Now more than ever, the corporate world has had to look into the mirror held up to it, which reflects the way in which the people working inside the industry had faced a world of trouble. Burnout, long hours, poor work-life balance and health problems seem to have become a part and parcel of working in a high rise building. Thankfully, more and more companies are beginning to recognize the importance of worker’s overall wellbeing – no amount of mechanization can take away the importance of a productive, efficient worker. However, a worker can only be productive and efficient if they are healthy and happy, which is why corporate yoga can be the fix.
Yoga for Workers- Why It Makes Sense
Every job has its own stress, and there are minimum thresholds people in the corporate sphere simply have to bear with. Indeed, the problem has been about how corporations can reduce stress without changing the nature and requirements of the job people do. This is why the problem needs to be approached from a different angle – from that of the worker.
If two people have to climb a mountain and one of them has a car, you can imagine who would make it there first and have an easier time of it. Similarly, the solution to worker’s problems in companies is not to change their jobs completely but to equip them with skills and tools that they can use to meet the challenges and demands of their situations more effectively. This is where Yoga comes in. As one of the most holistic approaches to health, yoga not only strengthens the body, it also helps in the development of the mind. Reduced stress, better metabolism, lowered health problems, better sleep and digestion and alleviation of depression are just some of the many, many benefits linked with yoga.
And yoga is much more than just exercise – it is a way to ground oneself in the moment, to cultivate discipline and mindfulness. Yoga helps in correcting many ailments, such as sleeplessness and anger, and thus, in turn, promotes other positive lifestyle practices. For example, better sleep means more energy, better time management, less anger, and better decision making. Thus, yoga can help in creating positive cycles in the life of practitioners.
Down To Business – Yoga in Office
While yoga has many benefits for individuals? Why should companies invest their time and money, convince their employees, and hold yoga in office? Here are some compelling reasons why –
- The Cycle Needs to Kickstart – While yoga has many benefits, corporate workers may not be willing to dedicate time to it – simply because they do not have any. Long hours, poor time management and work-life balance mean that most individuals would simply not have the time to take up yoga. By incorporating yoga into the corporate hours, workers would get scaffolding to introduce and integrate yoga in their lives. It also sends a powerful message about the company’s dedication to the employee and makes them know that they are looked upon as individuals and not simply as workers – notions that can go a long way in enhancing job satisfaction and company image.
- It Gives A Refreshing Break – Even a fit as a fiddle employee may find themselves approaching burnout during the work hours, which can often extend well beyond the closing time. Energy, both physical and emotional, can drain down quickly as the hours go by, which means that decision-making and productivity steadily decline both from morning to night and from Monday to Friday. Providing for yoga classes in the middle can help in recharging people, giving them time to introspect and relax, and thus help in maintaining an optimum level of productivity and mental capacity all around the clock.
- You Get Better Workers – Yoga is not just an investment in a worker’s health and well-being, it is also an investment in human resources. A tired, frustrated, sleep-deprived worker is unlikely to make good decisions or power moves. Yoga helps in relaxation and reducing negative emotions like stress and frustration, while also enhancing discipline and concentration. Regular yoga can thus significantly improve the cognitive functioning of your workers alongside their energy, meaning that you get better decisions that are actually acted upon.
- It Reduces Workplace Friction – Done in a group, yoga can help eliminate negative energy and feelings of anger, resentment, and hierarchy, which often promote competition and sabotage at the cost of the company. Yoga can help individuals let go of grudges, and promote synergistic partnerships where everybody works together to achieve more, instead of stepping on each other to move up the corporate rung.
- Reduce Negative Worker Outcomes – As stated above, yoga can promote both a better individual and environment. This means a happy worker and a conducive workplace, which in turn can reduce several negative worker outcomes including absenteeism, employee turnover, destruction or negligence of workplace property, and low levels of productivity. Thus, the introduction of yoga can lead to tangible, positive outcomes both by increasing the company’s overall productivity and removing the negatives that harm it.
In Conclusion: Yoga Powers and Empowers
Yoga can thus become a very effective tool of energy management, an approach that focuses on developing and replenishing the physical, emotional and spiritual energies of their workers in order to boost workplace productivity. Thus, instead of focusing on external resources such as time or perks, which are in finite supply, the aim is to tap into what is inside the employee and use it for the benefit of both the individual and the company. Companies like Wachovia (now under Wells Fargo), Johnson and Johnson, and executives as EY and Sony amongst many others have already begun to see vast improvements in their life and work as a result of energy management practices.
As a discipline that focuses on all three types of energies, what better than yoga to practice energy management? Today, many corporates have already integrated yoga into their daily life, and both their employees and companies are reaping the benefits of it. So join them, practice effective energy management, and see your company grow.
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