Yoga for Stress Reduction and Injury Prevention at Work
Every day, employees cope with various forms of stressors on the job. Increased risk for psychological and physical disorders may be due to work related trends such as working in repetitive and monotonous tasks, performing in a fast-paced environment, and or fearing a layoff during an unstable period in the economy. Psychological stress can be induced by extremely low or high demands on the individual and is a typical situation of many simple and repetitive work situations, in which health problems are common. This has innumerable health and financial implications for both employees and employers. Low job satisfaction and little variation in job task are significantly associated with back and shoulder pain. The majority of headaches people experience are tension headaches resulting from contraction of neck and shoulder muscles. Carpel tunnel and arthritis are associated with the repetitive strain from spending greater amounts of time at a computer. Job stress also can lead to burn out, and mental health challenges such as depression and anxiety.
For many, the worksite is the “prime locus of activity” where employees spend the majority of their lives. The worksite is a vital setting to advance healthy lifestyles and educating individuals on skills to manage stress. A critical shift in medicine has been the recognition that many of the damaging diseases of slow accumulation can be either caused, or made far worse, by stress. Over all, mental health education and support in the corporate health culture is lacking. One approach that teaches employees how to prevent or reduce risks of stress is Yoga.
Yoga incorporates breathing and postures to unify and relax the body and the mind. Offering yoga to employees is a convenient and practical way to relieve tension from stresses on the job and educates employees to reduce the risk of injury. Yoga can be taught at group lunchtime workshops or after work hours in any space available at the worksite, such as a conference room. Practicing yoga has been shown to reduce pain, relieve tension, reduce risk of injury, improve posture, improve communication, increase energy and attention span, and enhance feelings of overall wellness and well being.
When employees are at work, focusing on productivity, deadlines, meetings and phone calls, the sympathetic nervous system, known as the flight or fight system kicks in. Heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and adrenaline are increased resulting in the chronic stress response. Chronic stress is the major cause of weakened immune system functioning, sickness behavior, and chronic disease. Yet when practicing yoga the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in where tension is reduced. In comparison to job stress, yoga has a dramatic and opposite effect on the body: decreased heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. It cultivates mindfulness, which can break poor postural habits, poor decisions, and poor actions in the workspace.
Research into yoga programs offered in the corporate culture demonstrate that participants who took the yoga classes had fewer absentee days due to illness of physical problems, experienced less tension, stress, less musculoskeletal pain, and had a greater overall feeling of well being than those who did not participate. Employees who participated in the yoga classes also showed enhanced company morale and improved communication skills at work.
ShannonConnellHealth’s mission is to spread the benefits of yoga to more people, especially the people that don’t have the time to join a yoga studio membership or to make studio classes. Shannon makes yoga more accessible. She has experienced incredible health benefits from the practice of yoga, especially when it comes to stress and coping, is passionate about introducing yoga to you and assist you in integrating the practice into corporate culture. Shannon is currently available to offer 2-3 corporate yoga classes per week in the Boulder area. Exchange rate is $80 per hour, or $50 for 30mn. Rates subject to change with extended commute. Contact Shannon today if you are interested in offering yoga to your employees, or interested in Wellness Programming, workshops, health talks, or corporate culture health initiative development, etc. If Shannon herself is unavailable for classes, she offers a yoga talent recruiting service and is happy to connect you with top local yoga teachers.
Rates are subject to change based on commute
Shannon also offers Wellness Program Initiatives and Coaching services for Human Resource Departments, fees reflects Psychotherapy fees
Wellness Program Evaluations, and Corporate Health Lectures/Psychology/Lifestyle Coaching, etc.
Fees based on time commitment
