Helena Nehasil: Office Yoga and Exercise in the Office

Helena Nehasilová is the founder of the Office Yoga project. Within the project, she offers yoga, pilates and stretching classes directly at the workplace. These are exercises tailored to demanding administrative work and sedentary jobs. We spoke to Helena about how office yoga and office exercise benefits our health in the following interview.

Many people start yoga primarily because of the pain caused by sitting in an office all day. What brought you to yoga?

Similar problem. Although I started a little earlier, in college. There, the sitting in lectures, exercises and studying also greatly exceeded the time spent moving. At the same time, I was also led to yoga by chance. Originally I wanted to compensate for the lack of exercise at a then modern Zumba class, but the instructor got sick and they sent a yoga teacher as a replacement. This class ended up completely changing my preconceived notions about yoga and motivated me so much that I wanted to continue in this vein.

Office yoga, which you practice as part of your business, is a fairly broad term. Can you specify what all is covered by this term?

Office yoga simply translates to yoga in the office. When I founded it in the Czech Republic eight years ago, I wanted it to sound international, to attract not only Czech but also foreign companies operating in the Czech Republic, which at that time were more open to promoting well being at work.
Office yoga means clearing out a meeting room or a terrace, taking exercise mats and practicing yoga together with a group of colleagues at work. It can also take the form of what is known as Desk Yoga. I recommend this for companies that don't have suitable premises and still want to give employees a healthy workout. It is therefore a modified yoga at a desk, chair, in an open space. Both variations have something to offer.

What makes office yoga specific?

First of all, it is adapted to people who have a sedentary lifestyle. It is actually a modified yoga-inspired exercise to benefit the 21st century person. In the classes we don't learn crunching positions like handstands and the like, we don't chant mantras... Rather we work on stretching and relaxing sore backs and other often stressed body parts, breathing and relaxation techniques. So that one regenerates one's physical as well as mental side.

What role does office yoga play in the prevention of civilisation diseases?

Like any other movement, it has a beneficial effect on the vitality of the muscles, teaches us to work better with breath, stretches, strengthens and of course has an impact on the aforementioned psychological aspect. The diseases of civilization are the so-called diseases of well-being, that is to say, mainly from lack of exercise. If you calculate how many hours a day you sit, you will often find that it is even more than you sleep. And what do you think one visit to the gym a week will do to that? I don't think it does much...

Office yoga is not about standing on your hands and chanting a mantra.

Who is office yoga suitable for? And how often is it appropriate to include it during working hours?

The lessons are suitable for everyone. We try to teach participants the basics of movement, teach them to feel their body, recognize good and bad pain, teach them to relax.

The classes are attended by a mix of men and women of really different ages. We always tailor the lesson to the group. In terms of frequency, I definitely recommend practicing every day, easily 10 minutes, 20 minutes, breaking it up into small breaks. It's definitely better than going out once a week for an hour lesson.

The need for regular exercise or stretching during office hours has been increasingly discussed in recent years. Have you noticed a recent increase in people interested in exercising in the office? If so, when did this "tipping point" occur?

I definitely see a growing trend. Eight years ago, when we started Office Yoga, it was really hard to get our first clients. It was mostly foreign companies, visionary owners. As time went on, it got easier and easier. Today, companies approach us on their own. Covid's time has cut that upward trend a bit, but it's getting back to normal and employers are willing to invest in their people again.

Can you describe what types of companies most often request office yoga courses for their employees?

It's very diverse. With the sedentary lifestyle plaguing all people working in offices, we have clients from small businesses and large corporations. It's across all sizes. In terms of focus, it's mainly IT companies, banks, insurance companies, telecoms.

Office yoga is suitable for everyone.

How do office yoga courses in companies usually work?

In order to make yoga at work meaningful, I believe it is advisable to agree on a strategy with the person who provides this activity in the company. It's always a good idea to discuss the company's vision, to find out what kind of employees would take part in the classes so that we can tailor a programme for them.

The moment we agree on the frequency, suitable time and place, concept of lessons, then a certified lecturer from our team simply comes to the company. The exercises are usually held in a meeting room or perhaps on a terrace or in a courtyard garden. Sometimes companies have a gym or relaxation room available. If the company wants, we can also rent yoga mats.

Do you have any tips for people who want to start with office yoga but don't have the opportunity to attend yoga classes at their workplace?

It's really important to incorporate regular movement into every day. And now I don't mean an hour of exercise at home or at the gym. It's hard to find time for yourself between work, chores, family. The ideal start is to focus on walking, get off the bus one stop early and walk the rest, take the stairs instead of using the elevator, try to walk 6 - 10,000 steps a day. If you add to that regular stretching, for example of the back, for 5-10 minutes every day after lunch, it will be great.

There are plenty of exercises that can be done at a desk on the internet today. We can include a massage once a month from a professional or from a partner. Practice deep breaths in and out when we are standing in line at the post office or at the bus stop.

There is plenty of downtime within the day that can be actively used to consciously engage our bodies. It's great to take advantage of that. If we include some other sport among our hobbies, swimming, cycling, or skating - great. 1 - 4 times a year go to see a physiotherapist. Ideal. Every movement and body work counts. Remember we sit an awful lot of hours a day and need to compensate.