Workplace stress thwarts immune system
As an ex-investment banker tuned founder of Inspire Yoga and author of “Secrets to Live Stress Free” I want to share my personal journey of career transformation, going from Finance to Freedom. It’s no secret that Hong Kong is a high stress environment, everyone feeling rushed, self worth connected to material wealth and an incessant need for space. The tension affects everyone differently- in mood, functioning and aches, it’s an angry cocktail for teamwork! It’s evident that we need sustainable and practical solutions to manage the daily grind of the city and that starts with an inner balance which is the essence of yoga. Next week is World Health Day, are you doing enough to invest in your wellness?
Having launched the corporate wellness arm of the business last year aimed at mindfulness and energy optimization, I am passionate about bringing employee empowerment to the forefront of corporate culture. As Simon Sinek emphasizes in his book ‘Start with Why’, the fundamental basis is that employee satisfaction will affect client relations as they are the frontline representing the firm and customer experience. It makes corporate wellness a sound business decision especially amidst high burn out rates this will improve productivity levels in the long run and thereby sustain profitability.
My strong belief is substantiated by personal experience, having worked as a derivatives trader I saw first hand how stress levels began to affect my health, my digestion suffered, my sleep quality was poor and I had chronic lower back pain. I used my yoga practice to counterbalance the stress by releasing the occupational tension, connecting with my energy through pranayama, and find a mental clarity and deep relaxation in meditation. Seeing my colleagues suffer the stress around me, when I would suggest me they join me for a yoga class they would be so averse to the idea, why? They did not have an access point to the benefits, out of their depth entering a crowded studio class, feeling lost keeping up in a vinyasa and getting worried about injury if they stretched too far, I wanted to provide a gateway to yoga that takes a solutions-based approach. When the practice is underpinned with an understanding of how it helps, it becomes a practice of empowerment, change and trust. Our wellness programs incorporate seminars in the office that combine practical techniques with theoretical explanations, this has been very effective in achieving high consistency with the practice to achieve the real benefits of yoga- physical agility and mental clarity, if you can become stressed at work why not release it at your desk too?
Some of our corporate clients include Citi, HSBC, PwC and HKU. Discussing the epigenetics of stress in the topic of conscious parenting, the energy principle in nutrition talks, navigating the physical impact of bring overstimulated with information and showcasing restorative techniques to bring about balance especially with 2 in 5 people in Hong Kong suffer from sleep disorders. When we become aware of what we need we are more inclined to make changes, what is happening now is that we normalize high stress levels that we don’t acknowledge the mental agitation until it erupts in a physical manifestation. The root cause is in the mind, we use yoga techniques to access the mind through releasing stiffness in the body, increasing energy through breathwork and inserting positive intentions of health and harmony in meditation.
Sustained high stress levels leads to anxiety, lower resilience, decreased repair functions of the body leaving us more vulnerable to contracting viruses from an impaired immune system- 46% of short term medical leave is due to colds/flu (non manual industries). By empowering the workplace to be aware of their own stress levels and provide them with tools to relax and refocus the benefits are seen of a physical, energetic and psychological level. The integrative approach brings a connection to individual balance in body and mind and this is reflected on a larger scale within the company as staff are able to cooperate, feel valued and show loyalty to the firm.
Inspire Yoga is the pioneer onsite provider of yoga and meditation programs in Hong Kong. Passionate to share its holistic system of mind-body science by providing individual restorative solutions for stress management, chronic pain, fatigue, back pain, low immunity, joint stiffness and poor sleep quality. Adopting a personalized approach, programs are curated to serve the objectives of their clients by balancing yoga postures, breathing techniques and mindfulness training held at home on a one to one basis for private clients and in the office through workshops and seminars for corporate clients. With a team of 25 instructors it has been making empowering change to personal health and well being in Hong Kong since 2010.
