Corporate Yoga – Reviving Employee Engagement with Wellness Modules

The Concept of Yoga

Yoga is an age-old tradition that began in India about 5,000 years ago. Patanjali, the esteemed author of the classic yoga text, called as the ‘Yoga Sutra’, defined the practice as the quieting of the fluctuations of the mind. The relaxed concentration-the hallmark of yoga-comes inner peace, heightened creativity, and awareness of our essential nature. This practice is a time-tested practice that cultivates boundless levels of energetic and physical fitness. Scientific studies have proven that Yoga in the form of Physiotherapy can be followed to cure conditions like asthma, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and heart disease. Corporate Yoga is a new concept for the employees of this generation.

Your yoga mat is indeed a dress rehearsal for your real life. This mat acts as a stage through your journey of ups & downs. How we act while on the mat is a mirror for how we will handle both negative and positive experiences in our lives. When we learn to stay present on the mat, we learn to stay present in any given situation. When we sit with our discomfort on the mat, slowly, we begin to settle with the same discomfort in our lives. Don’t roll up your yoga practices with your mat, instead take it out into the world’s stage and live your yoga every day!

Do Millennial’s find Yoga Practices Cool?

Gen Y or Millennials are known as the Wellness Generation today. They are willing to prioritize their well-being and peace of mind over any other commitments. This is one of the prominent reasons why the digital fitness industry has been flourishing day in & day out. From custom-designed workouts to peaceful sleep-inducing lullabies and mindful meditations, everything is accessible in the palm of the user. Yoga is a lifestyle known to discover oneself & relieve stress. Most of them are aware that yoga is the best way to cope up with stress, anxiety, work pressures, and expectations of a sedentary lifestyle that they lead today.

Apart from all the work-related tensions, reduced period to focus on one’s well being, Fear of Missing Out on life, etc. Yoga is the best way out! While practicing Yoga, we raise serotonin and dopamine levels in our body and the feeling of happiness gushes through our body! Regularly practicing this elixir of life, it has also proven to reduces cortisol, which is the stress hormone. Thus making us calm, happy, and relaxed. Yoga grounds us, it makes us feel complete in our skin, the question of inferiority or superiority complex doesn’t seem to arise!

Read More on Desktop Yoga Practice – A Perfect Stress Buster

Benefits of Corporate Yoga Practices

Boosts Business Productivity

Yoga benefits not only the physical health of your employees but also benefits your workplace culture in numerous ways. Yoga boosts energy levels and employee morale towards the brand, making them more productive at their desks. When your employees are free of stress or health ailments, they tend to be more inclined, focused, and productive. Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India states 53% of Cooperates in India undertake In-office Yoga sessions to boost productivity & reduce stress.

Lower Employee Stress Levels

Occasional stress can be a positive driver toward goals, but chronic stress takes a physical and mental toll. Constant stress means the body remains in fight-or-flight mode and is always exposed to the stress hormone. This overexposure can affect the body’s processes. Organizations recognize that work-related stress is a critical issue that impacts employee health, work performance as well as company productivity and financial performance. Thus the whopping increase in the number of employees from the corporate world who seek yoga classes have gone up by about 35-40% this year

Enhanced Dose of Creativity

Yoga increases concentration among employees towards various nuances & makes them more observant towards every situation. With an additional perspective in place, due to the calm & serene spot inculcated as you practice yoga, creativity expressions broaden their visions within. It helps refine inner emotions, balancing the mind, body, and soul. Once you set a routine of yoga practice, cognitive as well as the creative hemispheres of the brain tend to open up. This results in a clear animation of creative expression in an employee helping him to complete tasks creatively and innovatively.

Increases Focus & Immunity

A stressful corporate life with crunching deadlines, heavy workloads, and endless meetings can create mental clutter which can hinder your employees’ decision-making skills. It can impede their ability to concentrate on tasks in priority. The poses and meditation of yoga can help them get clarity from one’s clutter, helping them to be more alert, focused, and productive. Yoga also improves blood circulation in the brain, enhancing immunity levels. Moreover, yoga and meditation can teach your employees to have a still, focused mind along with a healthy body.

