How Yoga Can Impact Productivity in the Workplace
Employees were once expected to turn up to work and get cracking. If they lacked motivation or focus, that was their own problem. But times have changed.
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The rise of corporate wellness programmes means companies now help employees with mental wellbeing. This includes taking steps to ensure individuals start their day right, and something that’s becoming more and more popular is corporate yoga.
In this article, we’ll delve into why businesses are offering yoga as part of their corporate wellness package and how this can impact productivity in the workplace.
Routine
The first benefit of incorporating yoga into the working day is that it can help to establish a consistent routine. Those who don’t follow a set routine can often waste energy determining how to start each day. On the other hand, following a set routine requires less energy, allowing you to start the day with more brainpower ready to be deployed on tasks that matter.
Physical benefits
Yoga is a great way to soothe out aches and pains that are distracting you from important tasks. Those who work in offices especially find themselves dealing with the impact of sitting down for long periods, which can negatively impact posture, joints and muscles.
Yoga not only helps to stretch out tight muscles, but it can also help increase flexibility, which in turn helps to prevent soreness in the future.
Energy boost
A morning workout is a great way to wake up your tired body and mind. But too strenuous a workout can mean you cause a post-lunch crash. Starting your day with a morning yoga session is a great happy medium, and offers a nice balance between energising tired minds and maintaining enough energy for the rest of the day.
Even a yoga session for beginners can help to circulate blood around the body, making you more alert and subsequently more productive.
Stress relief
One of the best things about yoga is that it challenges us both physically and mentally. And while we may find our bodies are feeling looser after a bout of yoga, the real benefit is often felt in the mind.
The emphasis on breathwork can be a great way to remove any work-related worries or stresses, meaning you have less on your plate when it finally comes to taking a seat at your desk.
This can be particularly beneficial to those who are working in stressful environments, such as dealing with psychological injury claims.
Boosts creative thinking
It’s not just businesses operating in high-risk environments that can benefit from team yoga. Introducing yoga to a creative team can be a great way to get those creative juices flowing in the morning.
We’ve all experienced the Monday morning blues, and while it may impact everyone, those who are working in roles that require a lot of creative thinking are likely to struggle the most. But the benefits mentioned above should all combine to leave you with a clearer mind that can prioritise work ideas.
Lucy Couser
I have a degree in creative writing from Manchester, and when I'm not reading romance novels, I go camping, hot yoga or shopping for second-hand fashion.
