Dorothy Weiner sits like a yogi, with
her eyes closed, legs crossed and hands joined together in Namaste position.
Dorothy slowly opens her eyes, takes a
deep breath and instructs others in the group to follow her for ‘surya namaskar’. She slowly stands up
and other people sitting in the room on their yoga mats, follow.
It’s like a typical yoga class, only,
it’s not a yoga class. This is in a conference room of a LA based IT company
where Dorothy is a project manager. The others are her colleagues from various
departments. Dorothy has been leading yoga sessions for the past seventeen
months, with one hour of a session every working day.
How did it start?
Dorothy had been practicing yoga since
years but recently, as her job became more demanding, she had to give up her
fitness regime to time crunch. Work pressure, stress and a demanding lifestyle
added to her woes. Dorothy not only felt physically fatigued, but also mentally
and emotionally exhausted. Dorothy realized she wasn’t alone. She knew she had
to something. Dorothy, along with a few members of her team started a small
group. They started doing yoga on a daily basis. Not only did they feel calmer,
but their health, both physical and psychic, improved. People started joining
in, and the program started becoming more popular in the office.
As per a 2012 study published in the
Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Yoga and mindfulness exercises at
work help relieve stress and improve focus. “Practicing Yoga helps gain control
over stressors in your environment, gives you a better sense of control”, says
Joe from Dorothy’s Yoga team. Another team member Sara says that she has become
more productive in the same number of hours.
The art of managing Yoga at work
It wasn’t an easy road to begin with.
Dorothy had to convince her manager to give time and place during working
hours. She also had to convince her team members who were time crunched with
loads of work and strict deadlines. “Once the group was formed and the
management agreed for time and place in the office, I knew there would be no
looking back. The group started expanding and more people related to the concept.
The management was also happy as productivity increased”, says Dorothy.
Dorothy’s program became popular with both the staff and management. Several
Yoga teams were formed and Dorothy was given the additional charge of “wellness
officer”. She had to organize teams, set timings and supervise the yoga
sessions. Before she knew it, they had Yoga teams, and more than just a
voluntary program, it became a office sponsored activity compulsory for
employees. “As the team grew bigger, communication and co-ordination started
taking a lot of time. But then I found InstaTeam, a team management app and
fell in love with it. I can now schedule yoga sessions for different teams and
send push notifications in just a few taps,” says Dorothy who’s now proudly
multitasking. InstaTeam app allows her to simplify communication and
coordination while saving her time and hassle.
Dorothy’s InstaTeam yoga team has
become a successful model for many companies, and a lot many are adopting it.
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