Monday, September 8, 2014
This September, we?re celebrating National Yoga Month by taking time to consider what yoga can do for your employees and maybe even what yoga can do for your organization.
A few years ago I worked with a guy who I?ll call Ben. I thought Ben was at least ten years younger than me. He had great posture, a positive attitude, endless energy and he never seemed to experience stress? even when the rest of us were out-of-our-minds worried about a project or a deliverable.
In a meeting one day Ben mentioned he was going to be on vacation. He was headed to Bali to complete part of his yoga instructor certification.
?You do yoga?? I asked.
?Yeah, it?s how I stay in shape, and how I stay sane,? Ben laughed.
When I learned Ben was actually five years
older than me, I thought he might be onto something.
You might think yoga is just something your coworkers do after they leave for the day. That it?s something they do for personal benefit. You might think yoga has no impact on your organization.
Based on what I experienced while working with my former colleague Ben, you might be wrong.
At its core, yoga is about poses and breathing. Poses to increase strength and flexibility, and breathing to control the body and quiet the mind.
Flexible, strong employees who are able to quiet their minds benefit an organization in multiple ways.
Researchers and doctors are busy looking and quantifying the benefits of yoga. The basic themes of this research indicate that yoga helps people (and employees):
- Manage stress
- Maintain good overall health
- Increase their energy (read: better productivity and performance at work)
- Clear their minds to make decisions
- Keep a positive outlook
- Focus and concentrate
- Reduce pain and muscle tension
- Gain confidence
As fun as it might be, we don?t all have to go to Bali to gain the benefits yoga can bring to our lives. We can even reap the benefits of yoga while at work. Check out Yoga Journal?s office
yoga video series for some yoga stretches you can do during your workday. Each video is about two minutes long ? less time than it takes to get to the break room for your next cup of coffee.
Who knows, when people see you doing a yoga stretch at your desk, you might just inspire a movement for stronger, more flexible and clear-headed workforce!
