In my past corporate life, I spent 90% of the day desk-bound. Running kept me fit, but my flexibility and mobility were poor. Taking up regular yoga practice transformed my strength, flexibility and mobility, completely curing knee and back pain I'd had since I was a teenager. Now, I offer yoga in the workplace to Birmingham businesses wanting to relieve workplace stress, improve morale, and help employees feel better in both body and mind.
In this blog post, I'm delving into what corporate yoga is about, how it works, what the benefits are, and why I'm so passionate about helping businesses like yours incorporate yoga into your working life.
What is corporate yoga all about?
Yoga is a sequence of stretches and postures coordinated with your breathing to boost physical and mental wellbeing.
As a low-impact form of movement, yoga is suitable for everyone and can be easily adapted to suit different ages, abilities, and fitness levels.
Corporate yoga is when a qualified yoga teacher comes to your workplace on a one-off or regular basis to teach yoga in your workplace.
Your employees can experience yoga within the workplace in a large meeting room or communal space, or even at their desks (yep, chair yoga is a thing!).
It's popular among employees for so many reasons, which we'll explore in a moment.
Many businesses are incorporating corporate yoga into their workplace wellness strategy, or implementing yoga during employee wellness events.
When I host a workplace yoga session, I encourage everyone to participate and keep an open mind about its potential benefits.
Trust me, I know people can be cynical about yoga - I used to be one of them! But I know you're going to love my approach to yoga - it's practical, encouraging, inclusive, and benefits-based.
Still on the fence after reading this blog? I recommend an hour on the mat with me to experience it first-hand before you make your mind up!
What are the benefits of corporate yoga?
Incorporating yoga into your working day has just so many advantages for your business success. Discover some of the main benefits for individuals, teams, and organisations.
Increase productivity
Yoga can help improve concentration and focus among employees, which leads to higher productivity levels at work.
You may think finding space in the office and sacrificing an hour out of your day would mean you get less done, but my corporate clients find it's actually the opposite!
Dedicating a little time to yoga allows your team to recharge and return to their desk with a fresh focus for the rest of the day, and the benefits continue to kick in long after they've rolled up their mats!
Reduce stress and anxiety
Did you know employee stress is at an all-time high?
According to employee engagement experts Gallup, 38% of UK workers feel stress on a daily basis.
Learning emotion-regulating breathing techniques and releasing feel-good brain chemicals during workplace yoga is a great way to reduce stress and ease anxiety.
In fact, 85% of people who participated in one study said yoga helped reduce their stress levels.
This creates deep personal benefits for the individual, as well as having a ripple effect on your team and business as a whole.
Create or sustain a positive work culture
Your company culture is critical for attracting and retaining the right people, and it impacts your reputation and success as a business.
Toxic company culture is the number one reason people quit their jobs, according to the results of one American study.
Companies offering yoga classes to their employees show they're committed to building a great culture and a healthy work environment where everyone can feel good and work to their potential.
Show you live your values
Another great benefit of corporate yoga is to enhance (or kickstart) your company wellness programme.
Many companies have box-ticking wellness initiatives but take little action beyond a token LinkedIn post.
By implementing yoga into your corporate life, you're declaring to employees - and the outside world - that you're an employer with the integrity to truly embody its values.
Improve workplace morale
Since yoga boosts your workplace culture and releases mood-enhancing endorphins, this naturally improves everyday morale among your team.
How much nicer, more productive and enjoyable would each workday be if everyone entered and exited the building with a positive, can-do mentality?
How many obstacles could be overcome with ease?
Could office politics disappear if everyone adopted a more understanding attitude towards their colleagues?
Morale goes a long way towards easing your everyday challenges and contributing to your success as an organisation.
Improve posture and ease back pain
Yoga is great for easing back pain, as well as the stress that may cause it, as we've already learned.
And I am living proof of this!
In my corporate career working as a sales manager for a global recruitment firm, I was plagued by lower back pain thanks to a herniated disc in my late teens. Over time, as yoga became part of my life, the pain completely disappeared.
Back pain is really common among desk workers who spend most of their days hunched over a screen. In fact, it’s said that an average of 65% of office workers develop musculoskeletal issues like back pain.
Ergonomic chairs and standing desks are a fantastic way to support your employees' spine health, and corporate yoga offers an additional tool to further improve posture and alleviate back pain, leading to healthier and happier teams.
Boost your team's mental and physical wellbeing
A qualified yoga instructor is an expert in "reading the room".
I've taught over 3000 hours of yoga, so I'm experienced in adapting and personalising each session so it supports your employees individually and your team as a whole.
Some days, an energising dynamic flow is just the thing to motivate you and put a spring in your step.
Other days, a restful yin-style practice will be exactly what you need to recover from a stressful week of skipped lunches and crisis management.
Simple yoga stretches and postures will always ease your mental health and boost your physical wellbeing, and when you work with an experienced teacher you'll be confident each session is fully customised for maximum benefits.
Is yoga in the office just another corporate wellness trend?
You don't need me to tell you yoga has been around for centuries. And while it's nothing new, yoga is becoming increasingly popular in the workplace as employers become switched on to its multiple business benefits.
However, this doesn't mean yoga in the workplace is a passing fad.
When your team feels their best mentally and physically, they take fewer sick days, are less prone to burnout, and perform better. This has a compound effect over time, and it adds up to a significant ROI for your business.
I'm guessing you'd class that as a smart long-term business investment!
How often should you do a corporate yoga class to see the benefits?
The benefits of incorporating yoga into your schedule start from a single class, but the more you do, the more advantages you'll witness playing out in your daily operations.
I offer both one-off sessions and regular classes at your location, at a time, date and frequency that works for you.
Do we need to provide our own yoga mats and other equipment?
No. If I'm delivering corporate yoga in your Birmingham workplace, all equipment will be provided.
If you've booked one of my online corporate yoga sessions for a remote or hybrid working team, you'll of course bring your own mat.
Book your first Birmingham corporate yoga class in the comfort of your workplace
If improving productivity and showing your commitment to employee wellbeing is top of your agenda, let's talk about implementing yoga in the workplace for your business.
I'm Katy, aka yogabrum, your Birmingham corporate yoga specialist, and I'm already sharing the business benefits of yoga with over 40 companies in the area.
Do you want to find out what the fuss is all about?
Meet the needs of your employees and improve your corporate culture for the better by booking your first workplace or online yoga session, and prepare to see the value of yoga to your bottom line.
Email me to get your first session in the diary.