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The everyday work that we do, whether in an office, working around the house, or in any setting, is like a dance: both working and dancing have rhythm, movement and flow. Working in an office, like physical exercise, can tire us. However, we can use a few simple movement ideas from the art of dancing to stay fresh and energized.

Fatigue at a desk

Have you ever thought, Ive been sitting at a desk all day. I havent been exercising hard. Why am I so tired?

Part of the reason is that sitting at a desk or working on a computer often results in a posture that impedes proper breathing. People can unconsciously develop poor posture habits that contribute to fatigue. Sitting in a concentrated posture with the head craned forward, slumped shoulders, and rounded back results in less oxygen intake than healthy posture with the head and shoulders in alignment.

Another cause of fatigue is focusing our thoughts too long on one task. This is similar to the effect of repeating a physical exercise all day. Thoughts have speed, strength, direction and flow, just as exercise does. Although physical activity may be minimal, focusing too long on one mental task is tiring. Shifting positions and varying activities can help.

Balanced movements

Breaks and short naps are helpful, but resting alone doesnt always remedy fatigue during the workday. Pioneer movement analyst and researcher Rudolph Laban discovered that balance in body movements is important. He believed that if work required movements twisting to the right, then twisting to the left should be included to create balance. Dancers and athletes do this in their training routines, in order to develop muscle symmetry in the body; likewise, workers are also influencing the development of their muscles with their daily routines.

Rhythmic variety and dynamic contrast

Walking, typing, speaking and meetings all have rhythms and are part of a typical office workday. For example, some meetings run with the steady rhythm of a fixed agenda, and others flow like a meandering stream with a flexible agenda. Varying rhythms during the day enhances productivity at work and helps us stay energized.

Just as it is fatiguing to listen to words spoken in a monotone, work done in a monotone mannerfor example, at a fast tempo all day longis fatiguing. Variety, balance and contrast make work more interesting, and help us stay productive. Just as dancing involves rhythm and movement, along with a variety of fast, medium and slow tempos, job satisfaction is related to rhythm and work flow.

Repeating the same physical movements too many times creates mental and physical fatigue; this can happen at work or in an exercise class. A dance instructor who spent three hours rehearsing a single step created mental and physical exhaustion for the students in that class. An office worker who spent three hours at a desk working on one paragraph in a business letter felt similar mental and physical fatigue. Creating variety during work and exercise helps avoid this.

Individual rhythms

Every individual has a natural rhythm, which is expressed when walking, talking and working. For example, some people prefer to walk briskly, while others prefer to be leisurely. A person whose natural rhythm tends to be slow and thoughtful is likely to feel uncomfortable in a setting demanding fast and habitual movementsfor example, in a job working under demanding deadlines and rushing to meet tight schedules for a repetitive task. A person in a job which matches their natural rhythm is more likely to be satisfied with their work.

Group rhythms

Many retail businesses, doctors offices, and restaurants play music in the background as part of the setting for their work. While this is often intended to make the setting more comfortable and friendly for customers, it also creates a background rhythm for the employees. Fast paced music is used in some retail settings to encourage customers to be quick about their selections and purchases; the employees also respond to the music and to the customers rhythm. Other settings, such as dental offices, play slow, relaxing music to encourage customers to relax.

Dancing through a workday

Dance is a beautiful example of how rhythmic variety, dynamic contrast, and balanced movements help us recuperate. Dance and exercise classes involve balanced movements: exercises for the right leg must be repeated for the left leg; steps done traveling across the floor to the right must be repeated traveling left. Using variety also keeps movements interesting and energizing.

Dance and exercise classes add variety to our movement repertoire and challenge us with physically demanding movements. While this is arduous at first, stamina increases with regular sessions. A dance or exercise class also helps with developing balance, rhythm and variety, which help us stay fresh and energized.

Ideas for creating variety and minimizing fatigue during the workday:

* Be aware of your posture at work; sit upright, not slumped. If you need help developing good posture, consider attending an Alexander Technique class or yoga class.

* Hand massage and hand exercises help maintain flexibility, and are especially important for people who use a computer keyboard for long periods of time.

* Shutting and relaxing the eyes periodically helps prevent eyestrain.

* Tempo and movement changes create rhythmic variety, balance and contrast.

* Taking the stairs, instead of an elevator, burns more calories and is a form of exercise for some office workers.

* If your employer offers exercise facilities, take advantage of these to get physical variety into your workday.

Ramona is the author of Dynamic Belly Dance, the Joyful Journey of Dancemaking and Performing. See free belly dance videos, read book excerpts and order an autographed copy at http://www.DynamicBellyDance.com

Copyright 2007 - All rights reserved worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article, give author name credit and follow the EzineArticles terms of service for publishers. Thank you!

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Regardless of what particular school or type of yoga we practice, it is unlikely that many of us are really practicing yoga. Rather we are more likely to focus on only 1 of the 8 limbs of yoga - yoga asana.

