Yoga in the Workplace: A Guide to Boosting Employee Wellbeing
December 29, 2024
Stress levels are on the rise across all industries in the United States. Statistics show that nearly every second employee felt stressed as recently as yesterday. While it’s true that our stress levels have dropped since the heights reached during the pandemic, they’re still high enough to lead to physical and mental problems.
What if you could make work less stressful? Workplace yoga is an excellent way to take a break on a stressful day and reset to tackle your tasks with new energy. Plus, for some forms of workplace yoga, you may not even need to leave your desk.
How Workplace Yoga Works
Yoga might be an ancient practice with thousands of years of history, but workplace yoga as a concept is only a few decades old. Different sources date its origin back to the 1980s or 1990s, and most writers agree on the reasons behind its growing popularity. Forward-thinking employers realized that by prioritizing employee well-being, they would increase productivity and minimize absences and sick days due to stress.
It’s a simple yet effective concept. Since companies first started offering workplace yoga to their employees, studies have shown that yoga did indeed help lower stress levels among employees. While yoga alone may not be sufficient to treat serious stress-related conditions, following a workplace yoga program can improve feelings of anxiety, being overwhelmed by your workload, and even physical symptoms of stress.
Types of Workplace Yoga
Think of the term ‘workplace yoga’ as an umbrella term for different approaches to lowering overall stress levels. Workplace yoga may refer to employer-sponsored programs, but there are also ways of introducing yoga into your workday that don’t rely on outside support.
Also read: Amazing Benefits of Yoga Practices for Your Daily Life
Employer-Sponsored Yoga Classes
Employer-sponsored yoga classes are perhaps the most traditional manifestation of workplace yoga. If your employer has recognized the benefits of lowering the team’s stress levels, your company may be offering a dedicated yoga program as part of its benefits.
Granted, that type of workplace yoga is generally only viable for larger organizations. But it’s not the only way to incorporate a yoga practice into your working day. If your company can’t currently offer yoga at work, take a look at the options below for a suitable alternative.
Lunchtime Yoga Sessions
How do you normally spend your lunch hour? I don’t get a lunch hour, I hear you say. How about changing that? It’s incredibly hard to remain focused for a full eight hours every day without a break, so why not look for lunchtime yoga sessions near your office?
Lunchtime yoga sessions are perfect for anyone struggling to make an early-morning class or fitting in a yoga class after work. We offer them at Uptown Yoga, too. Check our schedule to book your space. Keep a set of yoga attire or comfortable clothes by your desk to make joining a lunchtime class easy. Remember that many studios offer rental mats, so you don’t need to bring your own.
Chair Yoga
If your employer doesn’t offer workplace yoga and getting away for a full session at lunchtime isn’t an option either, take a look at chair yoga.
We’ve written about this topic before, but here is a brief look at the benefits: you can practice chair yoga anywhere you have a chair. First things first – not stepping away from your desk for a break isn’t ideal. Having said that, focusing on your breath and moving even for a few minutes will help relieve tension, lower your stress levels, and give you a boost in the middle of the day.
Also read: Embracing Tranquility with Meditation and Yoga
Chair yoga also works well if you’re working from home and can’t make it to a class. There is no hard-and-fast rule on how long your session needs to be. Start slowly with a few asanas and build your chair yoga practice from there. You can always experiment by adding a new pose to see where that takes you.
If at all possible, try combining seated asanas with standing poses that encourage you to move more of your body. Use forward bends to relax your neck and shoulders, releasing tension before it becomes overwhelming.
How to Get Started with Workplace Yoga
There are plenty of options to incorporate your yoga practice into a busy workday to lower your stress levels and boost your own wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of colleagues and employees. Organizing dedicated workplace yoga classes is ideal for larger organizations.
However, if you’re working for a smaller business or your employer can’t offer workplace yoga, consider joining a lunchtime class or practicing chair yoga to break up your day, relieve tension and stress, and simply feel better.
If you’d like more information or need a bit of inspiration, don’t hesitate to talk to our team of experienced instructors at Uptown Yoga. We’re always happy to help you progress and expand your practice. Book a class today!
