Taking Time to Exercise Your Inner Yogi
Australians seem to work more hours a year, on average, than the world’s average based on OECD statics. Australians spent 1,665 hours working in the year of 2015. What does this number really mean? Let’s compare to some other countries. The United States, for example, had an annual average of 1,790 hours, many more hours more than Australians. But, if you look at some countries in Europe – – Germany – 1,391 hours, France – 1,482 hours, Switzerland – 1,590 hours – – you can see Australians spend more time working a year than many. This difference in workplace culture translates into different outcomes for employee health.
Full article: Bloomberg compares American and European workdays
Workplace stress is extremely common, and as we’ve discussed before, some level of stress is even normal and healthy. However, the stress can become too overwhelming or too severe for some employees – this is what is unhealthy. Excessive workplace stress – where staff report feeling overworked and overwhelmed – often leads to decreased employee productivity, as well as mental and physical health problems including headaches, muscle tension, irritability, anxiety, fatigue, loss of interest in the job, inability to concentrate, and even major issues like heart disease and depression. Overall, “Burnout is the biggest occupational hazard of the 21st century,” says Christina Maslach, Ph.D., coauthor of ‘Banishing Burnout: Six Strategies for Improving Your Relationship with Work’.
Full article: Banishing Burnout Stress
The need for anti-stress techniques and practices in the workplace is growing quickly and exponentially. The trick here is to identify sources of stress within the workplace, and then learn how to effectively manage that stress. Effective strategies exist, and learning to use them can dramatically increase happiness and satisfaction in the workplace, as well as overall quality of life.
Many people are finding that mind-body practices, like meditation and yoga, can greatly help with managing workplace stress and creating a happy work environment. In addition, anybody can do yoga!
Take, for example, Chris Wills, a cattle breeder from Greenethorpe in the New South Wales area. Not long after he was dragged to a yoga class (kicking and screaming the entire way) to treat his back pain, he admitted that: “there was something else in yoga that I couldn’t quite explain. It managed to address my stresses and anxieties and that’s what motivated me to learn more.”
To his own surprise, Wills continued to do yoga as it provided him with increased strength, flexibility, and balance. “After a couple of weeks, I was feeling better all over”, he stated. Soon after returning home from a 200-hour yoga teaching course in Cambodia, Wills began teaching a series of yoga exercises for other farmers to do in their tractors in order to help stay physically and mentally healthy.
Article: Cattle breeder turned yogi helps farmers relax on the job with tractor yoga
In order to encourage this type of healthy mind-body practice – and to increase employee happiness and productivity – many corporations are implementing yoga classes and meditation programs into the workplace.
Your organisation can be at the forefront of this healthy trend. Corporate yoga programs have many benefits, including:
- Employees that are happy, energetic, and enthusiastic, and in turn, more productive.
- Improved concentration, alertness, decision-making skills, and ability to multitask.
- Better customer service skills.
- A decline in stress-related mental and physical issues and illnesses.
- Decreased insomnia, high blood pressure, and other work-related health issues.
- Relief of head, neck, and back strain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other work-related strains/aches.
- Enhanced positive employee attitude and outlook.
- General wellbeing and happiness in the workplace, which reduces employee turnover.
As you can see, Corporate Yoga Classes are an important part of a company’s Corporate Wellness Program.
HSG offers Corporate Yoga Classes, as well as Corporate Mindfulness Training Programs. You can also view all of our classes, workshops and services promoting a healthy body and mind.
