Anyone who works with a phone, a computer and a full inbox knows how easily the day gets pulled off course. Old articles about yoga for business people used this problem to argue that yoga helps you stay on target. There is something in that idea, but it is easy to oversell. Here is what mindfulness and yoga can realistically offer, what the research says and how to try a focus exercise yourself.
What does it mean to stay aware?
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes mindfulness as maintaining attention or awareness on the present moment without making judgments. Some forms of meditation ask you to hold your focus on one thing, such as your breathing, a sound or a repeated word. Yoga as it is practiced in the United States typically combines physical postures, breathing techniques and meditation, so a class is a way to practice paying attention. The idea in older writing, that you notice your thoughts and do not let them carry you away, is close to how mindfulness is taught today.
Does mindfulness really improve concentration?
Be careful here. Most of the research asks about stress, anxiety, depression, pain and sleep, not about productivity. NCCIH reports that a 2018 analysis of 142 groups of people with anxiety or depression found mindfulness-based approaches better than no treatment, and that mindfulness practices may help reduce insomnia and improve sleep quality. It also says that research on meditation has been hard to analyze and may have been interpreted too optimistically, and that much of the work on sleep and weight control has been preliminary. In other words, you may feel calmer, and a calmer mind may find it easier to stay on a task, but no study shows that yoga will make you more productive. If an article claims otherwise, ask where the evidence is.
Is a calm team a better team?
Probably, though it works both ways. The World Health Organization says safe and healthy working environments are more likely to improve staff retention, performance and productivity, and that excessive workloads and low control over your job are risks to mental health. So a company that wants a focused, calm staff needs more than a yoga room. It needs reasonable demands. As an individual, you can still do your part by looking after sleep and movement. For a gentler take on this, read our post on mind and spirit practices.
How can you practice focus in one minute?
This simple exercise is a common mindfulness technique and not a program from a study. Sit comfortably, close your eyes or look at one spot, and place your attention on the breath at the tip of your nose or in your belly. Count each out-breath up to ten, then begin again. When your mind wanders, which it will, notice it and return to the count without scolding yourself. That return is the exercise. To cut distractions between sessions, try three habits that many people find useful: put your phone out of reach for a block of work, do one task at a time, and plan short breaks so that you do not need to make your own.
Are there downsides?
For most people, mindfulness is low risk. NCCIH says these practices usually have few risks, but a 2020 review of 83 studies found that about 8 percent of participants had a negative effect, mostly anxiety and depression, which is similar to the rate for psychological therapies. If meditation makes you feel worse, stop and talk to a health professional. Take the same care with the physical side of yoga: choose a qualified instructor, start gently and see our posts on what yoga is and the gentle morning routine for a starting point.