<p>With busy schedules and deadlines, exercise or any form of relaxation seems to be a distant dream for professionals. And as pressure and stress levels increase, IT professionals and others, who have to work at the desk through the day, find relief in desktop yoga. </p>.<p>This is a form of exercise where one can do simple stretches while sitting on the chair or at a work station. <br /><br />The concept has been in the City for a while and professionals tell Metrolife that it has helped them in many ways. Rachna Mohan, a programme manager at Dell, says, “This is a very new concept to me. Although I’ve started practising it only recently, I can already see the changes in me on all three levels –– mentally, physically and emotionally. I can concentrate better while working and I’m able to handle stress more easily now.” <br />Rachna often gets frozen shoulders, and desktop yoga has helped her to deal with this as well. <br /><br />“I try my best to do a few poses for the forearms, wrist, shoulders and the chest, every two hours or so. Emotionally, I’m more focussed and patient now,” she adds.<br />There are others who were introduced to this concept a while ago but are practising it more now. <br /><br />Latha J, a senior manager with Embrace HR, says, “Although I was introduced to the concept a few years back, I stopped doing the different exercises and then, it skipped my mind.” <br /><br /> At a recent sessionof recreational activities at office, Latha was reintroduced to desktop yoga, and since then, she has tried to include it into her schedule as and when possible. <br /> “I focus more on the breathing exercises, which helps to calm oneself and take proper decisions,” she adds. <br /><br />Prashanth Madusha, a senior analyst at Accenture, feels that since the time he’s been practising this form of yoga, he’s been able to perform better and also feel comfortable with his schedule.<br /><br />“I don’t experience any physical pain now, especially stiffness in the back. There are exercises for the palm and the neck that I try and do every two to three hours. Since these are capsule exercises of barely 10 to 15 minutes, these rarely take away our work time,” adds Prashanth. <br /><br />It’s often team leaders who have to deal with a lot of stress. Saravanan Murthy, an area manager with a software firm, manages a team of 200 people. “I work with a team which has to continuously deal with demanding customers. This can be very monotonous and stressful. So, I practise this form of exercise for a few minutes of relaxation, and advise it to others as well. It’s always great to see many of them coming back saying it helped them,” Saravanan describes. <br /><br />Stretching elbows and other such exercises, are what Saravanan does every three hours, in his work schedule that often extends to 12 to 13 hours. “I also do <br />a lot of breathing exercises,” he adds.<br /><br />Jonathan Smith is a freelance emcee and voice-over artiste, who helped in organising recreational initiatives at IT companies through an employee engagement company. He says, “health and wellness is of utmost importance for a fuller and better life, and for better work performance. The demand for such classes has increased, since these companies realise the benefits of this particular type of yoga.” <br /><br /></p>
<p>With busy schedules and deadlines, exercise or any form of relaxation seems to be a distant dream for professionals. And as pressure and stress levels increase, IT professionals and others, who have to work at the desk through the day, find relief in desktop yoga. </p>.<p>This is a form of exercise where one can do simple stretches while sitting on the chair or at a work station. <br /><br />The concept has been in the City for a while and professionals tell Metrolife that it has helped them in many ways. Rachna Mohan, a programme manager at Dell, says, “This is a very new concept to me. Although I’ve started practising it only recently, I can already see the changes in me on all three levels –– mentally, physically and emotionally. I can concentrate better while working and I’m able to handle stress more easily now.” <br />Rachna often gets frozen shoulders, and desktop yoga has helped her to deal with this as well. <br /><br />“I try my best to do a few poses for the forearms, wrist, shoulders and the chest, every two hours or so. Emotionally, I’m more focussed and patient now,” she adds.<br />There are others who were introduced to this concept a while ago but are practising it more now. <br /><br />Latha J, a senior manager with Embrace HR, says, “Although I was introduced to the concept a few years back, I stopped doing the different exercises and then, it skipped my mind.” <br /><br /> At a recent sessionof recreational activities at office, Latha was reintroduced to desktop yoga, and since then, she has tried to include it into her schedule as and when possible. <br /> “I focus more on the breathing exercises, which helps to calm oneself and take proper decisions,” she adds. <br /><br />Prashanth Madusha, a senior analyst at Accenture, feels that since the time he’s been practising this form of yoga, he’s been able to perform better and also feel comfortable with his schedule.<br /><br />“I don’t experience any physical pain now, especially stiffness in the back. There are exercises for the palm and the neck that I try and do every two to three hours. Since these are capsule exercises of barely 10 to 15 minutes, these rarely take away our work time,” adds Prashanth. <br /><br />It’s often team leaders who have to deal with a lot of stress. Saravanan Murthy, an area manager with a software firm, manages a team of 200 people. “I work with a team which has to continuously deal with demanding customers. This can be very monotonous and stressful. So, I practise this form of exercise for a few minutes of relaxation, and advise it to others as well. It’s always great to see many of them coming back saying it helped them,” Saravanan describes. <br /><br />Stretching elbows and other such exercises, are what Saravanan does every three hours, in his work schedule that often extends to 12 to 13 hours. “I also do <br />a lot of breathing exercises,” he adds.<br /><br />Jonathan Smith is a freelance emcee and voice-over artiste, who helped in organising recreational initiatives at IT companies through an employee engagement company. He says, “health and wellness is of utmost importance for a fuller and better life, and for better work performance. The demand for such classes has increased, since these companies realise the benefits of this particular type of yoga.” <br /><br /></p>
