How our bodies move at work has an enormous impact on how we perform our job. Companies want workers to perform efficiently and accurately and have high expectations for each worker's productivity. However, movements on the job can put every worker at risk for injury. Whether it is walking miles each day; standing long periods of time in one place; climbing stairs; bending to lift fifty to seventy pound boxes; pulling a power jack for eight hours, or repeating the same actions with hands, wrists, or fingers forty hours a week, the worker needs to understand how to move safely to avoid injury. Moving the body safely needs to be taught. ESOL classes in the workplace can give teachers opportunities for teaching safe movements in the context of teaching English.

As an ESOL teacher at the Marshall's distribution center in Woburn, Massachusetts, I draw from my background as an expressive therapist and yoga teacher to incorporate techniques for safe movement, rhythm, and relaxation. Healthy, injury-free, relaxed workers can also lead to increased productivity for companies.

Safe Movement
In my class, I identify the parts of the body that are used in a particular movement that students do on the job, such as lifting heavy boxes. Then, I have students stand. Just like "Simon Says," I call out "touch your" and name a body part (e.g., elbow) for them to point to. I then point to my own body and have them call out the name. For reinforcement, I have students become the teacher and play the same game, allowing them the use of cue cards if necessary.

After using pictures to illustrate action verbs such as pulling, twisting, bending, lifting, carrying, and pushing, I have students take turns in the front of the room holding up a sign with one verb on it. Students in the rest of the class say and do the action. Then students in the front do the action and the class calls it out. I make use of props such as a large empty packing box with fifty pounds written on it.

Next, I demonstrate how to lift the box (with the back straight and knees bent); how to carry it (close to body, elbows bent), and how to reach for it (turn feet in the direction of the reach and stretch arm from shoulder, bending from hip with back straight). Again, I reinforce this by le tting the students act as teacher. One student can demonstrate and another student can critique, then switch roles. Most importantly, workers need to know that the back should be straight for nearly all actions.

I then encourage students to take pictures of each other doing the actions safely. These pictures can later be made into a poster for the classroom wall as a reminder of safe movement.

Rhythm
Moving the body with a sense of centeredness is not natural for all people. Going right and left quickly w ith hands and feet can feel awkward and off-balance at times. Thus, doing actions with rhythm in the classroom can be helpful. Music isn't needed but if used it should have a strong, steady beat to match the timing of the actions. Often a count of eight makes the moving easy. For example, four beats right, four beats left. Humming a simple tune can provide the tempo you want; clapping your hands on the eighth beat adds a strong sense of rhythm, too.

I usually demonstrate a variety of actions, such as "step right, step left." Then, I add actions. "Two steps right, two steps left. Bend your knees, walk in place, lift your right knee, your left knee, again." Adding more actions at a quick pace can get the class moving and laughing and add to the fun. Students can also become the leader for this kind of activity. To promote safe movement, I always have the left and right sides move the same number of times so the movement will be balanced. By encouraging students to clap with the leader and using arm, wrist, and hand actions as well as the legs and feet, students will be more aware of their joints and how to move their legs and arms safely.

Relaxation
The third lesson I teach is how to relax. When students come to class and sit, they often feel tired and can even doze off. Muscles become tense when on the job. Tense muscles can cause specific or generalized pain and headaches that can lead to time-off, medication, and expensive therapy.

I teach relaxation techniques that can be done easily on the job or at home. Learning how to let the muscles relax results in increased blood circulation throughout the body; this can lead to pain reduction. Relaxation also prevents muscles from becoming so tight that they cannot relax during the off-hours.

There are simple exercises that can be taught in class that require little verbalizing and some great results. For example, I join the class by sitting with a straight back, feet on the floor, with hands relaxed in the lap. I make my breathing become slower and exaggerated, I then say "breathe in, breathe out" several times. Next, I lift my shoulders when saying "breathe in" and lower the shoulders when saying "breath out." Sometimes I say "ah-ha" when exhaling and let students feel free to do so also. Having students close their eyes and dimming the lights can create a quiet mood. Initially students may be ill at ease with these approaches, so a teacher can do an exercise briefly at first, then extend the time as the session progresses. If students are lethargic or extremely high energy, breathing slowly can help them to refocus.

Shoulder circles help to engage the neck muscles. Rotations can be done simultaneously or one shoulder at a time, with four forward and four backward. Neck stretches are next. The right ear goes toward the right shoulder as far as possible, holding the position. Don't forget to breathe, then bring the head upright and slowly have the left ear go toward the left shoulder. Hold, breathe, bring head upright, and hold.

Following this, the teacher can model another stretch where the chin comes down to the chest and held, then slowly comes back up. Then the head is turned to right side and held. After a breath, the same sequence is repeated on left side. After a moment, I usually give the class a warning that the lights will come back on. It's amazing to see the results of these actions. I encourage students to do these techniques at home and on break. When done regularly, it makes a world of difference.

Companies spend millions of dollars to design ways to have the workers increase their productivity and remain safe. Body awareness and knowledge of proper techniques to perform the job are priceless. Even if ESOL teachers do not have a background in movement, they can learn a few basic strategies to incorporate into the classroom to promote healthy movement and relaxation for their students while also teaching English. Both the company and the worker accomplish their goals and feel good.

Barbara Reeder is an ESOL teacher at Marshalls Distribution Center in Woburn, Massachusetts. She has a background in expressive therapies and Kripalu yoga. She can be reached at: barbara_reeder@tjx.com