Wellness Shots for Busy Leaders with The Holistic Leaders.
Last week I spoke about The Pomodoro Technique where we do focused work for 25 minutes and then take a 5 min break. So in every hour we have 50 minutes of total focus and 10 mins to take our break to Move, Breath, Stretch, Rest.
Most people have heard that yoga, meditation and breath-work can help with stress, lack of focus, lethargy and physical discomfort due to desk work, but we often don’t know where to start, we feel we don’t have the time or we may believe that yoga requires existing flexibility and that meditation requires an empty mind (neither of which are true!).
I understand the pressures of leadership and I also know the benefits of looking after ourselves so this joint method compliments both because I want to be realistic that not every day can offer a full consecutive hour for wellness. Rather than waiting to ‘have time” to care for ourselves, we create time. Using this way of working allows for both increased productivity and improved wellbeing without feeling the “loss” of time.
I had noticed a number of blocks that were preventing my clients engaging with techniques that can really help them and so “Wellness Shots” were birthed. There are on-demand tools that can help you feel calm, confident, energised and alert, depending on what the day calls for. Some days, the right emotional states will come easily, but so often they don’t. We can leave it to chance, or we can utilise these free, easy tools to alter our states naturally. This not only leads to increased productivity but more enjoyment and happiness which you know I’m all about. These Wellness Shots require no gymnastics and no lycra, just you as you are, no special equipment needed. Once practiced a couple of times, these will be tools to call upon when you need to de-stress, re-energise and re-focus throughout your working day.
Wellness Shots can be weaved into your regular working day in 5 or even 1 minute increments. If all you have is 1 minute to steady yourself before a client meeting, or 1 minute to increase your energy before an important presentation or pitch you can call on these tools. Even as the kettle is boiling you can use them to bring you into the present moment.
All of the techniques are designed to help with your body, mind and soul. Benefits include increased energy, improved focus, stress reduction and pain management. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing some tools for you to use during these breaks that will weave wellness into your every day.
Morning Wellness Shake
You can’t drink it but you will feel great after. I promise.
What is Shaking?
Referred to as Bioenergetic Shaking, this also appears in Qi Gong and Somatic Therapies.
We are born to move but modern day living means we have to consciously bring this into our
day. Animals shake after threatening traumatic events to move stress from the body so it doesn’t
get stored as tension. Humans however, store this tension which then gets trapped in the body.
Dancing and shaking moves this energy through. Think about how amazing you feel after a good
dance: this is the premise of this!
Benefits
• Recalibrate's our nervous system.
• Wakes us up.
• Loosens up our physical body.
• Shifts energy.
• Lifts our mood.
• Relieves Stress.
Guidelines
• Play some music with a good beat!
Breathe through your mouth with loose, relaxed jaw.
• Feet hip width apart.
• Bounce from the knees. Let the movement spread up through your body.
• Shake your hands (Imagine shaking gloves off!).
• Dance and shake for 1-5 mins.
• Smile.
• Grin.
• Laugh at your own ridiculousness.
• Roll the shoulders. Wiggle your hips. Twerk your arse.
• Shake your feet. (Imagine shaking your socks off!)
• Let loose, go wild...get the kids and dogs involved. YEOW!
• Imagine you are shaking off any stress, tension or tiredness.
• WHEN? First thing in the morning to wake up or do whenever you want to raise your energy levels or shake off any stress during the day.
G’luck and don’t fear the judgment of anyone seeing you bop around! Your body, mind and soul will thank you!
Shell x
The TASK Times