Promotes Confidence & Energy

Being physically fit and flexible creates confidence in a person, as they tend to observe the way they carry oneself. The exercises and poses of Yoga are designed to make people more flexible, with a well-maintained posture while improving their muscle strength and cardiovascular health. When a person becomes stronger and more flexible, he is confident in his own body & skin. This confidence slowly transfers over to all aspects of his life. Making an employee more confident at work, home, & life overall makes them a bursting bubble of energy.

Yoga is more than just poses

Yoga is normally stereotyped as just muscle & body stretches, whereas this practices more to it. Asanas are just one angle of this multi-dimensional chakra of Yoga.

• HATHA Yoga: Hatha yoga is a beginner-friendly style of yoga that evolves from the roots of meditation & breathing practices. Though the Sanskrit word “Hatha” translates to physical yoga practice. A traditional Hatha yoga class will incorporate breathing, meditation, and basic postures.
• VINYASA Yoga: Vinyasa flow is to test your body endurance & incorporates more physical movement than Hatha yoga. The Sanskrit word “vinyasa” means “to place in a special way.” The western variety which includes Power Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga, etc. has been inspired by this peculiar form.
• ASHTANGA Yoga: Ashtanga means “eight limbs.” This practice demands an eight-part routine and is better for more experienced yogis, as it requires a great amount of stamina and synchronizing your breathing with a continuous series of postures.
• BIKRAM Yoga: Bikram yoga is for those who don’t mind straining & sweating. Bikram yogis practise this style in a sauna-like room, intended to replicate the climate of India, as the heat enhances flexibility and initiates an amazing detox. This session is made up of a 90-minute sequence of 26 poses.

Corporate Wellness Modules for Employee Engagement

Can I Adopt Corporate Yoga in my Organisation?

Surely, you can! Companies are beginning to realize that their employees need a structured wellness solution to manage stress at work. Industry leaders and employee-friendly companies have already set the ball in motion. The changes in the organizational culture are fast-paced and companies have become more open to trying out new methodologies to boost employee productivity and morale at work. Amongst all the 21st Century Gym Equipments, Zumba, Pilates, etc. Yoga is gaining acceptance as an effective tool. Initiate a health revolution in your office too. It’s better late than never.

Corporate Yoga Conduct Guide for You

Get your employees together for this wellness initiative. Ensure all of you are clothed in comfortable clothes and footwear to be removed before practice. Make sure you have relaxing music, aromatic candles to improve the ambiance. Several online manuals have Yoga asana’s that can be practiced one after the other. Start with the basics of breathing & pranayama techniques, to remain calm and focused. Moving on to certain stretches to release stress, muscle cramps, tensions from your bodies. The secret behind every posture is to Hold – Breath – Relax, to feel relieved, refreshed & energized. Always conclude the Yoga sessions with an interactive chat amongst colleagues to improve the employee engagement connect between them & the organization.

Can Corporate Yoga be organized Digitally?

Of course, you just need the zeal & motivation to opt for it. As employees work from remote locations, the sense of togetherness can be sensed and revered only when an employee engagement connect is attached to the same with the advantages of wellness solutions involved. Challenge your colleagues with various Yoga Asanas you have perfected through time. Practice Basic pranayama’s, Desktop Yoga, Armchair yoga to correct your posture in any ergonomic stature. Digital Desktop Yoga is a trending wellness offering during the phase of ‘Work from Home’ office cultures.

Take your first Step

Be it a wellness plug-in, while you plan for your next team outbound, or an in-office workshop post the phase of remote working, or be a digital solution to reconnect all your employees with an experiential session on Corporate Yoga, we have it all under one roof. Our Corporate Yoga solutions are crafted as per the objectives one wants to achieve through these sessions. Now, that we have understood the importance of the age-old traditional gem of Yoga, let’s inculcate the same in your organization to make your workplace a happy & healthy abode.

Contact your Employee Engagement Experts today for a tailored Corporate Yoga plan for your firm!