Why bring yoga to the workplace?
Recent studies have indicated that the Return on Investment (ROI) is 5.61 to 1 when including yoga in the workday. Yoga creates:
- A sense of community
- A chance to reset focus and increase productivity
- An overall increase in good health of employees
- Less sick days
- An increase in the satisfaction of employees’ time at the company
- Less turn-over
Yoga as part of an employee wellness program can improve the overall health, morale, and productivity of employees, supporting them in making healthier lifestyle choices. Including yoga (physical movement as well as meditation) in your workday places emphasis on the wellness of the whole individual.
And since employees spend a majority of their time at work, creating a workplace yoga program can support their health and enjoyment of being at that job.
The benefits for companies integrating a regular yoga practice for employees
A regular practice of yoga (including meditation) has been shown to improve memory, concentration, attention, and mental well-being. Many systems are adversely affected by stressors at work and poor diet choices, creating chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, respiratory issues, and migraines and could be eliminated through proper wellness programs that include yoga. Yoga can also reduce stress, which lowers the overall healthcare costs that companies pay for employees, a cost which has soared beyond $300 billion (World Health Organization).
Other companies doing yoga at work
Approximately a quarter of large US employers have begun “stress reduction” initiatives in the workplace, and that number is steadily growing (Aon Hewitt). Companies such as Aetna, one of the largest healthcare benefits companies in the U.S., have successfully integrated wellness and yoga programs into their companies for their employees. CEO Mark Bertolini says, “My [yoga practice] helped me be more centered, more present.” (David Gelles, Financial Times, August 24, 2012). And on the General Mills campus, each building has a mediation room with yoga mats where employees gather to meditate, to practice physical poses (asana), and to find calm and peace in their day.
Bringing yoga to the workplace is a win-win for all involved: lower healthcare costs, greater employee satisfaction at work, increased productivity, and a company that supports the mind, body, and spirit of the whole individual.
Why choose Bloom Yoga to design your yoga program?
At Bloom Yoga, we believe strongly in the power of yoga to heal, to support, and to create a happier person. We will design a unique yoga program tailored specifically for your employees with emphasis on the whole individual. These sessions, whether meditation and pranayama (breath work), asana (physical poses), or a combination of these, will give employees a chance to reset, refocus, and take care of their overall health. Bloom Yoga strives to tailor classes to bring the greatest benefits to each individual, with emphasis on the long-term benefits of a regular yoga practice.
We will work with you to decide on the best times and locations for a yoga class in your workplace. We will make suggestions on the style of yoga and the best way to integrate yoga into your workday.
Let us sit down with you and create a program that is just right for your company and goals!