Trending: Yoga at Work for Stress Reduction, Physical Wellbeing AND Pain Relief
[Research on the Benefits of Yoga is Catching up to What Yogic History Has Touted--for a mere 5,000 Years.]
The 5,000 year-old practice of Yoga has established its relevance in today’s world. The Yoga Industry is an $11.5 Billion Industry, and Yoga practitioners have grown from 20 million to 36 million in just 4 years. The number of male Yogis has doubled, while the over 50 crowd who practices yoga has tripled. (1)
The simplicity of the practice (requires only some space and a mat) opens many venues--from health clubs to churches to parks to corporations. Yoga, with all of its mind/body benefits, has entered the American mainstream.
Has it entered the doors of your organization?
[Trending: Yoga at Work]
The popularity of Worksite Yoga Classes follows these national trends, with onsite classes having doubled over the last several years (2). The increase of Yoga participants has led to the increased understanding of the many physical and emotional benefits of Yoga as well as a de-mystification of Yoga—it’s not a religion and it’s not about doing media-focused “pretzel” poses.
Nancy Wolfson from Yoga Journal explains that most corporate yoga classes are employee driven. She attributes the corporate yoga boom to employees requesting onsite classes (3). Employees know they’re stressed; they know their backs and wrists hurt; and they know yoga can help.
[Yoga, an antidote to work-related stress?]
With 61% of Americans citing their jobs as their major stressor, many employers are seeking ways to reduce workplace stress (5).
Could the answer to the call be as simple as onsite yoga classes?
A recent study analyzed 13 trials with over 1300 participants and found that employees who do yoga at work are less stressed than their peers (3).
In fact, stress is cited as the top reason most people start a yoga practice (1). At HBO, Program Director, Bill Boyle, can’t keep pace with the yoga demands of the employees: “The deep breathing and relaxation employees get from yoga help them to be more focused and less anxious.” (3)
[Yoga for Back Pain]
Yoga has proven to be effective in reducing and relieving back pain, including back pain associated with prolonged sitting (6). Additional research suggests that yoga may be as effective as physical therapy for generalized low back pain, according to a study in Annals of Internal Medicine (2017). In the study, people who attended weekly yoga sessions experienced improvements in pain and activity limitations that mirrored the results of those who attended physical therapy (6).
[A Wellness WIN-WIN]
Employers who offer onsite yoga classes refer to the myriad of benefits this low-cost activity offers for both the employees and employers (1, 3, 4).
- For the employers:
- Better Morale
- Decreased sedentary behavior
- Increased productivity
- Increased millennial engagement
- Happier employees
- For the employees:
- Improved Flexibility and Posture
- Increased strength
- Decreased back pain
- Less Stress and better Stress Management
- Improved anxiety and depression
- Better sleep
The many benefits of a regular yoga practice can be attributed to the crux of the discipline—the mind/body connection. With a properly trained instructor, employees are led through (attainable) poses combined with breath work and meditation. What employees learn on the mat is translatable to their everyday life. For example, with just a few cycles of deep breathing, they can lower their pre-presentation anxiety, or a 30 second desk top child’s pose stretch can lengthen a back that’s been hunched for over an hour.
They key to obtaining the many benefits is a regular practice. Most companies with onsite yoga programs offer either 1 or 2-day a week classes for their employees, some every day. The NYC Trend Analysis Firm, Edrich Brown, Inc., supports the growing body of Western research proving the health benefits of yoga explaining that the anecdotal evidence showing increased productivity and decreased health care costs is “overwhelming” (3).
[Yoga takes you into the present moment, the only place where life exists. ~Patanjali, The Yoga Sutras]
Are you ready to bring your employees into the present moment, at least once or twice a week?
With some space, employee interest and a well-trained yoga instructor, you can bring the benefits of yoga through the doors of your workplace for a healthier and happier workforce.
Sources:
- Mind-Body Green Yoga statistics: staggering growth shows ever-increasing popularity. Accessed October 1, 2019. https://www.thegoodbody.com/yoga-statistics/
- Macmillan, A. Yoga is officially sweeping the workplace. Time. (2017). Accessed October 2, 2019 https://time.com/4624276/yoga-workplace-mindfulness/
- Wolfson, N. Incorporating yoga: employee-driven yoga boom for onsite corporate yoga. Yoga Journal. (2017)
- M. Puerto Valencia et al. Yoga in the workplace and health outcomes: a systematic review Occupational Med Vol 69, Issue 3, April 2019.
- Winerman, L. By the numbers: our stressed-out nation. APA. Vol. 48, No. 11 (2017). Accessed October 4, 2019. https://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/12/numbers
- Booe, M. What are the benefits of workplace yoga? Livestrong Website. Accessed October 7, 2019. https://www.livestrong.com/article/360372-what-are-the-benefits-of-yoga-in-the-workplace/
