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Helena Nehasilová is the founder of the project Office yoga. As part of the project, it offers yoga, pilates and stretching exercises directly at the workplace. It is an exercise tailored to demanding administrative work and sedentary work. Helena and I discussed how office yoga and exercise in the office benefit our health in the following interview.
Many people start yoga primarily because of the pain caused by sitting in the office all day. What led you to yoga?
A similar problem. Even though I started a little earlier, back in college. There, sitting in lectures, exercises and at the studio also greatly exceeded the time spent moving. At the same time, I was also drawn to yoga by chance. I originally wanted to compensate for the lack of exercise at the then modern Zumba class, but the instructor fell ill and they sent us a yoga teacher as a replacement. This class finally completely changed my preconceptions about yoga and so motivated me that I wanted to continue in this spirit.
Office yoga, which you practice as part of your business, is a fairly broad term. Can you specify what is hidden under this term?
Office yoga simply means yoga in the office. When I founded it in the Czech Republic eight years ago, I wanted it to sound international, it attracted not only Czech but also foreign companies operating in our country, which at that time were also more open to supporting well being in employment.
Office yoga means clearing out the meeting room or terrace, taking exercise pads and practicing yoga at work together with a group of colleagues. It can also take the form of so-called desk yoga. Here I recommend companiesthat do not have suitable premises and, despite this, want to provide employees with healthy exercise. So this is a modified yoga at a table, chair, in open space. Both variants have something in common.
What is special about office yoga?
Especially because it is adapted for people who have a sedentary lifestyle. This is actually a modified exercise inspired by yoga so that it is beneficial to the person of the 21st century. In the lessons we do not learn breaking positions such as standing on hands and the like, we do not chant mantras... Rather, we work on stretching and relaxing sore backs and other often loaded parts of the body, breathing and relaxation techniques. So that a person regenerates his physical as well as his mental side.
What role does office yoga play in preventing civilization diseases?
Like any other movement, it has a beneficial effect on the vitality of the muscles, teaches us to work better with the breath, stretches, strengthens and, of course, also has an impact on the aforementioned psychological side. Civilization diseases are so-called diseases of well-being, that is, mainly from lack of movement. When you count how many hours you sit a day, you'll often find that it's more than you sleep. And what do you think one visit to the gym a week will do about it? I don't think much...
Office yoga is not about standing on your hands and chanting mantras.
Who is office yoga suitable for? And how often is it advisable to include it during working hours?
Lessons are suitable for everyone. We try to teach participants the basics of movement, teach them to perceive their body, recognize good and bad pain, teach them to relax.
A mix of men and women of really different ages go to classes. We always tailor the lesson to the group. As for frequency, I definitely recommend exercising every day, calmly 10 minutes, 20 minutes, breaking it down into small breaks. It's certainly better than taking a one-hour lesson once a week.
The need for regular movement or stretching during office hours has been increasingly talked about in recent years. Have you noticed an increase in people interested in exercising in the office lately? If so, when did this “tipping point” occur?
I can certainly see a growing trend. Eight years ago, when we started with Office Yoga, it was really hard to get the first clients. These were mainly foreign firms, visionary owners. As time went on, it became more and more simple. Today, companies reach out to us on their own. The Covid era has slightly interrupted this growing trend, but it is returning to normal and employers are again willing to invest in their people.
Can you describe what types of companies most often request office yoga classes for their employees?
It's very diverse. With sedentary lifestyle bothering all people working in offices, we have clients from small companies and large corporations. It's across different sizes. In terms of focus, it concerns mainly IT companies, banks, insurance companies, telecommunications.
Office yoga is suitable for everyone.
How do office yoga classes in companies usually take place?
For yoga to be in work sense, I am of the opinion that it is advisable to agree on a strategy with the person who ensures this activity in the company. It is always a good idea to discuss the idea of the company, to find out which employees would participate in the lessons so that we can develop a program tailored to them.
As soon as we agree on the frequency, the appropriate time and place, the concept of the lessons, then simply a certified lecturer from our team comes to the company. Practices are usually done in the meeting room or on the terrace or garden in the courtyard. Sometimes companies have a gym or relaxation room at their disposal. If the company wants, we can also lend yoga mats.
Do you have any tips for people who want to get started with office yoga but do not have the opportunity to attend yoga classes in the workplace?
The really important thing is to incorporate regular exercise into every day. And now I don't mean an hour to exercise at home or in the gym. It is difficult to find time for yourself between work, household duties, family. The ideal start is to focus on walking, get off a stop early and walk the rest, walk the stairs instead of using the elevator, try to miss 6 — 10,000 steps a day. If we add to this regular stretching, for example, of the back, every day about after lunch for 5-10 minutes, it will be great.
There are a lot of exercises that can be done at the desk today on the Internet. We can arrange a massage once a month from a professional or from a partner. Practice deep breaths and exhalations when we stand in line at the post office or at a stop.
There is a lot of downtime during the day that can be actively used to consciously engage our body. It's great to take advantage of that. If we include some other sport among our hobbies, swimming, cycling, or ice skating — great. 1 — 4 times a year go to see a physiotherapist. It's an ideal. Every movement and work with the body counts. Remember that we sit for an awful lot of hours a day and it is necessary to compensate for this.
