Yoga AT Work
My yoga journey actually started at work, in a Corporate Office. We were fortunate to have a Yoga at Work program where local teachers taught on-site two days a week during lunch time. Fabulous! In theory, at least. I was so passionate about the program that I took on organizing it to try to get more people to sign up. I was so perplexed about the low participation, and I was convinced I could solve it. At most, we had 10 employees participating out of a building of 250 people. My company split the bill with employees who signed up, but it was still hard to get people to enroll. (Spoiler alert - I never solved the problem, at least not for that company)
We practiced in a large meeting room that was available to all employees to book. As I imagine most Corporate Offices do, we had a calendar system that would show other employees if the room was booked. The calendar was the law; until it wasn’t…
In case you’re unfamiliar with Corporate America antics - If a business function is not obviously generating revenue, it is not viewed as important as those that are obviously generating revenue. I included ‘obviously’ twice on purpose. It sure was a pleasure being in HR, the epitome of ‘corporate overhead.’ Don’t even get me started on the friction I experienced launching a recycling initiative; that’s a story for another day.
As I mentioned, we practiced yoga during lunch time in a shared space that we booked on a shared calendar. The disrespect we received was flabbergasting. Too many times to count, there was a meeting running over in the shared space. My fellow yogis and I would stand outside the meeting room, in our yoga attire as plenty of coworkers passed us by, trying to politely signal to the people in the room that we needed to start our practice. Did I mention the yoga teacher was also waiting? The teacher who had to fight lunch traffic to get there on time. We were often ignored, so I would have to poke my head in the room and ask - as politely as possible - if they could wrap it up so we could take the class we paid for. In return, I would receive blatant eye rolls and even comments like, “God forbid we try to make the company money instead of doing yoga.” Have I mentioned I worked in HR?! We also had a comical rivalry with one of the head executives over tables not being put back in the correct place (which wasn’t our fault), but I’ve already spilled enough beans as it is.
I believe the Yoga at Work program began, before my time there, with support from the C-Suite (aka head honchos), but it was quite obvious this program had turned into an appeasement and often an annoyance. Hourly employees had to clock out for yoga (in addition to their lunch break), and people often booked meetings over our time we had blocked off on our personal calendars for yoga… the yoga that we paid for. Queue the eye rolls if I ever tried to explain that I had that time blocked off for YOGA that I didn’t want to miss. That wasn’t an option.
Now don’t get me wrong, I was still grateful for the program’s existence despite all of my whining. Yoga at Work was one of the best ways I was able to find a work/life balance. I looked forward to going to work on yoga days, I experienced lower stress levels, I felt more resilient for the ups and downs during the day, and I was able to focus on my work and actually be a more productive employee vs. when I wasn’t able to practice. It’s like it’s science or something!
Speaking of science, “a study done by University of Bristol researchers found that employees who exercised before or during work hours were better equipped to handle whatever challenges they had to face that day. It also found that their general mood improved on days they worked out and were less calm on days they did not.” Furthermore, “Jo Coulson, Research Associate in the University’s Department of Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences, said: ‘Critically, workers performed significantly better on exercise days and across all three areas we measured, known as mental-interpersonal, output and time demands.’”
Does a work perk HAVE to directly benefit the employer? Of course not. But we live in the United States where ROI is the law. If you need that proof to make your pitch to those head honchos, here are some scientific facts.
Proven benefits of Yoga at Work.
Alleviates Common Pain from Desk Jobs
Think aches and pains in your neck, back, and hips. Gentle movement and breath work can alleviate a lot of those aches and pains, making us more productive and happy.
Increases Energy & Reduced Fatigue
Taking a healthy break is a great way to ward off burnout. Taking a break is actually better for productivity than powering through the day with no break at all. It’s also proven that mindful movement is a great way to improve circulation, blood flow, and oxygenation throughout the body to improve energy.
Improves Concentration & Focus
That increased blood flow and movement is also great for improving mental acuity, allowing us to properly manage multitasking and wearing all those hats.
Promotes Team Spirit and Morale
A cranky workplace is no fun. How great would it be if all of your coworkers were zen? It doesn’t have to be a fantasy, it can be a reality! The shared experience of a workplace yoga class can also be great for team building and bonding (hint hint, Yoga for All Humans provides private classes tailored to your employees).
The bottom line - Yoga at Work is good for business, even if it’s not blatant.
‘Lunch Break Chair Yoga’ offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Noon (Central) is specifically designed for office workers to work out all these physical and mental kinks, improving your quality of work life! Class is only 30 minutes long and can be done from your desk chair to keep things accessible on busy and demanding days. Book a class with Derek here!
Tips for organizing a Yoga at Work program:
Employer pays the bill
Prioritize yoga time (i.e. Don’t pressure people to skip yoga for meetings)
Consider different abilities and cater to them (e.g. Do you have employees in wheelchairs or different physical abilities?)
Leadership needs to set the tone that Yoga at Work is a priority
Consider it work time (i.e. Don’t make your hourly employees clock out)
Provide a lunch break in addition to yoga
Yoga for All Humans can help you get your Yoga at Work program off the ground today! We offer group discounts on memberships, and we include a weekly private class just for your employees in our package. If your team is remote like most are right now, we’re a virtual yoga studio, so we can always meet you online. If things ever return back to ‘normal’ and you want an on-site class for your employees, we’re a national company with teachers all over the country. If we don’t have a teacher in your area, we would be happy to find the perfect yoga teacher in your area to come to you! Email derek@yogaforallhumans.com for more information or visit our LinkedIn page.
Author: Derek Haigler (Founder of Yoga for All Humans)
“God forbid we try to make the company money instead of doing yoga.”
“Critically, workers performed significantly better on exercise days and across all three areas we measured, known as mental-interpersonal, output and time demands.”
“The bottom line - Yoga at Work is good for business, even if it’s not blatant.”
“Yoga for All Humans can help you get your Yoga at Work program off the ground today!”