Run an Office? Offer Corporate Yoga!
Working in a traditional office environment can become monotonous and is not necessarily good for your health. Offices are often stuffy, require employees to sit at the same desk for hours at a time, and can invoke considerable stress.
If your business is situated in a traditional office set-up, there is a range of strategies you can employ to reduce the physical and psychological load placed on employees. One of these strategies is offering corporate yoga.
At Mount Martha Yoga, we offer a range of special event yoga classes, including corporate yoga. Read on to learn a little more about how an office environment can be detrimental to the physical and mental health of your employees and how yoga in Mornington may be an appropriate way to mitigate this.
Working in an office — what you need to know
When we use the term ‘office,’ we’re referring to what you would consider a traditional office set-up — fixed desks, multiple desktop monitors, and most of the day spent sitting down. Common health and wellbeing problems associated with this environment include:
- Headaches: Headaches can have a range of root causes, including poor posture, eye-strain, and excessive stress. Sitting at a desk staring at a computer screen for hours at a time or working in a particularly stressful environment may result in chronic, persistent headaches.
- Back pain: Spending eight hours a day hunched over a laptop has a significant impact on your posture. Most office workers develop rounded shoulders and a hunched back, which can impact everything from joint health to digestion.
- Weight gain: Any type of sedentary job comes with an increased risk of weight gain and obesity. Even workers who make an effort to get up and stretch every hour or so are likely to experience some form of weight gain — particularly if they’re also engaging in unhealthy eating habits.
- Psychological health: Not all office environments are stressful or will inherently have a negative impact on your mental health. However, some employees will struggle with the 9-5, 5 day working week. They may lose motivation, affecting their productivity and overall mood.
How can yoga help?
Yoga is a proven strategy for counteracting all these health and well-being concerns, plus more. If you’re concerned about the physical or mental health of your employees, offering corporate yoga will see the following benefits:
- Improved posture: Practising yoga on a regular basis supports the correct alignment of hands, wrists, arms, and shoulders. You will learn to distribute your weight evenly and counteract the posture issues associated with sitting at a desk for hours on end.
- Reduced back pain: Whether your employees are experiencing back pain from sitting at their desk or through an old sporting injury, it will have a significant impact on their overall mood and productivity. Yoga has been linked to improved mobility and a reduction of lower chronic back pain, with certain movements being particularly effective in this regard.
- Improved sleep: Without a good night’s sleep, employees are going to turn up to the office in a bad mood from the get go. Corporate yoga classes can teach your workers relaxation techniques they can use themselves before going to bed, improving the quality and quantity of their sleep.
- Increased energy: Any type of physical activity is going to increase your energy, including yoga. A lunchtime corporate yoga class could be exactly what your employees need to get them through the afternoon slump and is far healthier than indulging in sugary snacks or multiple cups of coffee.
- Reduced stress: The beauty of yoga is that it offers both physical and mental health benefits. Yoga teaches mindfulness, which is the ability to stay present and focused on the current task at hand. This strategy is useful when problem-solving or in particularly stressful situations where an individual’s first instinct may be to simply panic.
Mount Martha Yoga — yoga for everyone
When running a corporate yoga class, it’s critical that the instructor understands not all participants will have the same level of experience or physical abilities. Emily has been teaching yoga in Mornington for many years now and has the ability to tailor classes to suit all participants.
Whether you’re looking to organise a one-off class or are interested in the idea of offering ongoing corporate yoga for your business on the Mornington Peninsula, Emily can work with you to design a program that is welcoming to all.
For more information and to take the first step in improving the physical and mental health of your employees, contact Emily from Mount Martha Yoga today.
