With an increase in obesity rates and an unparalleled focus on prevention, it makes sense that many companies are looking toward wellness programs not only to lower their health insurance premiums but to also encourage greater productivity by decreasing stress levels through athletic activity.
Some establishments offer incentives for their employees to begin a workout program by offsetting the cost of gym memberships or providing an on site designated workout space. In addition to these more traditional fitness programs, corporate yoga is becoming increasingly popular and for those of us who practice regularly, this comes as no surprise. Yoga can potentially offer its practitioners a myriad of benefits including: stress reduction, improved fitness and management of chronic conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, pain, anxiety and insomnia with regular and dedicated practice.
As a yoga teacher, one of the problems I see most frequently in beginning yoga students, particularly busy working parents, is lack of time for their practice. After spending many long hours at the office, when they clock out and go home they have further obligations like getting the kids to their activities, figuring out what’s for dinner, keeping up with laundry or other household chores and sometimes even bringing office work home as well, making it difficult to carve out even 60 minutes of exercise and/or relaxation to care for themselves.
Yoga in the workplace, first and foremost, offers convenience to those employees whose corporate structure allows for employee wellness programs. Companies choosing to integrate yoga into their wellness initiatives can expect to see many benefits for their employees including greater concentration, decision making skills, and productivity; reduced incidents of absenteeism and stress-related illness, in addition to the relief of chronic conditions like carpal tunnel, neck/back pain and tension headaches. Beyond these tangible improvements, yoga has a way of creating community.
In my classes at Blue Yoga Nyla, I’ve witnessed many friendships form and I’m confident the same would be true in the workplace. Corporations looking to establish a more community based corporate culture understand that when people interact in a more casual environment, share common experiences and begin to see their colleagues as friends it’s likely that more complex projects are able to come to fruition through teamwork and with reduced stress levels the ability to work in collaboration becomes more focused and refined.
Companies offering yoga to its employees will begin to see results in as little as 6-8 weeks depending on the number of classes offered per week; thereby, giving their employees the opportunity to reset, focus and move forward with projects in a more productive manner. Yoga is a perfect way for employees to deal with everyday stresses, encourage personal growth and establishes a desire to be the best in all of life’s challenges.
If you’re interested in offering yoga to employees at your business, use the form below to connect.
“Yoga, an ancient but perfect science, deals with the evolution of humanity. This evolution includes all aspects of one’s being, from bodily health to self-realization. Yoga means union—the union of body with consciousness and consciousness with the soul. Yoga cultivates the ways of maintaining a balanced attitude in day-to-day life and endows skill in the performance of one’s actions.” ~B.K.S. Iyengar, Astadala Yogamala
From: Sans Souci Yoga
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