Like a flower bud, human life has the potential to blossom fully. Blossoming of human potential to fullness is yoga.
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Imagine walking into an office of grumpy and disgruntled employees on a daily basis. It’s unappealing and demotivating, isn’t it? Long hours and unreasonable deadlines lead to stress, which saps energy. Over a period of time, this deflates the mood and spirit at work. No wonder there are no smiles around. Who wouldn’t rather, work in a team that is happy, satisfied and motivated?
New-age and conscientious employers recognize the importance of happy employees at the workplace. This forward-thinking approach is as practical as it is humane. This is because employee morale is closely linked to productivity. It is to achieve this common goal that corporate yoga programs have been designed.
How are corporate yoga classes useful?
Corporate yoga has never been more relevant than it is today. Let’s look at why this is.
Yoga brings out your positivity
Corporate life requires a mix of soft and hard skills in employees. Here are some attributes that employers look for:
Balanced and objective view of life
Effective listening
Broad-mindedness
Interest in encouraging and motivating others
Loyalty, honesty, integrity and trust
It has been found that yoga enables employees to display these traits. Yoga energizes the mind and body. You feel more positiveand are able to take a compassionate as well as an objective stance at work.
Yoga helps achieve work-life balance
People are, sometimes, grouchy at work because they struggle to find that elusive work-life balance. Yoga helps you manage time better. You will find time not only for work and home but also for the society at large.
Yoga reduces stress
Corporate employees suffer from depression, hypertension, obesity and general anxiety because of high stress levels. Research shows that yoga can, indeed, regulate blood pressure and stress. It spurs your creative juices and, therefore, improves work performance.
Pranayamas help keep you centered
Research shows that practicing yoga, meditation and pranayamamakes the mind still. This enables workers and managers to thinkclearly. They come outside their parochial selves andthink aboutothers. They grow and transform with the organization’s best interestat heart. Such thoughtfulness and caring is possible when you aresecure and at peace, and yoga helps you achieve this.
Studies on impact of corporate yoga classes
There have been various studies in recent times on the effects of yoga on an individual’s well-being. Here are a couple of findings:
Stress is estimated to cost American industries more than USD 300 billion annually. This is a function of reduced productivity, compensation claims and increased absenteeism.
Yoga increases Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Management – Bangalore (IIM-B) conducted a study on a sample of 60 managers of a company.
Methodology: They divided employees into two teams – the yoga group and control group. The yoga group was given 30 hours of yoga practice and 25 hours of lectures on yoga philosophy. The control group was given training in normal physical workout. They also attended lectures on Six Sigma, interpersonal relationships, attitude, and effective communication. Both studies were for the same number of hours over a period of six weeks.
Findings: The yoga group’s average EI increased from 5.50 to 5.97 while the control group’s average reduced from 5.61 to 5.55.
Analysis: Yoga helps managers become more self-aware and self-regulated individuals. These employees were more tolerant to failure and less susceptible to stress. It, thus, improves managerial performance in organizations.
Reduces job-burnout
The Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad conducted a similar study on a group of 84 executives of a leading Indian corporate.
Methodology: IIM-A adopted the same methodology as IIM-B above.
Analysis: Adoption of corporate yoga significantly reduces job burnout and stress. This also helps reduce an organization’s attrition costs.
Are you in front of a computer all day long? You can watch these desktop yoga poses or read how you can do yoga in office. It will help you unwind and refresh yourself.
Relationship between yoga and the gunas
Regular practice of yoga helps manage the gunas or qualities inherent in you. Happiness is a product of balance and harmony within you. Yoga helps by:
balancing the Rajas - quality that makes you restless, impatient and over-active
reducing the Tamas - quality that makes you lethargic
increasing the Sattva – quality that makes you joyful and happy
A bit of spirituality at workplace can help motivate employees at all levels and is a win-win situation for the organization. In a way, corporate yoga can be the catalyst for change that your organization needs.
So, if your organization is interested in introducing corporate yoga, do keep these tips in mind.
Tips for hosting corporate yoga classes
Ensure that the trainer is well-qualified and knows to cater to different kinds of people.
Introduce yoga through lectures and practical sessions. Both the philosophy and poses are important for maximum benefit.
Explain the asanas or poses in simple steps, so as not to intimidate first-timers.
Be clear about precautions for every asana to avoid accidents and injuries.
It always helps to be flexible in your approach and offer variations of poses according to convenience and ability.
Stress on the importance of regularity in yoga practice.
