Studies confirm that yoga done at work can help relieve stress and significantly ease back pain. — Click to Tweet.
A recent study conducted by Bangor University in North Wales in the United Kingdom has concluded that yoga done at work can help to relieve stress and ease back pain.
Researchers studied 74 British government workers between the ages of 25 to 64 who had experienced stress and/or consistent back pain. The individuals were randomly split into groups, with one group practicing yoga for eight weeks, and the other group receiving standard medical care for their back pain.
The yoga group were instructed to take part in a 50-minute yoga class once a week, and were encouraged to practice yoga during their lunch breaks or after work. After the eight week study, the participants were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing their back pain, stress levels, and overall well-being. Individuals in the yoga group reported that they had lower levels of stress and less overall sadness.
In addition, only four people in the yoga group reported back problems, whereas ten people had complained of back problems at the start of the study. Comparatively, eight people in the control group complained of back pain at the start of the study, but the number jumped to 13 by the end of the study.
Yo’-Ganna love Yoga
While the study helped reinforce the idea that yoga can be good for a person’s well being, it also showed that it could be good for business. With happier workers, the number of sick days decreased, and general workplace morale improved. There are a number of companies that offer yoga classes to their employees, and it has been found to be a cost effective way of ensuring that your workers stay happy.
In addition to yoga in the workplace, individuals in the yoga group were encouraged to practice yoga in the comfort of their homes. Those that did reported that the yoga took very little time out of their day, and ultimately helped improve their general well being.
What This Means
Despite the hopeful findings, there are several factors to consider:
-A majority of the individuals in the study were women. Researchers worry that the gender difference may have affected the findings.
-Researchers also wonder if the yoga group may have experienced a placebo effect. Because they had been lead to believe that the yoga would be beneficial for them, this could have ultimately caused the individuals to feel a placebo effect.
Whatever the case, the findings are definitely a positive for believers of yoga.
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