Yoga is an excellent option for keeping fitness levels up, particularly for people who may be prone to job-related stress and who spend their working lives seated in front of computer screens, often with poor posture.
With the rise of the 24/7 work culture and sharp increases in numbers of visits to doctors due to stress, many companies are beginning to take more interest in the well-being of their staff. After all, as we’ve previously reported, improving the fitness and general health of employees can in turn improve productivity, and consequently increase profits. There truly is no downside, yet exercise is none the less one of the first items to be discarded from a busy to do list.
Yoga is an excellent option for keeping fitness levels up, particularly for people who may be prone to job-related stress and who spend their working lives seated in front of computer screens, often with poor posture. In recent years there has been an increase in numbers of companies which have started reaping the benefits of offering yoga classes to their employees, with reports indicating that these statistics include a range of Fortune 500 companies.
So what are the specific benefits of encouraging your employees to take up yoga?
While exercise in general is a fantastic way to relieve stress, yoga enthusiasts (and a handful of academic researchers) are sure to tell you that taking time out to focus on breathing and achieving yoga poses is a particularly great option for doing so. This lowers absenteeism due to stress related illnesses, but also helps to improve concentration, problem solving skills and response times. Studies suggest that yoga can influence brain function more than other exercise done over the same time period.
As mentioned above, many people who spend their days at work in front of computers have poor posture. According to the British Office for National Statistics, musculoskeletal issues such as back and neck pain were the largest cause of absence from work. Yoga helps to relieve neck and back strain, and also tackles other issues related to sedentary jobs, poor posture, and lacking ergonomics.
If you are skeptical of the fitness and health benefits of yoga, consider that it helps to address a wide range of aspects of fitness. Those who practice yoga generally experience improvements in their flexibility, balance and strength, leading to a healthier, happier team of employees.