function
  • building healthy muscles and joints
  • lowering stress levels
  • enhancing your hormonal balance and overall well-being

When you returned back to class after this “brain break” (aka: recess ;)) research...

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Is the nagging pain in your neck and back distracting you and draining your energy?

Press PAUSE on your busy life with this free 10 minute "Yoga at My Desk" video to instantly feel better!