Inside Yoga 84 (16/9/13)

Under pressure? That’s what Queen sang many years ago. Last month it was reported 21-year-old intern Moritz Erhardt died while working at an investment bank in the City of London. Reports suggested he had worked for three days and nights in the run-up to his death without sleeping.

This news, predictably, has resulted in a debate about the hours that some people, junior employees in particular, have to do to keep succeed in their job, and possibly just keep their work. I say predictably, because I do not think this is a new situation, because working round the clock has always happened in some jobs. I also say predictably because some sort of moral indignation will take place for a while and calls for this to be curtailed will be heard, but then when the furore has subsided what will be left behind will be the same working practises.

The BBC reported an interview with an intern, who said:  “You only really understand what goes on when you get on to the desk and you sit there on your first day and you see the clock. It’s nine at night, and no-one has left. The clock hits 10, 11 and 12 and still everyone is there.

“You are told you stay and you work until the work gets done. But the problem there is that the work always keeps coming. I ended up doing an all-nighter in my first week as an intern, which is when you start work at nine, you stay until five or six the next morning, you go home, have a quick shower and then head back into the office and continue working.

“And I think the really bizarre thing about that is, as an intern, you’re almost functionally useless to your desk. You’re not really adding anything, you’re not really doing anything, you’re just one more warm body. But because everyone else on the team is doing it, the expectation is that you are there and you are willing to be there at the same time even if all you are doing is looking over someone’s shoulder.”

When I was in my 20s I worked as a journalist in London, and there was a period, about 6 to 12 months in length, when I was working till midnight every evening. I was not an intern, but in charge of production during a re-launch and also while new technology was being introduced to the staff. This meant more to do and not enough staff. I told the management that I needed more staff, but they did not respond for a long time, and by the time they did I had developed RSI which stopped me from working for a period. Ironically, it was then that they decided to get more staff in!

When I looked back at this period of time I did wonder how would I have coped if I had been practising meditation and yoga? All I did at the time was drink more! Not the healthiest of responses. If I had been practising some meditation and yoga I might have avoided RSI and coped with the hours better than I did.

The practice of yoga and meditation helps to balance out the imbalances in our life, and this does include periods when we are overworked, over tired and in need of a break. And as said above, I don’t believe working conditions are likely to change for some of us and for many it is getting harder, with the pressure to perform and produce increasing as in the present economic climate.

How do we cope?

So how do we cope? While at work here are a few tips and ideas on how to help you get through the working day.

If you need a break and cannot officially take a one, why not go to the toilet cubicle and sit there for a few minutes meditating on your breathing. Simply watch or count your breathing for a few minutes. It’s a good way of releasing tension and energising the mind and body. You only need to do this for five or ten minutes to feel the benefits, and your boss or colleague is unlikely to come up the toilet and tell you to hurry up – or even to say I”I know what you are doing in there”!

While sitting at desk, remember to stretch out so often and check your posture to avoid slumping or hunched shoulders. Do no leave it till later – do it right now! Stretching your arms above your head and behind the back with he hands clasped can help loosen up and waken up.  Seated twists and legs stretches as well can help – do whatever feels good, but do not forget to do this.

If your building has stairs use them instead of the lift – this of course depends upon on how many floors you have in the building, but see it as a challenge  – as this will help keep your feeling more energised and awake, and fitter. When I worked on the Bristol newspapers – this was while I was teaching as well – I would use the stairs, and even if I wasn’t going anywhere I would spend a few minutes going up and down as a screen break!

Another neglected part of the working day is your legal entitlement to breaks. Unfortunately, many of us do not take them and often eat lunch at our desk while working at the same time. This is not healthy for us. It is not a break, so the body and mind does not have a chance to rejuvenate and revive as much as it would if we went somewhere else to eat our lunch. Also, there is a view that the body does not digest the food so effectively if we are working at the same time – as the Zen saying goes: “when I chop wood, I chop wood”.  It’s all part of the mindfulness teaching of being present, because when eating and working the body is getting mixed messages – is it working or eating? It is doing both, so neither is performing at its best!

What is strange about this modern habit of eating and working is that in some cases we can actually spare the time to go off and eat, but don’t allow ourselves the time – we fear it is not possible due to work load, we think the bosses would think less of our ability to do our work or our work ethic if we take a break, or perhaps we do not want to be judged by our colleagues if we are not seen to be working all the time.

A martyr to the cause

We can sometimes end up being a “martyr to the cause” by causing ourselves stress and suffering through the way we work, but not doing anything about making it better for ourselves and instead putting our energy into making sure everyone around us knows how hard we work!

It is a crazy world that we live in and while we might not be able to change it completely, we can improve the quality our lives by checking how we are living and working, by making changes where possible – this includes in those day-to-day little ways of taking a short break to breath and revive, and a proper lunch break.  And of course, do some yoga practice when not at work – or come to one of my classes! Now there’s an idea!