Whether you’ve been job searching for a week or a year (or longer), the act of trying to find employment is stressful. It means long hours stooped over your computer, lots of networking events where you’re standing in uncomfortable shoes, and job interviews where your stress levels are through the roof. Yoga can help ease the stress on your mind and body as you make your way through the job search process.
Here are four ways you can use yoga to reduce stress during a job search.
1. Breath before a job interview. Whether you drive, take the train or bus, or walk to a job interview, leave early enough so that you arrive early. Spend your few free minutes doing some deep breathing. As you breath in, bring positive thoughts and energy deep into your body with your breath. As you breath out, release tension and negative feelings from your mind and body. You’ll walk into your job interview with a much more positive, relaxed state of mind.
2. Stretch while at the computer. As I type this article, I have corrected my posture at least four times because the longer I sit at a computer, the more stooped over I become. Between each job application (or during, even better!), take a moment to sit upright, raise your arms overhead, and stretch. Take a deep breath as you stretch and release that breath as you release your pose. Twist side-to-side and circle your neck round-and-round to loosen up and energize.
3. Chat up people in yoga class. Yoga is a great way to meet like-minded people and you’ll probably find that you have similar interests with the other students in your class. Take some time before or after class to have casual conversations with the people around you. One benefit is just the happiness we feel when interacting with other people. And another potential benefit is the networking opportunities that can happen. We always hear about people making networking connections while chatting with fellow seatmates on airplanes, so why not at yoga class?
4. Remember to practice gratitude every day. Practicing yoga allows us time for calm meditation where we can tap into our gratitude. During a job search, it’s likely that you’ll be feeling a lot of negative feelings – uncertainty, nervousness, rejection, and despair just to name a few. Use your yoga practice as a reminder to meditate about what you’re grateful…
From: My Yoga Online