When Ophra Shiffeldrim was hired by WeWork during the same month she completed her yoga certification, she saw this as a serendipitous opportunity to combine her two passions. So in addition to her full-time Product Manager workload, Shiffeldrim leads a yoga class for members at WeWork Fulton Center, epitomizing being fully present and finding balance in the workplace.
“At work, the intention is to spend a lot of time in our mental space and not our physical space,” says Shiffeldrim. “Having the practice of yoga to come back to can help us find a mind-body connection and reduce the stresses of the day-to-day.”
Engaging this mind-body balance, Ophra says, can actually energize the brain and help you better focus on tasks at hand. According to Shiffeldrim, this is what makes yoga in the workplace so important.
“I find that yoga helps me focus, find clarity in the most important things I should be working on, and helps me ask myself what I imagine for the future,” she says.
To her, this practice is not only about balancing herself, but about giving back.
“My classes make me feel like I’m making a contribution to the WeWork community,” she says. “This is my way to connect to the members, and I’m so grateful to be able to bring yoga into this space.”
Check out the slideshow to see Ophra’s picks for six workplace-friendly poses you can use to feel more centered in the office, even when a big deadline is looming.
Photo credit: Lauren Kallen / Avi Werde