Yoga asana are the physical positions and postures of yoga that started were really only starting to develop in importance with the development of Hatha Yoga. While exact dates are not well established, yoga has existed for a lot longer than the practice of modern asana.

These asana have been developed over more than 1500 years to promote physical health as part of a greater Hatha yoga practice. Each asana is carefully designed to focus on particular areas of the body. The specific effects of an asana include:

• Building strength in specific muscle groups
• Stretching specific soft tissues including muscles, ligament and tendons
• Opening specific joints
• Developing balance and concentration
• Massaging and stimulating internal organs

Individually these effects can have significant benefits, but by combining individual asana into a carefully developed and balanced routine the Hatha yoga practitioner can develop their entire physical body, internal organ function and mental clarity.

How do yoga asana work

Although yoga and asana are not considered to be scientific by western definitions, the practice of asana is considered by yoga masters to be very carefully developed and refined based on several well-developed underlying principles and health objectives.

Gravity One of the key principles of asana is that of gravity. asana use gravity in a variety of ways, the most important being in developing strength. By resisting body weight on arms or legs the asana can develop upper body or leg strength and muscle tone in the same way a weightlifter would in a gym. With yoga asana the weight being resisted varies only with our own body weight, and each pose can only apply the same amount of body weight meaning that all muscles are developed proportionately so long as each pose is held for an equivalent amount of time. After we can easily hold our body weight in a particular pose, holding the pose for longer builds additional strength and stamina.

Blood flow and nutrients

Blood flow to specific areas of the body brings many health benefits. By working specific muscles, soft tissue and joints, the body brings additional blood flow providing the needed oxygen. This additional blood also brings needed nutrition to those areas, which is essential for general health as well as the speedy recovery from injury and damage. The key way to bring blood to these areas is through stretching. In addition to the increased blood flow, stretching loosens and relaxes soft tissue such as muscles, ligaments and tendons and opens joints, all of which helps to relieve tension and pressure on nerves in these areas.

Deep breathing

during the practice of asana, we are encouraged to control our breath with long deep inhalations and exhalations. In some poses it is even encouraged to still the breath with the lungs full or the lungs empty for periods of 20 seconds to 1 minute. The first benefit of this controlled breathing is to bring our focus and consciousness to the present, to our current actions. By being able to control this focus, we can improve our concentration. Secondly by breathing in this controlled way, we improve the efficiency of our respiratory system, bringing more oxygen to the body and to the organs, muscles and soft tissue being worked on.

Central nervous system and internal organs

Although yoga texts don't tend to describe yoga in the terms used by modern medicine, many of the concepts are analogous to medical structures. With nerves represented as Nadis or energy channels and the Chakras representing key glands. The purpose of asana is to rejuvenate the whole body by conditioning these individual systems to make sure they are working optimally.

One of the key focuses of asana is in on the central nervous system, which comprises the spine and brain. In yoga this could be referred to as the Nadis and crown Chakra. The Central Nervous System is one of the most critical structures in the human body, controlling all movement and thought and passing the control signals to all the nerves throughout the body. Clearly if the function of this core control channel is impeded, it can have an effect on the function of the whole body. One of the plainest examples of this is through back pain and sciatica. through the misalignment of, or damage to, the spinal disks or vertebrae that protect the spinal cord and root nerves, those same nerves can be pinched or irritated which can lead to intense pain and numbness in the back, as well as referred pain and numbness in the legs or feet. While the causes of damage to the spine can be many and varied, poor posture is a key cause of back pain. asana for the spine help to bring the fluids that contain the nutrient required to repair the damaged soft tissues and can b effective in healing back problems. However these asana are not always sufficient since poor posture and back pain can also be cause by other elements such as tight hamstring muscles in the back of the legs or gluteus and piriformis muscle groups in the buttocks. Therefore a holistic approach is required to correct the back injury.

Other key systems that asana are designed to address is the glandular and lymphatic systems, particularly the endocrine system. The endocrine glands, which include the thymus, thyroid, pituitary pineal, hypothalamus, adrenal and sex glands release their secretions directly into the blood stream. The secretions made by these glands have an enormously profound effect on the body's health function controlling everything from height and weight to metabolism and emotions. Asana are designed to stimulate these glands in a variety of ways from increasing blood flow to those in the brain (hypothalamus, pituitary and pineal) or thyroid in the neck to gently massage and stimulate through bends and twists of the abdomen.

The next key systems that asana stimulate are the internal organs and digestive systems. Both of these systems are critical to taking in nutrition and expelling waste and toxins from the body, and are particularly important for good health. Asana improve the functioning of these systems through stimulation and gentle massage provided by abdominal bends and twist as well as movement of the hips and legs.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jez Heath is helping real people learn yoga online so they can make the commitment necessary to improve their yoga and their health - mind, body and soul. learn how yoga streaming video can help you transform your life

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