Kick Your Device Dependency with Yoga
For many of us, work is stressful. For some of us, work is especially absorbing because we love it, but we get overly involved to the point where find relaxing at the end of the day difficult. The problems of decision fatigue and information overload emerge as an result of this, and just about all of us recognize that we actually work better and more effectively when we take time out.
In the last couple of weeks we have outlined the problems associated with device dependency, such as attention span reduction and inadequate face-to-face communication. We have also presented solutions along the way on how to overcome some of these typical workplace stressors: games that increase attention span, or apps such as MobileDay, which allows you to avoid having to remember conference call dial-in codes and frees up your brain to focus on other things; these technological innovations save your mind and body from additional tension and stress and are an example of how you can mindfully operate to make life easier for yourself.
All the Cool Kids Are Doing It
Mindfulness in the workplace is something of a growing trend, and not just in smaller more close-knit organizations. Large companies such as Google, Aetna, General Mills, and even Goldman Sachs offer yoga and meditation programs. Most of these have evolved because someone at the top went to a yoga class, felt the benefits first-hand, then decided that they wanted their entire workforce to experience them too. Marc Benioff (Salesforce CEO), Mark Bertolini (Aetna CEO), Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn CEO), John Mackey (Whole Foods CEO) and Nancy Slomowitz (Executive Management Associates CEO) are just a few examples of some high-flyers who like to zen out on a regular basis.
The understanding that employees work optimally when they are happy, physically relaxed, and mentally clear is a pretty strong motivator for some employers to put a mindfulness class or two on the company schedule. Plus, a workplace yoga class is a relatively simple addition that need not involve great financial outlay.
Why and How Mindfulness Works
If you want to get all technical about it, yoga and meditation work because they allow the practitioner to access the parasympathetic nervous system—that’s the “relax” one. The other one, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), is the part of the central nervous system that evolved to get us out of danger: the fight or flight response. Despite being 
designed to help us run away from things like snakes and bears, the SNS will fire up as a result of any form of stress. That spike of adrenaline you feel when you realize you are about to miss a deadline, or that you just published a blog post with a typo in the headline, or that you can’t find the dial-in code for that conference call that started thirty seconds ago—that’s your SNS kicking off.
The problem is, that with the intensity of the modern-day work life, many of us spend so long in the SNS that we have forgotten how to turn it off. Yoga slows down your rate of breathing, and this places you in your parasympathetic nervous system; hence you feel more relaxed.
In its simplest form: yoga is a really good idea. Just like calendar apps that stop you missing those deadlines, spellcheckers that (allegedly) help you avoid typos, and the MobileDay app that lets you dial into a conference call without having to dig about for codes and numbers, yoga is a tool that will help you minimize your stressors.
Getting Going with Workplace Yoga
For some inspiration, we spoke to a couple of businesses about why they offer yoga and gathered some tips on how to set up a class.
1. Look for the Yogi Within
Literally: Is there a yoga instructor in the house?
There have not been any accurate estimates on the number of yoga instructors in the USA since 2005 when the North American Studio Alliance last did some number crunching, but the figure then was over 70,000. Considering that yoga is hugely more popular now than it was in 2005, there is a chance that your company already has a certified yoga instructor on staff. If you live in San Francisco or Colorado those odds are double.
2. Budget for Classes
Some corporations notice the yoga and mediation have such profound effects on employee happiness and inter-team communication that they budget for classes to offer employees. Others run discounted operations so that employees can benefit from yoga without having to pay studio fees. Rally Software, Boulder CO, offers yoga and wellness sessions for employees on a weekly basis. Alyssa Summers, Knowledge Content Manager says, “The idea is to make it accessible to employees by offering it at the office so they don’t have to go anywhere or pay anything.”
3. Partner With a Local Studio
If there is a yoga studio close to you, chances are that they have a yoga teacher training program. New teachers need practice, and most of the time they are more than happy to teach at a discounted price in order to gain experience.
Some town’s even have a yoga non-profits or organizations that believe in spreading the yoga vibe so much they offer free classes. Boulder Yoga Project is an example of this—a 501(c)3 that seeks to take yoga to anyone who needs it and remove the price barrier. They match yoga instructors who are seeking teaching exposure with businesses looking to offer classes. A quick google search should inform you of any such operations in your area.
4. Purchase Mats
Yoga is a form of exercise that requires minimal equipment and even can be done in a meeting room if you clear the tables to one side. Many employees will already have their own yoga mat—even if it is just gathering dust at the back of a cupboard or being used as a dogs bed. If employers purchase mats however—a small expense as the average cost of bulk purchase is $10 per mat—even those who have never tried yoga before will be more inclined to give it a go.
Boulder instructor Jodi Cole says, “Eliminating the hassle of lugging a yoga mat into work is an effective way of enhancing the overall experience for employees, and shows them that the company really cares.”
5. Make It Accessible
Set the class at a time that is plausible for the majority of employees, such as a lunchtime. Studies show that scheduling an activity in the middle of the day can lead to increases in afternoon energy levels which will benefit your employee’s post lunch effectiveness. Not only do tests show that employees physical health improves with mid-day activity, but their work focus is better too.
Employee Benefits=Company Benefits
Alyssa Summers notices a pretty direct effect on Rally employees after yoga. She says that they leave the class feeling relaxed and calm with, “Smiles of gratitude on their faces.” Summers takes classes herself, and attests to personally feeling more energy and readiness to work afterwards. “It has created a community of like-minded people around the office where we can share ideas, have conversations, and a safe place to practice and focus on our wellbeing.”
Mark Bertolini, Aetna CEO, started practicing yoga initially to relieve physical pain. He was so astounded by the impact that it had on his relationships and how he communicated with others that he started a program for Aetna employees. In Bertolini’s case his employees really did benefit, because after meditating on “inequality” for a couple of months he introduced a 33 percent pay rise for his lowest paid workers. Yes that’s right, you really want your boss to do yoga!
Similarly, Mark Benioff, Saleforce CEO took up meditation to manage work-related stress and stuck with it ever after. Benioff says that meditation is a major part of his life. Yoga and meditation are both practices that you can take up at any time, so even if you have no previous experience, you might consider the benefits of setting up a workplace yoga class.
We’ll end with a quote from Coach Tate, a Boulder-based meditation guide who offers weekly meditation sessions to local businesses:
“Meditation is a feeling. It provides us an opportunity to release from the analytical mind that dominates our lives, and return to a place of optimal health and happiness.”
From: MobileDay