Our yoga teacher Claudia promotes the health of our schalk&friends colleagues. Let her tips inspire you too!
Practising yoga online from home has now become “normal” for many people. There is now a large selection of platforms and yoga schools that offer this. Be it with a teacher you already know or by discovering new teachers and their style. We decided in favour of Claudia:
“I think it’s great when employers take the initiative and offer their employees online courses that support their health. Especially in these times, when so many people are working from home, conscious movement is important.
The management of schalk&friends has also realised this, so I now teach the employees in Munich from my yoga studio in Mallorca. I meet the schalk&friends team once a week and invite the participants to “feel inside themselves” during this time. In the yoga class, mindfulness goes to the breathing and the body, the mind calms down and you feel more vital energy again.
I would like to see more companies adopt this idea and support the health of their employees,” says Claudia.
If you have not yet had any experience with yoga, but feel like doing something for and with your body, calming your mind and emotions, yoga practice would be a wonderful way to start.
Here are a few specific suggestions from our yoga teacher:
A breathing exercise to wake you up: Active breathing. Sitting, back long, chest open, bring your arms bent at shoulder height, pull your shoulders back and slightly downwards. Now breathe deeply into your chest. Exhale slowly and bring your forearms towards each other. Then inhale deeply again and open your arms/chest, etc. Slowly increase the pace (a total of 10 slow breaths, 10 faster breaths, with deep and conscious breathing).
A breathing exercise to calm down: Simplified alternate breathing. Sitting, back long, chest open, close your right nostril with your right thumb and breathe in on the left. Now close your left nostril with your ring finger, hold your breath briefly (up to 5 seconds), then open your right nostril to exhale very slowly. Then breathe in again on the right, close both sides, hold, open the left and breathe out slowly. You can repeat this several times, 5 rounds for beginners, then slowly increase.
An exercise to let go of something: stand with your legs hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, bring your upper body into a forward bend, holding your opposite elbows with your hands. Breathe in deeply through your nose and out completely through your mouth, keeping your lower jaw relaxed. Repeat this breathing several times, at least 3 times. At the end, release your hands and shake out your arms, shoulders and head. Then, with your legs bent (!), roll up vertebrae by vertebrae using your leg strength, lifting your shoulders and head at the end. Feel briefly while standing.
I wish you good energy, relaxation and mindfulness!
Claudia Hubberten has been teaching yoga in German, English and Spanish since 2007. Whether online, for you privately or for your team, or live on Mallorca on your next holiday. More information at www.yoga-mallorca.com
