Over recent years we’ve witnessed the explosion of yoga across a variety of platforms. From fitness chains, boutique studios, at-home programs, magazines, apps, apparel, and now plastered across our social media channels.
As both a fitness craze and a spiritual wellness practice, Yoga has embedded itself into our collective psyche via physical and virtual environments. The Covid-19 Pandemic was no exception, as it further launched Yoga into our virtual spaces as the go-to wellness practice to help us feel better, fitter, and more balanced.
Simply put: Yoga is here to stay and it’s not going anywhere.
In spite of this explosion of Yoga in virtual spaces, Yoga itself isn’t new, and yet many still ask what this “whole Yoga thing” is even about. Is it a fitness program, philosophy, a religion? Are we expected to adopt an ascetic lifestyle? Or worse (for some) become vegetarian?!
For starters, Yoga is more than stretching and chanting “Om”. Yoga is a classic case of “you won’t know what it is until you do it” sort of thing, because Yoga isn’t just a thing that you do, but an experience.
While it is a revered spiritual practice dating back thousands of years in India, no long or short description could offer it proper justice, so I’m not going to do that here. There are countless online resources about Yoga: it’s origins, spiritual texts, physiological benefits, etc.
As both a Yoga Practitioner and Instructor, I will explain how and why Yoga is the top choice for so many workplace wellness programs – and if you don’t have it yet, why you may want to.
Yoga Saves
Let’s get the most obvious concern out of the way first: bringing Yoga into your workplace is CHEAP!
Offering group fitness classes reduces the costs of individual sessions. Instructors will offer a discounted group rate for the advantage of having a larger attendance within the same hour, with less time and travel expense lost on their end.
Yoga classes can be simple, streamlined, and won’t require fancy equipment: just an open room with space for participants to bring in their own mats (or supplied by the company), and wear their own comfortable clothing. That’s it.
Even for props, participants typically bring their own mats or blankets out of personal preference. Office chairs are readily available, and the business can always invest in a bulk purchase of inexpensive mats and supplies, depending on the needs and demands of the participants.
Yoga is Inclusive
The key principle to a physical Yoga practice (“Asana”) is simply: anyone can show up to their mat (towel, cushion, chair) to consciously breathe (“Pranayama”), and will reap the positive physical and mental health benefits of Yoga.
The physical practice of Yoga is praised for its broad accessibility to welcome a variety of body shapes, abilities, and conditions. Each participant is encouraged to set their own pace and intensity throughout the session, an ideal way for accommodating individual experiences and comfort levels.
An experienced instructor will mindfully address the variety of physical fitness levels of the participants and will provide a variety of options for modified poses and may recommend Yoga props, such as towels, chairs and/or blankets, to accommodate individual needs.
Participating in a Yoga setting inherently requires that we each mind ourselves and our own experience on our mat. In doing so, we’re offering time and space for others to do the same on theirs. Therefore, anyone and everyone is welcome in a Yoga space regardless of visible status, orientation, and/or physical ability. This also applies to mental health, where Yoga has been shown to moderate symptoms of anxiety, depression and other mood conditions.
Yoga is Flexible
Witty pun aside, Yoga is a time-efficient wellness solution that can fit into any work environment. Whether you have 10 minutes or an hour, Yoga can seamlessly fit into any schedule, where even a little time can offer a lot of benefits.
Unlike other exercises that are intended to excite our nervous system and raise our heart rate; the deliberate breath-work and postures of Yoga offer unique restorative benefits, making it suitable and accessible for any time of the day.
With so many teams now working remotely, options to provide virtual yoga are endless. Online classes are an effective measure for providing scheduled wellness breaks, while enhancing team connectivity, all within the comfort of home. Most online instructors will even provide a recording of the class to ensure programming accessibility that will accommodate all schedules and preferences.
Workers can even perform certain Yoga poses while sitting or standing at their work stations. On those busy days where only 5-minute random bursts will do, one can guide their body into various poses and stretches to help offset the repetitive movements of their work routine that commonly trigger shoulder stiffness, back pain, swollen legs, and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Yoga Pays Off
The needs of your workers are varied and unique, both personally and professionally. Fortunately, Yoga can accommodate and address the physical demands of their busy work day. Whether constantly sitting, standing, or performing other physical tasks, Yoga can address a variety of areas where workers “hold stress” in their bodies: shoulders, lower back, joints and feet, for example.
As the body navigates the physical postures of Yoga, the biochemical, hormonal and cognitive levels experience a significant and therapeutic process.
While practicing Yoga, our brains release a variety of chemicals such as “GABA” (gamma aminobutyric acid) to promote relaxation, while moderating our stress and anxiety levels; in addition to a variety of “Happy Hormones” (dopamine, endorphins, oxytocin, and serotonin).
Additionally, coordinating the limbs of the body ignites the communication between the left and right brain hemispheres of our brain, thus enhancing our cognitive function.
Despite individual differences, even participating in the same Yoga class can allow all participants to reap the benefits of: improved mood, range of motion, energy levels, immune system, and cognitive response.
This can result in fewer sick days, improved focus, lowered stress levels, and moderated coffee/smoking breaks to “get through” the day.
Yoga Supports Growth
The goal of doing yoga isn’t attaining a certain pose or posture, but it can teach us how to breathe in an uncomfortable scenario. And the definition of discomfort will be different for each person and can change over time.
Experiences such as these can promote a Growth Mindset (ie. Neuroplasticity) where we realize that we can be active participants in our experiences, continually learn new methods and integrate new behaviours. Similar results are seen with participants of Meditation and other Mindfulness practices as well.
Philosophically, becoming comfortable and accepting of some situations from a place of curiosity, rather than judgement or condemnation, serves well in both personal and professional interactions alike. Where seeing eye to eye with colleagues and exploring business solutions are crucial, practices such as Yoga can promote our sense of inquiry to see possibilities or alternate routes, rather than roadblocks, to our progress.
In Summary:
As for the physical benefits, again I must emphasize that Yoga is a lot more than just stretching. A regular Yoga practice offers this brilliant balance of simultaneously calming us down while waking us up!
Due to the myriad of health benefits that Yoga promotes, your business is effectively providing a preventative wellness program for many of your employees to participate in and to enjoy. Yoga classes allow employees to connect beyond the watercooler, and without the personal or company expense of infrequent or lavish team outings.
Yoga as both a Wellness and Mindfulness practice can be like rocket fuel to both our individual and collective performance and creativity. Whatever we may have brought with us onto the Yoga mat, once the session is over we just feel better, hence Yoga’s popularity for a variety of workplace wellness programs.
Ready to roll out your mat and hop on board?
Sources:
Yoga in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders
Researchers Identify Link between Decreased Depressive Symptoms, Yoga and the Neurotransmitter GABA
Optimizing Brain Function: How Yoga Can Integrate Your Right and Left Brain