Kick start that mid-day lull with yoga in your office

5 Reasons to Host Office Yoga

The reasons to host yoga in the office are many. Today we’ll l dive into 5 of them here.

 
Let’s take a moment to think about how we spend the bulk of our days. Many of us spend a lot of time in our offices sitting. Sitting can be amazing if you’ve been standing or walking for a long period of time, like after a hike or after standing in line for a busy restaurant or after waiting in the Ikea returns line (I had that pleasure recently). At work many of us sit for extended periods and some job descriptions even state they are looking for someone who has the ability to sit for long stretches at a time. It’s not just at work. Technology has changed us to a sitting culture of folks who look at their computer, TV, phone and every other sort of screen we have now. I know, I do it too and I am currently sitting on transportation typing this post (on a screen) as a matter of fact. All of this sitting is really not so great for us. Our muscles get stiff and sore, some muscles begin to atrophy which causes our posture to deteriorate and we often choose to sit in a hunched sort of position to stare at our various screens. Long story short, we feel stiff, areas of our body begin to moan, your back may begin to ache and on it goes. 

What can we do about it? Move. Not move house, but your body. Movement is a great way to uncurl those rolled shoulders, straighten your neck, reduce tension, improve posture, build muscle and more. How many of us don’t need a dose of all that in during our workday? I say “Yes, please!” Yoga happens to be a sort of movement that can help with all of these areas and it can be done in an office. 

Now that we’ve reviewed the physical state we are in on most days, let’s get back to why you’d have yoga in your work place. 

Yoga can improve:
1.    Stamina – Moving and stretching muscles that have become stagnant or tense rejuvenates us and gives us more energy to complete our day.
2.    Focus – Yoga poses, especially balancing ones and meditation, engage us in focusing on the pose which helps train our brain to focus even better.
3.    Overall physical health – Movement improves our health in so many ways from heart to hamstrings, especially movement that is different from our everyday standards - walking, sitting and standing.
4.    Stress reduction – Creating a time to allow our brain to rest from its many tasks and yoga reassures our brain that everything is ok. When our muscles soften and lose their tension as we move with yoga it queues our brain that we are more relaxed so we feel more relaxed.
5.    Hiring & retaining workforce – Unemployment is low these days and even lower in some key locations like Seattle. Recruiting and retaining your workforce is critical and wellness programs like this are a great addition to the company’s employee benefits.

For many yoga can be a breath of fresh air in the middle of the day and it can attract a crowd of folks who would not otherwise seek out a yoga class before/after work. By improving your workforce fitness, you are improving loyalty amongst them, comradery in addition to all the benefits of stretching a body with many unused muscles to rejuvenate, focus and reduce stress amongst the team. Maybe it’s time to power up your office with a bit of yoga!

If know more reasons to host yoga, please give them here! There are many benefits, so I chose only 5. I'd love to hear your thoughts too! Did you like this post? Please like it and subscribe. You can also contact me to find out more about hosting yoga in your office!