From Lisa – Office Yoga

It’s that of year again when many things come colliding together and all these things are urgent! Yup, it’s Christmas City Follies crunch time, which also always coincides with our annual audit, and, because why not keep things interesting, let’s throw in a Board Meeting on the first day of the audit too. Cue stress… now!

Fortunately, I’ve learned some important tips when it comes to time and stress management over the years. One lesson that took me a little while to accept was that taking a “time out” rather than “pushing through” is ultimately more effective. If I feel like I’m hitting a wall and not thinking as clearly I should or just super sleepy, I’ll give my officemates a head’s up that I’m giving myself a time out for 10 minutes. Then, I go do my favorite yoga pose – “legs up the wall” – on the wooden bench outside the rehearsal room in the upper lobby.

“Legs Up the Wall” or Viparita Karani:

It’s amazingly effective for me as a way to refocus and recharge, especially when I pair “legs up the wall” with deep breathing exercises. Plus, since I sit or stand most of the day it helps with circulation to have my legs at a higher point than my heart. It’s also supposed to be great for your nervous and digestive system. Perhaps the most important lesson though is that doing less is more. By simple resting and not running around trying to get a million things done at once, I’m allowing my body to recuperate and am far more effective afterwards than if I would have powered through.

Last week, during the Follies/audit/board trifecta, I did this pose and realized as I came out of it that there are a number of marks on the wall from where the heels of my shoes rest up against it. I’ll need to clean those off before opening night of Follies!