Air India Offers Yoga Classes To Future Pilots And Flight Attendants For Stress Relief
Flying can be stressful, from the cramped quarters to layovers and liftoff times. But if you’re ever flying on Air India, rest assured — your pilot and flight attendants know how to find their center with the downward facing dog.
“We have introduced yoga for the first time in our training module for pilots and cabin crew, as we believe that yoga brings in a sense of discipline as well as helps cope better with the stress of the job,” an Air India official told the Economic Times. “Every crew member currently being trained has to attend yoga sessions in the morning at 6:30 a.m.”
On June 2, Air India’s 300 newly hired cabin crew members and 78 pilots started their new meditative training at the Air India Central Training Establishment in the city of Hyderabad. The early morning yoga sessions align with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s love for the ancient stress-relieving practice.
“It’s a special job,” said Psychologist Dr. Andre Droog, the president for the European Association for Aviation Psychology. “You are working irregular times. If you have a family, you are often not there, and on the other hand you may be at home when everyone is at work. If you are flying intercontinental flights, you may build up jet lag and fatigue and of course you have to manage your life very well.”
Adjusting for harsh weather conditions, and bearing the weight of responsibility for the lives of sometimes several hundred people at a time can lead to a high-pressured and stressful work environment. Shift workers, who aren’t following the regular 9 to 5 hours, have their own accumulating physical, physiological, and psychological stress to contend with. Couple that with cramped flight decks as their office workspace suspended 35,000 feet in the air, and stress seems inevitable.
India, known as one of the earliest yogi origins, is taking the first step forward in providing a meditative way to relieve any stress and anxiety that may build over time. In 2011, researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Ohio studied the different ways in which pilots can reduce stress. By using specialized training prior to flying in order to simulate stressful situations, they greatly reduced their stress levels when they were confronted with similar situations in real life. According to yoga-specific research, by targeting various muscle groups and focusing on even measured breaths, workers in the sky will be able to experience boosted mood and energy levels.