This week I spent a few days at Collision Conference, an exhilarating and inspiring (and exhausting!) event that hosted over 11,000 people from over 300 countries: investors, sponsors and startups, primarily focused on tech. It was awesome to see these ambitious entrepreneurs all together in one place, sharing ideas and making connections. One thing I noticed as I made my way through the exhibit floor was that nearly everyone was at some point engaged in their various devices, trying to balance selling, networking and ever important face time with the workload that didn't end just because they were on the exhibit floor. I saw people carrying heavy bags, juggling phones and grabbing lunch with one hand while checking Instagram with the other.
While the vibe overall at this event was joyful, at no time did I witness anyone looking what I would call blissful. In fact, the one thing I noticed, (admittedly, as a yoga instructor) was that everyone looked like they could benefit from a nice, long, upward facing dog. "Damn," I thought, "I should host a yoga session on the 2nd floor in between workshops and give these people a break!" I started CubeFit Yoga last year after spending 10+ years in corporate America, working primarily behind a desk when not out and about making sales calls or attending events, being worn down by a 9-5 schedule that more often than not turned into 9-9 (or if we're being real here, 9:07 to 9). Much of that time I found myself hunched over a screen of some sort, snacking on whatever office treats were around (it's always someone's birthday in the office!) and skipping workouts to get just one more thing done. Sound familiar? Most office dwellers readily agree that corporate life makes it hard to find time for self love, be it in the form of eating healthy meals or fitting in a workout. You can forget finding time for meditation or quiet time - even the morning news is usually rushed, watching the local weather while brushing your teeth or catching up on your Twitter feed while sitting in traffic. Throw in some unrealistic deadlines, dealing with demanding (and sometimes grouchy) colleagues and clients and overall just living what is commonly referred to as "the grind" and you can see how much just going to work every day can be a drain on a person, both mentally and physically. It's a wonder we're not all overworked, overweight and overmedicated....oh. Right. Enter Office Yoga. This somewhat wild sounding idea came about very organically, as I worked in an office and also happened to teach yoga. One day one of my coworkers suggested that I teach a yoga class in the office one Friday. We were in a relatively small office, but we made it work. We set up mats between the cubicles and right where earlier in the day deals were being done and plans were being made, hurried footsteps turned into mindful movements and loud conversations quieted to deep breaths. Gleefully, I bore witness to a real time transformation from chaos to calm. While yoga in the workplace can seem like an unlikely match (although they do make stretchy business pants now!), it makes sense that everything we need to be comfortable and productive in our physical body is also nice to have in our corporate culture. Who doesn't want to be (and work with people who are) more flexible, strong, and balanced? Certainly the physical benefits of yoga are well known, but it's not likely you'll do enough office yoga to lose 10 lbs or nail a handstand - but introducing yoga into your corporate culture can absolutely set changes in motion in the way the executives and employees view themselves and each other, and create a sense of mindfulness that can only benefit the business overall. Every class I teach I'm amazed at the way people come together. Senior executives alongside young recruits, fit people next to self professed "couch potatoes" and all sizes and ages come willing to try something new, and to spend a few moments of their day without their phones (that's sometimes the most challenging part) and learning to breathe and move in ways they likely never have before. At the end of class they generally report feeling accomplished, joyful and inspired to go back to their offices and into the world with a renewed sense of self. And maybe even better posture! I can only imagine the results on business overall if everyone making and receiving calls, leading and learning, buying or selling had just a little less stress and a little more flexibility, strength and balance in their lives and at their disposal. Hopefully as CubeFit Yoga continues to grow, I won't have to imagine - I'll see it in action with every new client. And maybe next year, if I play my Twitter cards right, attendees at Collision 2017 will have the option of yoga on the 2nd floor. Does your office need an on site yoga session? Want to test the waters with a lunch and learn on mindfulness in the workplace? Let's chat! Email shanna@cubefityoga.com - I look forward to hearing from you!
1 Comment
Six years ago today I walked into a yoga studio for the first time (after having practiced yoga at a gym for a few years) because I had a Groupon for 30 days and it was the last day to use it. Classic me, waiting til the last minute. I wasn't looking for a life change, all I wanted was to keep the cheeseburger pounds at bay. Having recently turned 30 I knew maintaining a lifestyle of cheeseburgers and beer (and fried chicken...and pizza... and tacos...) was not sustainable without some effort!
While I enjoyed the sweaty classes, at first I scoffed at "the message" in each class, and I was super annoyed by talks of "community" and "the practice" - after all, I'm just here to get my sweat on, not to make friends and certainly not to "find myself." Can't we all just come to yoga without having to "introduce ourselves to a neighbor" or "setting an intention" for our practice?? Despite rolling my eyes when the teacher went off on some lengthy tangent about taking what we learn on the mat out into the real world, I continued to come back enough that I made the choice to become a member after my 30 days was up. I can't say enough how glad I am that I made that choice, and all the choices thereafter, including introducing myself to my neighbor, setting an intention for my practice, and making yoga a part of my daily (although sometimes just weekly) routine. Eventually I found myself signing up for workshops and various trainings, including a 200 hour Teacher Training which led to becoming a certified yoga instructor, working at the studio as a teaching assistant and ultimately a Full Blown Teacher of My Own Class. That people actually came to! A lot! Wow, how did this happen? It's amazing where life takes you when start being open to new things! In addition to teaching classes at the yoga studio I was teaching "side gigs" for corporate people in offices, who were either too busy (or too scared!) to come to a "real yoga class." Yes, that fear of walking into the unknown is a real thing, and was the reason I waited until the last day possible to use my Groupon! Seeing this was a real need in the market, I made the (insane?) decision to quit my day job and focus on building a business around teaching yoga to people who need it most and are least likely to seek it out: people who spend the majority of their day crunched up in a cubicle staring at a computer screen for most of their waking hours. I never thought I would teach a yoga class, period - much less that I would leave a corporate career to teach yoga to people who, much like 2010 me, scoffed at the idea of yoga as anything other than a physical activity. While the majority of my students these days are experiencing yoga for the first time, and usually in a very different environment than most - yes conference room yoga is a thing - it never ceases to amaze me how much being open to something new changes their perspective and as a result, their attitude and maybe even their day, and eventually who knows, maybe even their career! I love looking back and seeing how this path unfolded, and I look forward to what is yet to come. I can't guess where this path will lead, but I can only keep taking chances and recommending that others do as well. Buy that Groupon, take that chance, be a yes! You will be glad you did. |
AuthorShanna Lee is the Founder and Principal Instructor for CubeFit Yoga. She likes dogs, yoga, food and music, not necessarily in that order. Archives
March 2017
Categories |