The 5 reasons I love teaching Yoga@Work

For a couple of years, each Wednesday morning I would wake up at 4:30am to rush to a yoga class before hastily changing into a suit in the yoga studio bathroom and speeding off to my law firm and my career as a lawyer. I remember that on the days I was able to practice yoga, things always seemed to run a bit smoother – I was more focused on my work, present with my clients and patient with my adversaries. At some point I wondered if I could feel this way more often and began practicing yoga more and more. I eventually signed up for teacher training and became a yoga teacher.

I discovered I loved teaching yoga so much that I left the practice of law to teach yoga full-time. But I couldn’t forget what it felt like to be under the strain of stress, the anxiety of deadlines and the pressure to perform. I knew I had valuable gifts to share with my beloved lawyers in the form of yoga, mindfulness and positive psychology (I recently earned a certificate in this wonderful science). I wanted to give back, not only to lawyers, but to anyone that has ever found themselves being pulled in a million directions and faced with just as many responsibilities. So, I began teaching Yoga@Work with Prasada and discovered the perfect blend of professionalism and bliss.

Teaching Yoga@Work requires a different frame of mind and clear intentions. While it has its challenges, I really love it. Here’s 5 reasons why:

1. The students are very appreciative.
When I walk into an office to teach yoga I can feel the stress in the air. A voice in my head says, “If anyone needs yoga, it’s the people in this building.” My students often feel the same way. They are being pulled in many directions and have lots of responsibilities resting on their shoulders. When they are able to slow down and focus on themselves in the Yoga@Work class, they do no take it for granted. And they don’t take you or what you have come to share with them, specifically calm, clarity and some renewed energy, for granted either.

2. You can reach a new population of students you wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to in traditional yoga studios or gym setting.
I love yoga – I mean really, really love yoga. I want to tell everyone I meet about the benefits of yoga and how my own yoga practice has quite literally changed my life. I believe the world could be a much kinder, intelligent place if everyone practiced yoga. When you have the opportunity to teach in an onsite work location, it feels so amazing. It’s a privilege to be able to spread the message and benefits of yoga to those who might not otherwise learn about it .

3. You are compensated appropriately!
Let’s be honest – most people don’t teach yoga for the money. We do it for the love of the practice and for the deep desire to spread yoga’s teachings to as many people as possible. But if we’re going to be honest about our motivations, we also need to be honest about the reality around yoga teacher pay – in most places, it’s not great. When we commit to having yoga instruction it be our full-time work, it’s necessary to have it recognized and valued for what we are bringing to the world and have the compensation match that value. When you teach Yoga@Work, the pay for classes reflect the value of what you bring to each individual and the organization.

4. You get to play a part in shifting the culture of the organization.
One of the big conversations in business lately is about how to engage employees. The top organizations value each person and provide multiple ways in which every person can connect, grow and perform to propel the organization toward sustainable success. When employees are healthy, happy and engaged they go above and beyond what is expected. Having a yoga class as part of that organization’s culture shows that they care about the mind body practices of their team. They want to support wholebeing on a regular basis. And it’s a great recruiting and retention tool for employees to offer a cool, onsite yoga class every week.

5. There is an opportunity to incorporate many techniques and modalities in one class.
When you teach outside of a traditional yoga setting, you have the opportunity to expand your offerings. The cool thing about working with Prasada to deliver Yoga@Work is that the program is a combination of yoga, mindfulness and positive psychology. Because you never know what’s going to resonate with your students, it’s important to have as many tools in your tool box as possible. As teachers, it’s our highest duty to meet our students where they are and hold a space for them to grow. This is true whether that space is in an incense-filled yoga studio or a conference room.

I can keep listing more reasons why I enjoy teaching Yoga@Work. It all really comes down to one explanation, though. When I teach to appreciative students while having confidence in my skills and my worth, I feel connected with my purpose and feel my work is important.

And isn’t that what we’re all searching for?

If your interested in teaching Yoga@Work find the Prasada Yoga Teacher Application here.