Do Workplace Stress And Yoga Sessions Carry Obvious Results?

Testimonials from various entities conducting yoga in business settings speak to the effectiveness of corporate yoga and yoga stress relief. The sessions "set my staff on fire," said one executive while another pointed to yoga as "the best way to combat stress and re-energize." Many offices that had interpersonal problems with stressful interactions of employees found that group yoga sessions created the sense of community previously lacking in their workplace and additionally engendered a sense of teamwork where none had existed before.

Many proponents of corporate yoga offerings link a reduction of workplace stress and yoga sessions. As one participant in a corporate program expressed it, "Having [yoga] in our workplace has made a world of difference. I didn't realize how little I stretched in my daily life and how this led to cramping and stiffness in my neck and back, especially when I'm on the computer. I am more in touch with my posture and breath, and try not to hold my shoulders up when I am tense."

What Do Employees Say About Yoga Sessions At Work?

More than anything else employees cite the benefit of yoga for stress management. A bank employee reported that the exercises, "help me find the long-lost tranquility for my mind and body" while a busy office manager said, "I feel less stressed and [it] is giving me a sense of peace and an appreciation for my inner self."

Edie Weiner, president of Weiner, Edrich, Brown, Inc., a New York trend analysis firm told Nancy Wolfson of the online Yoga Yournal (in the article "Incorporating Yoga"), "Whether or not studies have actually proven that productivity is up and health care costs are down, anecdotally, the evidence that it works is overwhelming. Companies understand you have to address employees' health and well-being. Employees need time to relax, and a lot of people are gravitating towards yoga as a way to manage stress."

In the same article, HBO fitness director Bill Boyle said, "Everybody is under more stress now, and has to perform better, and work more hours per day. Yoga gives them a chance to take it all in stride . . . The deep breathing and relaxation employees get from yoga help them to be more focused and less anxious. When they go back to work, they're in a position to make better decisions. You don't want people making business decisions when they're stressed."

The correlation between a routine of yoga and stress relief has not gone unrecognized in the corporate setting as a positive business strategy. In providing their employees with organized sessions of yoga, stress relief has moved to the forefront of business thinking which not only creates happier employees but a safer, more productive work place.