Since the changes in the health care laws, more businesses and organizations are getting on board the “employee Wellness” bandwagon. There’s really no excuse not to offer your employees some kind of incentive program that makes it easy, fun, and inspiring to live a healthier lifestyle.
That’s why many companies are now offering yoga in the workplace, also known as corporate yoga.
The benefits of offering yoga in the workplace have been researched and the data is looking pretty good. It’s good for businesses because it helps the bottom line in many ways. Employees are more productive, have less work-related injuries, miss less work, and are generally a happier, healthier bunch. The new laws also offer tax incentives for offering a workplace yoga class. The medical benefits of yoga are many. In Dr. Timothy McCall’s book Yoga As Medicine – The Yogic Prescription For Health And Healing, he says, that more than a hundred scientific studies have found yoga to be an effective treatment for a variety of medical problems, from heart disease to carpal tunnel syndrome.”
Corporate yoga classes must be a bit different than the kind of class you may experience in a yoga studio. First, the culture and dynamics of a workplace should dictate how the yoga teacher approaches her students and designs her classes. Most important the teacher must be able to adapt to people of different fitness levels, age, and job levels. Creating a non-threatening, and safe environment are key elements of a corporate yoga program. There should be no chanting, no religious references, no Sanskrit. The teacher must wear appropriate clothing – nothing too revealing. Hands-on adjustments that may be appropriate in a studio setting are a no-no in a workplace yoga setting.
If you’d like your employer to offer yoga in your workplace and want to know more about what we offer, contact me: liza@yogajanda.com
