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6 MINS READ

From the title, it is evident that this episode of Yellow Insight will be exciting. It is easy to get lost and burnt out perfecting pixels on Figma, writing to get leads and sales, or even meeting business KPIs. If we do not take a pause to reflect and rest, our body and mind will pick an inconvenient time for us. 

One way to relax is through Yoga. Yoga means a lot of things to different people, for us at Yellow Slice, it was a way to reconnect with our inner selves and remind us that we are also humans. We are truly honoured to have Divya Kavdia, who walked us through the process of Corporate Yoga.

Divya Kavdia: A Yoga teacher with a difference

Interestingly enough, Divya is a UX Designer by profession. It was easy for her to connect with us on a level we would understand. Her curiosity about the real meaning of yoga has pushed her to be an excellent teacher, and she has the YTT Certificate from Vinayasa Yogshala Rishikesh.

Her teaching is not the kind that helps the participant with superfluous reasons, but she helps with substantial reasons like finding and reconnecting with your inner self. She firmly believes yoga is a way of life and not an exercise.

She had a Commerce background and even cleared CA—IPCC. But, she switched to graphic design and then did a UX UI course at HyperIsland University in Stockholm, Sweden. She connected the dots and noticed something was missing—yoga. So, regardless of where you find yourself, yoga should be an important aspect of your life. 

Apart from designing and yoga, she is a big advocate of sustainability. She is green-conscious of Mother Earth and loves anything that contributes to making our planet a safe place to live in the coming years. On a lighter note, she aims to find aliens and practice sustainability in her day-to-day activities. 

“I DO ART”

Some people do art, and not all do yoga. So, how did art become a factor for yoga?

I DO ART is an acronym coined by Divya to help us understand better.

• I- Intention
• DO- Desired Outcome 

• A- Agenda
• R- Roles and Rules
• T- Time

It was an introduction to what she had in store for us. 

The intention is to find time for our soul, mind, and body to relax. The desired outcome is to gain a new perspective on our mental health. The agenda is to unravel some myths about yoga and understand the 4W1H of yoga. As for the rules, she told us to put our phones on silence and stay in a quiet environment for the next 40 minutes. Of course, she is our facilitator and will guide us through the process.

Yoga is a way of life.

We can all agree that life is moving fast with the technologies we have in this generation. We are so used to the digital space that we forget we have a physical life to nurture and manage. Anytime the topic of technology comes up, it is easy to defend its benefits and overlook its effect on our physical and mental health.

Divya recommended a movie about living healthy: “Live to 100 Secrets of the Blue Zones.” It is a documentary that is available on Netflix. You have to give this a chance for your health.

Reel Yoga Vs Real Yoga

Divya busted some myths about yoga and its practices. These myths have shaped the opinions of so many people that they either do not want to get involved or end up doing the wrong things.

1. Yoga isn’t just about flexibility or fancy poses.
2. It is not a workout challenge
3. It is not just about the mat

Yoga isn’t just about flexibility or fancy poses.

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word YUJ, which means union. It is all about bringing our body, mind, and soul together. Yoga is rooted in our spiritual, mental, and physical health, unlike our aerobics and exercise classes, where we work on building our muscles or physical bodies.

It is not a workout Challenge.

Yoga is not about quantity but quality. It is not about 100 namaskars or 50 reps where you are all sweaty. While those are helpful, yoga doesn’t start there, nor does it end there.

It is not just about the Mat.

If yoga is a lifestyle, it doesn’t make sense to be confined to the mat. Divya introduced us to corporate Yoga. We can incorporate yoga into our day-to-day lives, like taking a walk for relaxation rather than cuddling under the blanket and scrolling through Instagram. We can use the butterfly pose(badkonasana) to chill on Netflix. All of these will help to improve the quality of our lives.

Yoga and Breathing

Yoga and breathing are inseparable. Yoga is more of a spiritual exercise, it involves building strength from within to reflect on your physical body, and your breathing pattern regulates the process.

It nudges you back to nature, giving you a warning sign to take care of the reason you are still alive. She told us the story of the tortoise and the dog. The tortoise is a slow and deep-breathing animal, and the advantage of this is evident in its lifespan, unlike the dog, which breathes shallowly and rapidly, their lifespan is around 15-17 years.

So, we can see why taking care of our breathing patterns is essential!

Corporate Yoga

We got to the main agenda of the day, and Divya explained about the 4W1H to give a better understanding of what we are about to do

What are we doing?

Corporate life has made it hard for us to make time for ourselves. So, to achieve balance in life, corporate yoga was born. You do not have to create a special schedule for it, you can incorporate it while working. You just have to be in the most comfortable state to do that.

When can you do it?

Anytime!

Yoga is not time-bound. You must discover what works best for you and incorporate it into your routine. It could be before starting your task or during your lunch break. The most important thing is that it is convenient for you.

Where should we do it?

This is also subjective to your choice and preferences. Find your own quiet space at work or home. It could be on the chair or a mat beside your workstation. Just make sure you find comfort and peace there.

Why should you do it?

• It has both individual and corporate benefits. It increases productivity and concentration.
• It reduces the effects of a sedentary lifestyle like insomnia, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. 
• It reduces the risk of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.

How do you do it?

See yoga as feeding your mind. We subconsciously let go of some virtues amid work, meetings, and events. So, yoga replenishes all the mental energy and coordination we have exerted. You should have a reason or a goal for doing yoga, this will direct the kind or method of yoga exercises. 

The practical aspect

We did corporate yoga, and words cannot describe the feeling and the experience, you must experience it yourself. 

The session started with a Gyan Mudra, which transported us into a realm of tranquillity for about 5 to 8 minutes. Divya facilitated so well, and it is beginner-friendly for those who have stayed away from yoga for a long time.

Sitting in the middle or the tip of the chair, we would have to slouch for support. So Divya taught us a trick to correct our spine: sitting so the buttock touches the end of the chair. This way, we reduce the probability of slouching, which causes more back and neck pain.

We then did neck, back, shoulder, fingers, waist, and leg stretches while focusing on breathing. For many of us, this was a moment of relief, and we felt relaxed afterwards. We ended with a laughter yoga, bringing us back to a lighter mood.

This yellow Insight was not only productive but also brought us back in touch with ourselves. This is your cue to start incorporating Yoga into your day-to-day life and taking it seriously. We have hacked productivity and positivity culture at YellowSlice, sessions like this Yoga highlight the activities we get involved in to deliver the best result.