In Singapore, 92% of employed individuals are stressed, which is 8% more than the world average of 84%, based on a 2019 Cigna survey. For the business world, this significant proportion has a steep price and is unsustainable. Stress-related and stress-induced illnesses, notably high blood pressure, account for about 18% or 2.3 billion USD of Singapore’s national health expenditures. Implementing yoga into corporate wellness initiatives is one approach to minimising workplace stress, which comes at a massive cost.
Yoga in the workplace has a variety of advantages. As per studies, yoga’s advantages—such as increased flexibility—helped shield people from diseases like arthritis and persistent back ache. Taking part in a program on a regular basis helps those who struggle with mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, stress, and insomnia, since it enhances fitness, lessens fatigue, and decreases such conditions.
Yoga’s accessibility and practicality make it the finest workout. Initially, it could seem overwhelming, but you can begin by performing easy yoga poses at your desk. Alternatively, check online yoga classes or even drop into yoga classes near me where a yoga instructor can introduce yoga and its discipline.
What is Corporate Yoga?
Corporate yoga is generally a kind of cost-effective workplace wellness program that emphasizes breathing techniques, easy postures and simple yoga stretches, and meditation practices. It seeks to improve employee physical and emotional well-being at work to reduce staff absences and medical expenses.
Benefits of Yoga in the Workplace
Just a few of the many advantages of practicing yoga include furthering immunological function, reducing stress, and improving cardiovascular health. Nonetheless, when you include yoga exercises into your everyday activities, you can also gain valuable insights into your profession.
1. Yoga Teaches Acceptance of One’s Limitations
Time constraints, back-to-back conferences, and project delays can breed frustration. The morale will suffer if you get caught up in attempting to do everything, and you’ll be less productive as a result. Turn your attention away from work and partake in physical activities, such as yoga, rather than striving to be more productive.
Yoga will enable you to discharge that stress effectively and will inspire you to appreciate your physical body as it is. Yoga classes emphasize gradual progression and the idea that you shouldn’t try to force yourself into a physically challenging posture. You don’t even need to contend with yourself in your yoga group. By doing this, you make a place for your individuality and your manner of functioning.
2. Yoga Proves You’re Capable of the Impossible
Yoga relieves stress hormone by lowering cortisol levels and raising serotonin levels, leaving you feeling relieved and renewed. Dynamic postures and motions can raise your heart rate, boost your blood circulation, and sharpen your mind.
Likewise, doing some deep stretches may help you get rid of any physical discomfort, like back pain, that might be getting in the way. These breaks will increase your productivity since they will reinvigorate you and get you geared to tackle the next task.
3. Yoga Aids in Maintaining Calm in Stressful Conditions
Understanding how to handle stress is crucial. Both the nervous system and immune system benefit from meditation, breathing techniques, stretches, and retreats. After investing numerous hours hunched over a desk which can create stress, fluid movements and stretches assist release tension.
Stress can be exacerbated by backache, neck discomfort, and shoulder stiffness on top of a demanding workload. One can get rid of such soreness by stretching deeply, such as in the cat-cow pose, and it is also worth noting how yoga reduces stress.
4. Concentrate on the Essential Things With Yoga
It can be daunting when there are a plethora of meetings with short deadlines. It may be challenging to focus on the job at hand if there is too much mental clutter caused by a hectic workplace that exacerbates anxiety and perceived stress. When this occurs, it’s critical to take a breather from your troubles and centre yourself in the here and now.
Thanks to the ease of workplace yoga, you can quickly attend a session during your lunch break. Exercises focusing on breathing exercises might help you become more present and calm the chatter in your mind. A few yoga positions and proper breathing can boost blood flow to the brain and enhance cognitive performance. You’ll then be able to resume work with a refreshed sense of focus and mental clarity thereafter.
5. Yoga Instills Self-Assurance in Your Skills
It’s simple to lose faith in the abilities you believe you have when career ventures aren’t going as planned and you’re having trouble putting your talents and abilities to use. When this occurs, it is a smart option to pause for a moment and gather your thoughts.
Yoga lessons can assist you with that because they bring you into the present to concentrate on your movements and breathing. As you develop the skill, you will see improvements in your technique and acquire faith in your ability and talents. Such awareness will help you become conscious of your inner strength. Additional advantages that will offer you that boost includes your mobility and better fitness.
6. Yoga Encourages Self-Control
With regular practice, yoga inculcates mindfulness. Regular training entails commitment and time management. It implies having the framework necessary to commit and accomplish your objectives. Stress reduction and management are advantages of practicing yoga. When you begin to feel overburdened by projects and impending deadlines, these are beneficial.
Your profession will benefit greatly from your cool head, self-control, commitment, and time management. And you’ll realize that persistence and sheer determination both in yoga and in your career pay off.
7. Yoga Fosters Creativity and Offers Fresh Ideas
The creativity can be killed out, and frustration levels can rise as a consequence of long shifts and demanding work conditions. Your mind may become closer to fresh concepts that can advance your task. In yoga, your instructor, your body, and your breath all serve as teaching aids for understanding.
It could be time to take a break if you sense that your imagination is waning and your thinking is becoming more focused. A fast yoga session can help you focus on the subject at hand and boost your memory, comprehension, and attention span. Such downtime helps your work by allowing you to return to your desk rested and more focused. Ideas will start to flow effortlessly as a result, which will lead to positive outcomes.
Conclusion
In general, implementing a corporate yoga program will improve personnel’s physical and mental health, lower absenteeism, and save money on healthcare. Employees who participate in corporate wellness programs can conveniently practice yoga at the office. It may adapt yoga lessons to fit your employees’ timetables and demands. Moreover, team yoga programs can be accommodated in yoga classes, whereby team-building activities can develop improved connections and communication techniques to build a far more harmonic workplace.
About the Author​
Lynette is fully dedicated to the support and empowerment of the growing community of committed yoga students and teachers. As one of the Lead Instructors for Yoga Teacher Training, she is here to share tips on how to grow your profile as a yoga teacher or build a yoga business either physically or digitally.