Tag Archive for: corporate yoga

Meet Maddie Adams

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  • How long have you been teaching with Urban Balance?
    Since October 2022.
  • What part of the country do you teach in?
    Portland, OR
  • What services do you offer?
    Currently teaching chair yoga and a blend of gentle yoga, yoga Nidra, and restorative yoga.
  • What do you love most about teaching in the corporate wellness sphere?
    I love helping to contribute to yoga and wellness that’s more inclusive and accessible. I love that my classes at Providence are also free to the general public! Yoga for everyone!
  • Name one fun or unexpected fact about you:
    I am passionate about permaculture and I currently have 3 Nigerian Dwarf Goats which I keep for milk and make my own cheese and yogurt as well.
  • What are some of your favorite pastimes/hobbies?
    In addition to permaculture and gardening, I love hiking, reading, and knitting, and I am a huge D&D fantasy nerd.
  • How would you describe yourself/your teaching style?
    Warm-hearted and gently welcoming, offering inclusive and adaptable practices with an emphasis on syncing breath and movement together. I enjoy making everyone feel at home, included, and radically welcome just as they are in my classes.

Head to our team page to learn more about Maddie and the rest of our team!

Meet Rebecca “Sunny” Sunshine

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  • How long have you been with Urban Balance?
    3 months
  • What part of the country do you teach/present from?
    Portland, Oregon
  • What services do you offer?
    With Urban Balance specifically, I offer Gentle Yoga, Chair Yoga, Restorative Yoga and Core Yoga.
    More generally, I offer Yoga, Dynamic Mindfulness, Meditation, Dance, and Foam rolling.
  • What do you love most about teaching in the corporate wellness sphere?
    I love having access to a diverse group of students at all different stages of life. As a teacher, I’m a forever student and thus gain so much knowledge from all of the people that show up to class. I value having access to people who may not always feel welcome or included in a traditional yoga studio setting. It brings me so much joy to share the Yoga practice with real people going through real things. As someone who started my career in the corporate world, I feel like I can truly empathize with others who have demanding jobs and are looking to find more harmony in their lives.
  • Name one fun or unexpected fact about you.
    I spent my 20s and early 30s living in Tel Aviv, Berlin, and Siem Reap, and traveling around to other amazing places.
  • What are some of your favorite pastimes/hobbies?
    My favorite pastimes include apple picking with my family, making up dances with my siblings, family road trips, working in the entertainment industry for a couple of years, and skydiving.
  • How would you describe yourself/your teaching style?
    My style is kinda like that saying “variety is the spice of life.” I lead with a “life less serious” approach and aim to help people lighten up in body, mind, and heart.
  • What’s one experience you’re hoping to have in 2023?
    Spending some quality time in Europe again – I already have my trip booked!

Head to our team page to learn more about Sunny.

The Benefits of Live, Ongoing Employee Wellness Classes

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Companies looking for ways to help employees maintain physical health, address mental wellbeing, and build stronger connections with their co-workers have many options to choose from, including wellness apps that provide everything from on-demand content like guided meditations and yoga classes, to biometric tracking.

While these solutions have their benefits, companies that are looking to shift company culture, by taking a holistic approach to employee wellness should consider the benefits of live, ongoing virtual classes aimed at developing the mind-body connection, as well as a sense of connection with co-workers.

This includes offerings such as yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi & Qigong, dance fitness & conditioning (Zumba, Ellové), HIIT (or strength and conditioning formats), and meditation & mindfulness sessions.

With virtual wellness here to stay, here are 5 benefits to adding live, weekly classes into your workplace wellness program.


Employees can join from anywhere

One of the beautiful parts of online classes is that some of the participation issues that arise in on-site wellness classes, such as vacations, business trips, and employees working different shifts, are no longer as much of a barrier to participation. Whether your team is hybrid or fully remote, employees leave for business trips or vacation, or even if they relocate, they can still join their Pilates class or build that regularly scheduled group meditation session into their day. We’ve heard first-hand from employees in our live classes that they enjoy the convenience and flexibility that accompanies such offerings.

Easy implementation

From a business perspective, live, ongoing wellness classes are relatively easy to implement. Once you determine which class to offer and set the schedule, encourage employees to schedule their classes into their calendar. Working with a company that handles the administrative side, including marketing and employee communications, means wellness coordinators can “set it and forget it”.

They provide a built-in space for connection

Live virtual yoga and movement classes offer an element of connection and community that is especially essential with so many employees now working in hybrid or fully remote environments. In addition to interactive and engaging class content, many mind-body wellness instructors, especially those trained to teach yoga & meditation, are skilled at encouraging connection not only through their teaching but in the spaces before and after class.

Having a weekly time and date to attend class vs. participating via recording encourages employees to be consistent and accountable. Knowing there is a live group they’ve committed to provides many people with motivation to stay engaged.

They offer little something for everyone

Many of today’s group fitness and wellness classes include mixed-level instruction, making them appropriate beginners and the more seasoned practitioners alike. In a live setting, teachers build relationships with the employees who come to class regularly and can offer specific instruction based on what they see. In this way, live classes make it easier for teachers to meet employees where they are and to deliver an experience that differs from the on-demand classes.

A connected, engaging solution to employee burnout

Virtual fitness and movement classes help employees to address common physical issues, such as poor posture, stiffness, neck and back pain, as well as the mental stress that comes with working long hours in a hybrid or fully remote work environment. Mindfulness and meditation sessions can also help employees to create space in the course of a stressful day where there otherwise may have been none.

 

 

In Conclusion:
There are benefits to engaging with wellness offerings no matter the frequency, however, based on positive outcomes with our clients, we are strong advocates for weekly, ongoing corporate wellness programming whenever possible.

Live wellness offerings help to bridge the gaps inherent to a distributed workforce. This type of programming encourages consistency, connection, and community, all of which helps employees stay accountable and reach their wellness goals.

Visit our website to learn more about the full array of yoga and movement classes Urban Balance delivers.

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Urban Balance is the premier provider of comprehensive on-site corporate wellness services including massage in the Portland, Oregon metro area, and offers virtual workplace wellness programming worldwide. We deliver livestream and on-demand classes, webinars, and special events to the workplace environment for happier employees and a healthier bottom line.


Browse our catalog of virtual wellness services with offerings including yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Zumba, HIIT, Barre Sculpt, meditation, nutrition, learning opportunities, and more.