When was the last the last time you had a day where everything went exactly as you planned it? Not to be negative, but realistically things aren’t always going to go the way you imagine. When that happens, it’s easy to let stress takeover your mind and body.

You do your best not to let it affect you, but you find yourself getting stuck on something someone said playing over and over and over in your head, and before you know it, you have lost sight of your priorities and goals. More importantly, you start to feel tense which can cause you to make impulsive and short-sighted decisions. This can lead to negative results.

Stress can be caused a number of things, such as your environment, your body, and your thoughts. Instead of stressing about things outside of our control, we need to reconnect with our inner-wisdom. Yoga is a practice that builds self-awareness and helps you cultivate a response from a calmer, quieter place.

Even if you don’t practice yoga on the mat, there are ways to practice it off the mat – as part of your daily life.

Here are 5 tips for yoga at work:

1. Sit Up with the Chest Open

When we slouch, the chest caves and collapses the diaphragm, which impacts the flow of oxygen through the body. Instead, sit with your shoulders back and down to allow for deep breathing.

Remember: poor posture affects more than just your back. The spine connects and fuses all extraneous parts of the body, so we must take special care of it!

2. Practice Mindfulness

Remove negative thoughts so the mind can expand. Don’t focus on the piles of work waiting for you, or the never-ending stream of emails in your inbox. Attack each task one at a time, remembering that each completion is a forward step.

3. Relax Your Eyes

Stop squinting at the screen. Let your eyes rest at intervals by closing them for a period of time while breathing deeply. Relaxing the eyes will help to relax the mind.

4. Set an Intention

Intention is the way you direct your energy to infuse actions with clarity of purpose. By consciously setting intention, you are more readily able to manifest your goals. You’ll feel better about each of your tasks if you endow them with the energy, time, and focus you need to finish them.

5. Throw Your Hands in the Air

Reach your hands up, as though you’ve just won the lottery. By stretching this way and opening up, you’ll feel more powerful. When you feel powerful, you naturally manage stress better.

Those weren’t so hard, now were they? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Off the mat and into work, the art of yoga teaches us to manage life’s challenges. By helping us connect our mind and body, these tips can help us navigate stress with a calm confidence.