Right here, right now
People often look toward the horizon, waiting for solutions to appear. In the context of studying or work, this forward-looking approach is often necessary. However, when it comes to our well-being, it’s vital to recognize that our body and mind are the fundamental tools we need to cultivate a balanced life. Creating the conditions for sustained well-being often aligns with the principle that “less is more.”
Postures such as “the corpse pose” or “the child’s pose” beautifully illustrate this concept. While these postures can be intellectually discussed or assessed, they yield no real benefit until one surrenders fully into them.
Opposing views or different focus?
Recent studies offer intriguing and, in some places, contradicting arguments when it comes to the effectiveness of yoga in the workplace. HBR and Oxford studies*, essentially limited to corporate organisations and studies looking at a wider landscape (University of Naples* and a Norwegian study*, ). Interestingly, they either overlook or highlight a crucial element: the cornerstone of sustained and effective well-being lies in personal intention and the actions taken to support it.
Although more research is necessary on the specific benefits of yoga practices on well-being in the work place, there is a large array of evidence accumulated over the years and across many different types of working environments pointing towards the fact that yes, indeed yoga is effective to reduce and manage stress related the workplace.
Certainly, suggestion by both HBR and Fleming’s studies that wellbeing at work (in the corporate world) needs to see more commitment from the leadership in encouraging systemic change within the organisations, seems to be the prerequisite to seeing more of the beneficial impact that individual-focused interventions like yoga can deliver, for the individual AND for the collective.
It takes a little bit of guidance at first, and commitment to practice but the rewards are real (more research needs to be done to confirm what seems to be the positive impact the has been reported beyond the world of corporate, among people working in areas highly affected by undeniably high levels of stress like ICU environments or among university students)…
When it comes to yoga as a path for recovery and rest, people should shift their perspectives. It is not about “more stuff to do” (this was highlighted as an important concern by many in the corporate world in the HBR study) but rather, it is a space and time, a container for “non doing”, for observing and letting go.

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(References):

–  Stefano Palermi, Irene Aloe, R. Marcantonio, Rocco Spera, S. Montagnani, F. Sirico – University of Naples: Effectiveness of Workplace Yoga Interventions to Reduce Perceived Stress in Employees: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis;
– Hagen I, Hagen Ø. The impact of yoga on occupational stress and wellbeing: exploring practitioners’ experiences ;

– HBR: Why Workplace Well-Being Programs Don’t Achieve Better Outcomes;
– William J. Fleming – Oxford Universtity: Employee well-being outcomes from individual-level mental health interventions: Cross-sectional evidence from the United Kingdom.