I'm Irene a certified yoga and mindfulness teacher that teaches a range of yoga, breathing, and mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques. I offer different corporate yoga and mindfulness classes —for companies and organisations that are based in and around Amsterdam, the Netherlands, or that are interested in having online sessions.
I would like to share with you a little bit about my teaching approach and what different options you could choose for your company if you’re interested in introducing yoga and/or mindfulness classes to your employees.
Feel free to watch this short video about how I teach corporate yoga in Amsterdam and online, or read more in this blog post.
Why Corporate Yoga
I probably don't need to tell you that it can sometimes feel quite stressful working in an office environment. Particularly at times where you and your colleagues are working towards some tight deadlines and having to juggle quite a few different activities at the same time.
It’s quite common that at least in certain periods of the year that your employees are having to be resilient to stress and manage their energy levels. And unfortunately each year there are more and more employees that are suffering from stress and burnout.
To help colleagues best manage their stress levels many studies have shown that introducing yoga and mindfulness can be very helpful to help your staff become more resilient to stressful situations at work and feel more energized.
There are many different ways that you can choose to introduce your colleagues to yoga and mindfulness. I’ll share some of the most common options below, but in case you have another idea about how you would like to introduce yoga to your co-workers feel free to reach out and discuss with me via a free consultation call (email Irene via info@antarayoga.nl).
Introducing Chair Yoga at Work
One of my favourite ways to introduce your team to yoga is by setting something up in person at your office. I like teaching chair yoga in the office because it can help make it accessible to everyone, no matter their mobility level and if they’ve got any disabilities.
Chair yoga classes work well to be held in a meeting room which usually have chairs already set up that we can use for the yoga session.
Usually I like to set up a chair yoga class by starting by doing some slow breathing and mindfulness techniques. We then do some chair yoga poses focused on tension built up in the neck, shoulders, and back after long periods sitting, and depending on the group maybe also some standing yoga postures. Finally finishing the practice like we started with a focus on mindfulness and relaxation.
The full practice could be anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes—depending on your preference—to really help employees take a break or unwind from their work day, feel a little bit more energized, improve their mobility, and help control their stress levels.
One thing I really like about introducing chair yoga classes at work is that it gives staff the opportunity that might not usually go to a yoga class to try it out.
I teach with a focus on allowing everyone to choose which parts of the practice they do and give different options for beginners and those suffering with injuries. This means your team doesn’t have to feel self-conscious or uncomfortable when doing chair yoga.
Another benefit of doing chair yoga is that its possible for people to do in their work clothes. And so there isn’t the need to have to change clothes and have changing rooms and showers available.
Find out more about the mindful chair yoga practices I teach to office workers.
Online Yoga Stretches at Your Office or for Home-Based Teams
Another things that I offer and find works quite well is having online yoga classes through an online meeting tool like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet. Online sessions work really well if you've got colleagues that are based in different office locations or working from home.
Although it’s possible to set up a yoga and/or mindfulness class that is done in person in the office with some people joining online, I recommend to have everyone joining in the same way so it feels an equal experience to participate in the class no matter where your staff are based.
For this reason, if you have a group based in different locations I would suggest considering to opt for an online yoga session. Your staff can choose to either have their video on or off, while I as the teacher keep my video on to demonstrate and guide the group through the class.
Depending on the group and the setup of everyone’s space we could choose to do a combination of chair yoga, standing yoga, and mindfulness or we could do a mat based yoga class. The latter of course requiring staff to have a little bit more space and yoga mat.
Team Building Yoga Class at a Yoga Studio
Another way of doing a corporate yoga class for your colleagues is to organise a team building exercise to do yoga in a yoga studio.
This can be a fun activity to plan if you are having a team meeting, retreat, or event in or around Amsterdam. After a discussion about what you’re looking for I can book a yoga studio in Amsterdam for your team to give your colleagues the opportunity to get out of the usual work environment.
When having a yoga class at the yoga studio we will be using yoga mats and doing a range of sitting, standing, and lying down postures. For these classes its helpful for everyone to bring a change of clothes, so they can where something comfortable and easy to move in like sports clothing.
A team building yoga class can be a really fun opportunity to do a yoga class that's tailored for beginners and those that are a little bit newer to yoga.
Regular Office Yoga Classes
While one off yoga and mindfulness classes can be a great special activity to plan for your team, it’s by practicing yoga regularly that you and your co-workers will really notice the difference in stress levels and flexibility.
Regular yoga classes are something that can be done in the office, at an external location, or online.
In the past when working with other companies and organisations we've set up monthly, bi-weekly, weekly or even sessions 2-3 times a week for a period of time on a set time and day.
This is something that is a bit more of a longer-term offer and benefit for employees to help focus on their well-being and stress levels.
Corporate Yoga Proposal and Consultation
If you're interested in exploring more about what options there are for your company or organisation to introduce yoga and/or mindfulness classes feel free to email me (Irene) via info@antarayoga.nl to find out more information about what could best suit your team.
You can also find here more about the pricing and costs for these different corporate yoga classes.
I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully get the opportunity to work with your colleagues and help them feel more resilient, flexible, and de-stressed.
Happy practicing!
💛 Irene
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