Finding Work-Life Balance with Yoga—or trying to

by Sandy

One of the most difficult things for me during the pandemic—and I know I’m far from alone in this—has been establishing and sticking to a schedule. If you’ve been working from home or live with someone who has, you’ve undoubtedly experienced the way work can leak into every hour of the day and how challenging it is to strike any kind of so-called work-life balance. For many of us, it’s become hard to even know when the workday starts and ends, and when, not to mention how, we can focus on the life part. These issues are compounded by our technology, which often means we are constantly plugged into work communications, whether we want to be or not.

I’ve struggled around this stuff as much as anyone, but I have managed to develop a few strategies for both getting my yoga practice in and for marking transitions between work and “life.”

The first strategy is my ritual of landing on my yoga mat as soon as possible after rising and before plugging into any devices. I can’t claim I’m always successful at resisting the lure of “just checking texts” or “responding to that one email,” but without fail it’s a better day when I am. I know how easily the “one thing” can turn into a rabbit hole that will disappear my entire morning. The habit of turning off my phone before I go to bed and leaving it in another room, which is a ritual I implemented pre-pandemic and has felt very freeing to me, makes this easier—I’ve gradually been training myself to practice before turning it back on in the morning.

Another is taking a late afternoon or early evening well-being break that helps me transition from “work” to “life.” The boundary between the two was much easier to observe when work was in another location and there was an obvious demarcation. Then, even if it was hard for me to stop doing “one more thing” and tear myself away from the computer, at some point I always had to just do it, get in the car, and go home. Now I have to somehow peel myself off the couch and that one more thing is always looming nearby. So the point of this is to have an intentional self-care break that signals I’m no longer at work, one that also boosts my overall well-being (which we would call a positive intervention in positive psychology—see Positive Psychology and Yoga, Part 3: Growth and Change.)

My wellness break varies from day to day depending on how I’m feeling: It might be a walk, or a cup of tea and a snack, or even a phone conversation with a loved one. But very often it’s a calming yoga practice, one that feels appropriate for later in the day. I’ll talk about honoring the time of day and energetic cycles in another post, but for me, this means a practice consisting mainly of reclined, seated, and restorative poses, and perhaps some pranayama and/or meditation. If I’m fatigued, I’ll start with a restorative pose to recharge my energy before I start moving. I’ll often do a supported backbend to open up my front body if I’ve been sitting for a long period, and if I’ve been on the computer a lot, I might throw in some eye exercises (see artofliving.org). Typically, it will be a 30- to 45-minute practice session, but even 15 to 20 minutes is exponentially more beneficial than no practice at all.

I’ve found this type of practice is a very effective way to leave work behind and move into my evening and personal priorities, but it’s also a great break even on days when I have to return to work afterwards. In that case, I come back to my computer mentally and physically refreshed and even find it easier to set and stick to a stopping time. A yoga practice is an especially good option if I missed my practice that morning, if the weather makes a walk unappealing, or if my energy is flagging and I need the pick-me-up of restorative yoga. In the latter case, ten to fifteen minutes of Relaxation pose (Savasana), Legs Up the Wall pose (Viparita Karani), or another restorative pose is such a gift—the trick is just getting myself to do it. Again, I can’t claim that I manage that 100 percent of the time, but I’m always happier when I do. Who among us ever regrets time spent doing yoga? It’s a human conundrum, that we can’t always find the motivation for doing things we know will make us feel better. But I’m always grateful when I do practice, and gratitude is also a well-known happiness booster.

Here is an example of a work-to-life transition practice I might do on these days. If I ever work in an actual office again, my intention is to keep up this ritual of having an intentional transition upon arriving home, at which point it will become a “from-work-to-home” practice. But for now, I have to find ways to create that boundary for myself, and maybe you do too.

Work-to-Life Sequence

This sequence is intended as an example and a general guide. So feel free to experiment and modify it in any way that works for you, including the timing suggestions. There is no “one-size-fits-all” when it comes to yoga (or possibly anything).

1. Relax in Legs Up the Wall pose (Viparita Karani) or Legs Over Chair pose (aka Instant Maui)—10 minutes.

2. Practice Thread the Needle hip stretch (aka Figure Four)—30 second to 1 minute per side.

3. Meditate in Cobbler’s pose (Baddha Konasana), back supported on wall, knees supported with blocks or rolled towels if needed—3 to 6 minutes. An alternative is any simple cross-leg seated position.

4. Practice Cat-Cow pose—1 to 3 minutes.

5. Practice Supported Backbend over a bolster, rolled towel, or block, with your legs in Cobbler’s pose (Baddha Konasana)—6 to 10 minutes. An alternative is to have straight legs stretched out over another bolster or rolled towel.

6. Practice Simple Reclined Twist, with both knees bent and legs stacked—1 minute per side.

7. Practice Side Stretch in Easy Sitting pose (Sukhasana)—30 seconds to 1 minute per side.

8. Practice Easy Sitting pose (Sukhasana) with a forward bend—30 seconds to 1 minute per side.

9. Optional Relaxation pose (Savasana)—5 to 10 minutes.

10. Sit to practice a form of simple pranayama or eye exercises (see artofliving.org). An alternative is if you don’t practice pranayama is simple breath awareness.

11. Sit to meditate for 5 to 15 minutes.

 

For information about Sandy’s classes, writing, and positive psychology journey see www.sandyblaine.com.

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