Looking to make a meaningful change to your employee’s lives? An office yoga program offers improved focus, reduced stress, and enhanced productivity in the workplace.
If you run a business in 2019, chances are good your office has some type of wellness program. These programs set employers apart in the eyes of job seekers while nurturing a company’s current workforce.
Office yoga is a natural fit for a wellness program. Almost 15% of Americans do yoga already. Bringing the practice to work is a great way to focus on employees’ health and foster community in the workplace.
These are not the only benefits an office can get from starting a corporate yoga program. There are many more. Read on as we highlight five of the most interesting benefits of doing yoga at work.
5 Benefits of Office Yoga:
1. Stress reduction improves work productivity.
Yoga has all sorts of stress-reducing effects.
It slows your breathing and makes it more deliberate. It stretches out your body, allowing for the release of endorphins. Anyone who has taken a yoga class can attest to the feeling of calm that immediately follows.
Lower stress makes better employees. Stressed employees make more mistakes in their work, miss more work due to illness, and account for greater employee turnover. Reduce your workplace’s stress, and you will foster an environment of positivity, focus, and collaboration.
2. Yoga improves posture.
Of all the physical benefits of workplace yoga, you might not think of posture first, but good posture at work is fundamental and even improves your success at work.
From a scientific perspective, humans should not sit as long as we do in our offices. Focusing on improved posture in our chairs helps us make the most of this less-than-ideal physical situation.
3. Do yoga. Digest better. Work easier.
That’s right, yoga helps you digest your food better.
Yoga detoxifies the body, which results in less heartburn and indigestion. These symptoms often mask deeper issues which can lead to time off work.
4. Your immune system benefits from yoga.
Yoga activates your immune and lymphatic systems, and its weight-bearing poses support strong bones. This means a more robust, less sickly workforce.
5. Yoga improves your confidence.
Yoga helps people get grounded in their bodies. It builds strength. And in doing these things, it gives people the confidence that comes from getting to know their bodies well.
When an office is full of confident, centered people, it shows in their work.
In conclusion.
These benefits of office yoga are only the beginning. A workplace yoga program has far-reaching effects, many of which are intangible.
Corporate yoga is a gentle, holistic practice that builds individual strength and fosters community. Yoga will not just give you healthier, happier workers, it will also show your employees that you care about them.
If you are not an office administrator or manager, we suggest contacting your office’s human resource department to see about adding office yoga to your workplace.
For more guidance on all work related health and safety issues, visit SolutionsNW.com or Contact Us for ergonomics guidance. Subscribe to our ergonomics blog for more ergonomics tips from Solutions Northwest Inc., ergonomics consultants located in Washington State, Arcata California, Oregon, Seattle, Olympia, Tacoma, and Portland.
