Recently, my office yoga company arranged far in advance to teach a yoga class at a tech company in New York City. A rapid expansion of the company made the office manager nervous about the concept of office yoga. They had recently tripled their staff, and were working out of three different spaces. In her mind, there was no way she could bring yoga into the busy office, and she cancelled the class.
For many office managers, especially those working in the tech industry where companies experience rapid growth, the prospect of bringing in yoga or meditation in the office can seem daunting. How can everyone have an opportunity to practice the yoga or meditation? What can we do if our space is becoming smaller and smaller as we expand?
Arrange yoga/meditation sessions by department
I teach yoga for the marketing team at a fabulous Spanish language channel's office. It helps them unwind and get creative. In a large, multi-department company like this, with offices spread all over the nation, sometimes it's best if each individual department chooses to participate in yoga or meditation. That way, the office manager doesn't need to stress about having enough space for all 500 people in the office to do yoga, and the yoga teacher can get to know an individual group.
Arrange multiple classes on the same day
If you know that 60 people in your office want to participate in the yoga/meditation class, but your conference room only has room for 20, plan ahead and arrange three classes. Have people sign up for a time slot ahead of time. You won't have to stress about giving everyone a chance to participate!
Organize a company retreat
There are so many benefits to bringing yoga into a traditional corporate retreat. However, the expenses involved in an out of town retreat may be daunting for some companies. If this is the case for your company, try organizing something local. Many yoga studios can rent out space to corporate groups. It's also an affordable way to get out of the office an bond!
Don't be intimidated to bring yoga into your office because of factors like a large staff, small space, or multiple offices. Try these solutions, and get started on your office yoga adventure!