Across the nation, more and more institutions are using yoga to fight obesity, improve general health, develop academic performance, and increase overall personal self-esteem and efficacy.   In general, many workers are under a lot of stress. They often need to meet deadlines, multitask, and work with others who are not very cooperative.  This causes stress that may lead to chronic stress.  As a result of chronic stress people are more susceptible of developing diseases, miss work, and preform poorly at their job. In spite of these unfortunate conditions, workers can use meditation, yoga and other stress reduction techniques to combat these complications.  The benefits of yoga and meditation in the workplace are cumulative; they build on one another, starting with the individual and from there, positively impacting the performance of the business as a whole.

The Individual’s Role:

The success of any business begins with the individual because innovation and inspiration are born at the individual level. The potential for greatness is inside each person that realizes there are infinite possibilities all around them, and that their creativity is limitless. Unfortunately, most individuals find that their potential is seriously limited by stress, which can:

  • Block creativity, inspiration, and mental clarity
  • Damage relationships with others, which in turn negatively impacts teamwork
  • Cause insomnia, which leads to a decrease in new thinking, inspiration, and innovation
  • Cause anxiety, which can make it difficult to work on a team that requires patience and collaboration
  • Cause individuals to doubt their true talents, which can lead to limiting thoughts and inhibit drive and passion

Clarity and Focus:

Every time we encounter an obstacle to fulfilling our goals, we face stress. It’s been documented that most people find themselves facing a “fight or flight” decision an average of 12 times each day. The state of “fight or flight” is an acute stress response that can adversely affect digestion, heart rate, respiratory rate, and the general effectiveness of the immune system. If employees are busy simply trying to survive, their minds will become hazy in all that they do.  It’s no secret that human beings only operate at about five percent of their mental capacity, and it sometimes seems as if we are comfortable with that limitation. Clarity and the ability to focus on goals are crucial to the success of any business. Both of these are a byproduct of the inner calm and peace that meditation brings.

Increased Employee Loyalty: 

A company that offers meditation as part of an employee wellness program shows they care about its employees and will gain the loyalty of workers at every level, which will result in less personnel turnover and increased employee retention. Loyal employees will be less likely to test the job market, and will generally remain with a company for a longer period of time. Loyal employees will also tend to feel that the success of the company they work for is directly related to their own success, and therefore work harder to achieve the company’s goals.

Improved Communication:

A clear mind will express clear thoughts. Clear, effective communication between managers and employees is crucial to the smooth running of any business operation. Unfortunately, effective communication at all levels is an area in which many businesses need improvement. Clear communication is a result of the clarity and focus that meditation brings to the workplace.

Decreased Absenteeism Due to Illness:

In today’s fast-paced business world, there is no way to avoid stress. However, meditation allows the individual to effectively deal with stress, which helps to improve their overall health, reducing their risk of heart disease, stroke, clinical depression, and a myriad of other conditions that cause employee absenteeism.

Increased Productivity:

The practice of meditation will help to improve the general productivity in companies of any size or industry. By helping employees at all levels deal with their stress effectively; focus more clearly on their own goals and the goals of the company; and communicate clearly with the other members of their team; the productivity of the employee will improve. And when productivity improves at the individual level, overall productivity of the company improves, too … which leads to increased profits and a healthier bottom line.

How Do I Get Started?

YC Yoga for Life can customize a class to best fit the needs of your company and employees. We provide qualified, experienced and certified teachers. You provide a classroom space (common spaces include gyms, conference rooms, larger offices, rooftops) and we’ll take care of the rest.

If you’d like to explore the value of adding a yoga program to your workplace benefits, we’d like to help. Simply fill out the form below and we’ll take care of the rest! Alternatively, to speak directly with our Yoga in the Workplace coordinator, please call (248) 593-5583.

Health is Wealth

It’s as simple as that. When we are healthy, we are better able to face challenges and give our best to whatever endeavor we undertake. Additional Services YC Yoga for Life Center offers:

Health and Wellness Workshop; chronic diseases, hypertension, Diabetes, obesity, low back pain, repetitive injuries, weight management, life style medication and more

The Fifteen-Minute Energy “Enhancer” (Individual Session)

This intervention is similar to a seated massage but has much more value.  The fifteen-minute energy enhancer is conducted one-on-one and consists of hands-on work along with verbal instructions, coaching, and movement education to facilitate body awareness and life long changes within the bodymind

Customized Consulting Services

We assist you in decision-making with regard to investment in ergonomic workstations, furniture, equipment and accessories.  If you already own these, we can provide assessment and analysis of this equipment and training in how best to utilize it to achieve your health objectives.  If you want to minimize your investment in this type of equipment, we provide consulting in how to maximize the benefits from your existing workstations or equipment through proper education in body movement, posture, and strain reducing techniques.

Ergonomics … Mastering the Body Seminar (group session)

The seminar is conducted for a group of up to 20 employees, with periodic follow-up sessions. During the interactive training session, each individual participates in a movement and posture educational demonstration. A sense of knowledge and awareness of how the body responds to outside stimulus is the focus, teaching how to best utilize the body in a variety of situations.

Our standard pricing structure is indicated below.

Enhancer      $75 per person

Consulting    $195.00 per hour

Workshops  Varies depending on options which are request

Scope of Work 

The fifteen-minute energy “enhancer” (individual session)

This intervention is similar to a seated massage but has much more value.  The fifteen-minute energy enhancer is conducted one-on-one and consists of hands-on work along with verbal instructions, coaching, and movement education to facilitate body awareness and life long changes within the body mind 

Ergonomics … Mastering the Body Seminar (group session)

The seminar is conducted for a group of up to 20 employees, with periodic follow-up sessions. During the interactive training session, each individual participates in a movement and posture educational demonstration. A sense of knowledge and awareness of how the body responds to outside stimulus is the focus, teaching how to best utilize the body in a variety of situations.

Customized Consulting Services

We assist you in decision-making with regard to investment in ergonomic workstations, furniture, equipment and accessories.  If you already own these, we can provide assessment and analysis of this equipment and training in how best to utilize it to achieve your health objectives.  If you want to minimize your investment in this type of equipment, we provide consulting in how to maximize the benefits from your existing workstations or equipment through proper education in body movement, posture, and strain reducing techniques.

Lectures/Workshops

How do the Seminars work?  By re-educating their body to stand, sit, and move in an upright position conducive to working well in gravity, a person can relieve stress and begin functioning normally. They gain a feeling of increased energy, reduced tension and pain, and a greater sense of ease in their lives.

The seminars can be structured to fulfill your specific objectives.  Here’s a list of some topics available:

  • Breath work: the importance of breath, why/how/ breathing exercise
  • Connective tissue: what connective tissue is and its function
  • Stretches: value of stretching to prevent injury, proper stretching, stretch points, helpful exercises and stretches,  great opportunities to do stretching
  • Repetitive strain injury – what is it and how to prevent it
  • Things which cause discomfort and how to avoid them
  • Helpful tips for greater comfort on the job
  • Common pain producers
  • Activities which promote soft tissue health

”We must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose” ~Ghandi