Yoga at work: why workplace wellbeing needs to be more than a tick-box exercise

Workplace wellbeing has become a familiar phrase.

Most organisations understand that supporting employee wellbeing matters, but deciding what that actually looks like in practice can be more difficult.

Fruit in the kitchen is nice. An employee assistance programme can be incredibly valuable. A wellbeing webinar might give people something useful to think about.

But sometimes what people need is much simpler.

They need to step away from their screen. Move their body. Slow down.

And have a little time during the working day where nobody is asking them to produce anything.

That's where yoga and movement can have a valuable place within workplace wellbeing.

 

Think about what a working day does to your body

For many of us, work isn't particularly kind to our bodies.

We sit for long periods. We look at screens. We repeat the same movements. We rush between meetings. We eat lunch at our desks and sometimes realise at 4pm that we've barely moved.

Other jobs create completely different physical demands, with people standing, lifting or performing repetitive movements for hours at a time.

Then there's the mental side of work.

Deadlines, responsibilities, difficult conversations, notifications and the constant feeling that there's something else requiring our attention.

Workplace yoga creates an opportunity to interrupt that pattern.

 

You don't need a yoga studio in the office

One of the misconceptions around workplace yoga is that you need a huge empty room, yoga mats and a workforce willing to turn up wearing activewear.

You don't.

A workplace wellbeing session should be designed around the workplace.

Depending on your team and environment, that could include gentle movement, seated yoga, breathing exercises, stretching, relaxation or a combination of different wellbeing activities.

People don't need to be experienced yogis and they certainly don't need to be flexible.

The aim isn't to turn your employees into yoga students.

It's to give them practical ways to support their wellbeing.

 

Making wellbeing inclusive matters

This is particularly important in workplace settings because your employees aren't a self-selecting group of people who have chosen to attend a yoga studio.

You'll have different ages, bodies, abilities, confidence levels and experiences in the same room.

Someone may practise yoga three times a week.

Someone else may not have exercised for years.

Another person might feel deeply uncomfortable about taking part in anything they associate with fitness.

That's why I don't simply take a standard yoga class and deliver it in an office.

The session needs to work for the people taking part.

Movements can be adapted. Chairs can be used. Different options can be provided. Nobody needs to demonstrate how flexible they are.

The goal is participation, not performance.

 

There are benefits beyond movement

One of the most valuable parts of workplace wellbeing activities can simply be giving people permission to pause.

We're increasingly used to moving immediately from one task to another.

Creating intentional time for wellbeing breaks that cycle.

A session can encourage people to become more aware of how their body feels, notice tension they've been ignoring, step away from their screen and spend time with colleagues in a completely different context.

It can also introduce simple techniques that employees can take back into their normal working day.

And importantly, doing something together can be enjoyable.

Wellbeing doesn't always have to be serious.

 

It shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all programme

Before I deliver workplace wellbeing, I want to understand the organisation.

Who is taking part?

What does their working day look like?

Why are you considering a wellbeing session?

Is this part of an away day? Are you trying to introduce employees to movement? Are you planning a wider wellbeing initiative? Or have you recognised that your team simply needs some time to reset?

Those answers should influence what happens next.

At Community Yoga with Sam, workplace wellbeing can range from a short Lunch & Learn through to a 90-minute wellbeing workshop, regular sessions or a complete wellbeing day.

The activity should fit the people, rather than expecting the people to fit the activity.

 

Start with your team

You don't need to develop an enormous corporate wellbeing strategy before doing something useful.

Start by thinking about the people who work for you.

How do they spend their day?

Where are the pressures?

What would make them feel genuinely supported?

And perhaps most importantly: what would they actually enjoy taking part in?

That's a much better starting point for workplace wellbeing than simply asking what everybody else is doing.

Community Yoga with Sam provides workplace yoga and wellbeing sessions for businesses and organisations, from Lunch & Learns and workshops to full wellbeing days and ongoing programmes.