Yoga in the Workplace

Why Corporate Yoga?

Yoga in the workplace is the most effective way to introduce wellness into the workplace. Workplace yoga reduces stress and tension for employees, whilst creating a happier, healthier, and more productive working environment.

As corporate wellness becomes fundamental to many company’s cultures it’s becoming increasingly important to introduce a well-being program that is accessible to everybody & elevates physical and mental wellbeing.

Many organisations are turning to onsite corporate yoga as a low-cost and easy to implement a solution.

Yoga and Meditation Practice helps us to reset, adjust and adapt our behaviours to stress, creating more room to relax, breathe more deeply, regulate the heart rate, calm the mind, and gain perspective.

Stress builds up over time, it can become overwhelming, causing tension, shortness of breath, making concentration difficult, causing headaches, confusion, and fatigue. With the accumulation of stressful conditions, this may result in a weakened immune system and depression. You don’t want this and neither do your employees!

Yoga transforms tension into empowerment so you recognise you ARE in control of your life and YOU CAN manage your stress – So simple yet incredibly powerful.

The introduction of just one weekly yoga class can increase overall effectiveness in the workplace and can increase positivity in employee behaviour.

Benefits for employees:

Reduce stress: It’s no secret that work can be stressful, and yoga is the perfect solution to staying calm. Stress leads to changes in mood, poor performance, and anxiety. Yoga with its perfect balance of physical and mental release will ease stress in both body and mind creating more positive interactions with co-workers and staying more focused at work.
Increase focus: By combining movement and breath, yoga practice keeps you centred and focused. By being present and “in the moment” you learn to control mind so you can focus on the task at hand. An essential skill to have in a fast-paced workplace where multitasking is a way of life.
Boost immunity: Yoga activates your immune system, gets your blood flowing, and stimulates your lymphatic system. Yoga also supports healthy bones through weight-bearing exercises.
Improve posture: Sitting all day creates tension and puts a lot of strain on your posture, the natural curves of the spine can start to hunch with hours sitting at a computer desk. Yoga stretches all the major muscle groups and increases joint mobility to prevent joint aches and stiffness whilst increasing flexibility.
Boost morale: Yoga is the best way to bond with co-workers, it promotes a positive and energetic workplace and helps strengthen work relations by bringing colleagues together in a fun and relaxed environment. This is a benefit that far exceeds an hour in the lunchroom.
Improve digestion: Many Yoga postures aid in digestion and reduce stress in the body, decreasing acidity, heartburn, and indigestion. Clearing toxins and gut issues by firing up the digestive system. A healthy gut makes for a clear mind and in turn aids in making sound and important decisions at work and in life.
Energy: Exercise has been proven to increase your energy. The less active you are, the quicker you fatigue, and the less energy you’ll have for everyday activities. Taking time to focus on yourself, engage in physical activity boosts your energy, and allows for renewed motivation for the day ahead.
Improves breathing: Yoga helps you to bring awareness to your breathing. When you are not breathing fully, your energy is depleted and fatigue sets in. This can make you feel light-headed and tired because your vital organs are not getting the oxygen they need. Yoga teaches you how to breathe deeply and use your breath to relax and calm your nervous system.
Improves mental strength & flexibility: Increasing flexibility and strength in your body will also increase flexibility and strength in other key areas of your life. The things that you were feeling rigid about begin to ease. Learning how to adapt and adjust when required, helps to decrease stress and anxiety and helps you manage more effectively in an ever-changing work environment.

Benefits for employers:

Minimises workplace injuries: Such as RSI, spine and joint discomfort as well as lethargy caused by long hours spent sitting in chairs
Fewer sick days: More productive and cost-effective results for any proactive business focused on providing a balance between work and life for staff
Positive workplace: Productive staff develop a healthy mind/body and attitude while promoting a positive and energetic workplace.

That’s a long list of health benefits that lead to less sick days and higher performance amongst employees!

So what types of yoga are suited to the workplace?

Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa yoga is a strong flowing style of yoga. Classes consist of standing sequences where poses flow into each other and breath is synced with movement. Although vinyasa is a fast-paced and dynamic style of yoga, it is suitable for all levels from beginner to advanced. Vinyasa yoga is for anyone looking to build muscle, release stress, improve functional movement, and cardiovascular health.

Hatha Yoga

Hatha yoga is a traditional style of yoga, with a focus on alignment, where each pose is held for five breaths before moving to the next. Hatha yoga is perfect for beginners as it is a slower style than vinyasa, you have time to focus on correct alignment and form. Hatha yoga is for anyone looking to practice a traditional style of yoga, improve flexibility, and create mental clarity.

Yin Yoga

Yin yoga is a slow, restorative, and meditative form of yoga. Yin yoga targets the connective tissue so you will be led through a slow practice where the muscles in the body become relaxed as you sink into the fascia. All yin yoga postures are practiced on the floor in a seated or lying down position. Yin postures are held one to five minutes to create a self-myofascial release and supportive props are used to deepen the postures. Yin yoga is for anyone looking to improve flexibility, meditate, and relax.

At Desk Yoga

Yoga stretches at your desk are perfect for anybody who spends much time working at a computer. Sitting at a desk for hours on end overstretches the mid to upper back, places unnecessary strain on the spine, and leads to neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Read our list of basic yoga stretching exercises that have been adapted to practice using a chair (a yoga ball also works well), at your desk. These yoga stretches/yoga ball exercises can also be used at home, break out areas, the gym, anywhere a chair or ball is available!

The feedback from organisations that have implemented yoga classes have reported positive outcomes, including happier and more focussed employees, employee retention, increased employee satisfaction, and better team-work and productivity.

Book your yoga class today!

Click here to book in your yoga class. Corporate Hands have qualified and insured Yoga teachers to visit your office in all states and regions of Australia.