Spirituality in the Workplace - Spiritual Coffee Breaks

Got Spirituality Questions? Visit A Woman's Journey
for information re topics from Angels to Yoga!

Motivational Quotes

Free Spiritual, Religious and Motivational E-Cards

Spiritual Coffee Breaks Help Revive the Soul
________

From Torah to yoga classes, professionals make time for quiet contemplation BY SHARON HARVEY ROSENBERG Special to the Herald As a former New York City prosecutor, Miami trial lawyer Andrew Henschel could write volumes about stress and pain. In addition to psychic bruises from civil litigation and assorted courtroom dramas, Henschel also suffers from psoriatic arthritis, an auto-immune inflammatory disease that is easily aggravated by work-related stress.

But Henschel, who specializes in employment law and asset recovery cases, has an unusual arsenal of stress-reduction techniques. For example, at 4:30 a.m. every day Henschel arrives at his law office to get a jump on a typically busy day. But rather than a predawn spin through paperwork, Henschel begins his day with a session of Hindu chanting and Yoga stretches. And he continues that drill until his workday ends at 5:30.

''I center myself,'' says Henschel of his meditative routine. ``It helps me achieve a balance within.''

Not everyone's work-related rituals include chanting, posing and deep-breathing exercises, but throughout South Florida, an increasing number of professionals are tapping into a deep well of spiritual, meditative and religious rituals to cope with the every day pressures of work and life.

For instance, every afternoon, Joseph L. Saka, an accountant at Berkowitz Dick Pollack & Brant, takes time out to go to the Shul of Downtown for Mincha services -- a midday prayer session in the Jewish faith. Saka's daily prayer schedule is supported by his employer. The company also participates in various programs organized by the Shul of Downtown in Miami.

''Not everything is work,'' says Saka. ''It's your family. It's your friends. You have to take a moment to sit back and reflect about where you are going and where you are supposed to be.''

In South Florida corporate circles, such introspection hitches a ride on many vehicles ranging from Christian Bible classes to New Age chanting sessions, where accountants, architects, attorneys and a wide variety of business professionals take personal time outs, either before, during or after work.

Call it a ''spiritual coffee break during a tough work day and week,'' says bankruptcy attorney Michael Budwick, a partner at Meland Russin Hellinger Budwick. For the past 10 months, Budwick's law firm has sponsored monthly lunch-time Torah classes taught by either Rabbi Yaakov Fellig of Coconut Grove or Rabbi Faivish Dalfin. The noon sessions, complete with food, provide nourishment for the body and soul, says Budwick.

''Sometimes you get caught up in the stress of day-to-day activities, managing case loads and serving your clients. The class forces you to step back and think spiritually,'' says Budwick.

For others, workday retreats center around aromatherapy, acupuncture and crystal therapy, according to Joana W. Bosco, a nationally certified acupuncture physician in South Miami. Bosco's clientele includes entrepreneurs, attorneys and writers who often seek a midday lift from lavender and sandalwood aromatherapy treatments and stress reduction relief from acupuncture.

''Acupuncture produces endorphins,'' says Bosco. ``[Clients] are looking for endorphins to give them a sense of well-being and calmness.''

The search for inner serenity has led Patty Barrocas, an architect, to yoga. As a partner at Architectural Design Consultants, Barrocas steps out for a yoga workout in the middle of the day or in the early morning. She began that routine about a year ago, and she credits Yoga for her new attitude.

''I can be a very high-strung and Type-A personality. Big time,'' says Barrocas. ``Yoga changes my mood. I'm more focused, and I'm more mellow.''

And as an added benefit, yoga helps to relieve the pain from herniated discs in her neck and back.

Likewise, the combination of yoga and Hindu chanting in the past year has helped Henschel cope with his psoriatic arthritis, which typically left him with swollen joints and pain. After years of treatment with chemotherapy and drug cocktails, Henschel finally found relief in his yoga sessions at Breathe Yoga in Aventura. He started those sessions in February of 2002.

''Without a question, that was one of the major turning points in my life,'' says Henschel. Initially, he was a skeptical practitioner, but he has become a believer. Before he began practicing yoga last year, Henschel could not bend many of his inflamed joints. But 15 months later, he performs head stands and deep bends. To demonstrate his new-found flexibility, Henschel folds his feet behind his head.

''When things get very stressful, I will do yoga stretches and yoga breathing in the office. It enables me to focus on each separate task,'' says Henschel.

The combination of exercise and meditation pumps creativity for Tammi Fuller, a freelance television producer and owner of Tammi in Miami Productions.

Yoga, she says, ``sharpens my senses, sharpens my writing. It's a great refresher.''

And even in straight-laced corporate settings, spirituality is making inroads. For instance, Carla Berkowitz, co-owner of Breathe Yoga, conducts yoga practice sessions in company offices where management provides yoga instruction as a corporate perk for employees.

''There's a lot of corporate yoga going on right now,'' says Berkowitz.

In my own home office, meditation, deep-breathing exercises and yoga workouts provide a healthy alternative to my otherwise caffeine-heavy coffee breaks. But my real spiritual tune-up occurs on Thursday mornings, when I pop out of my home office and into Ohr Chaim synagogue on Miami Beach for a Project Heritage class for women.

Led by Rebbetzin Rucha Baumann, the one-hour class is a compact overview of the metaphors, the spirituality and the religious significance of Tehillim or the Psalms, King David's most famous written work. As a writer who agonizes over every word, I find professional and spiritual relief in Baumann's detailed discussion about the poetry and the message of hope in the Psalms.

''It helps us see the good. It helps us see beyond the difficulties. It makes every bump a challenge, an adventure and an opportunity to connect with Hashem [God],'' says Baumann. ``I hope my classes serve as a weekly charge and a coffee break for the women who come.''

The Miami Herald
May 19, 2003

FAIR USE NOTICE

This may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.

Such material is made available in an effort to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes.

If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Learn more about spirituality in the workplace

A WOMAN'S JOURNEY - HOME PAGE

All divinatory readings and advice arising from use of this site are for
entertainment purposes only.