Fresh

We’ve been doing weekly yoga at eROI for over 3 years now. As a company, we strive to provide a return on investment (ROI) to our clients. In that same sense, weekly yoga has been able to provide an ROI to the employees. It’s a way for us to unwind and de-stress from the day-to-day workweek. The time we put into the practice provides us with a healthy mind and body that, in turn, helps us in our efforts at work. We’ve had 2 amazing instructors, Tanya and Michele, through Recess Wellness. They offer great corporate yoga packages and wellness options for the community. There are many health benefits directly related to doing yoga. Some of them include: better posture, reduced stress, a strengthened immune system, and more energy. Additionally, WebMD mentions that “yoga can help improve relationships at work.” Yoga is a wonderful part of our company culture, and its a great way to promote health and well-being.

I’ve acquired the unofficial title of ‘Yoga Ambassador’ for the company. I try to encourage participation by sending out a weekly yoga reminder via email to the entire office. Before I start creating the email, I reflect on the past week and try to tie in either current events, the current holiday, or something inspired by current emotions. Each email contains an image, accompanied by a related quote. I sometimes add in health tips or words of encouragement. I hope to inspire others to either join in the yoga practice, or encourage them to be happy and healthy. We are lucky to have the flexibility to hold yoga during the day at eROI. We practice yoga every Thursday afternoon at 4:30pm. Because this is during the normal workday, it makes it more convenient for employees to take time out of their day for yoga. Who wouldn’t want to be done with work an hour early and get a great workout and relaxation session?

I can go on and on about how great yoga is in the workplace, but I’m going to let some of our own speak for themselves. I gathered up some quotes, favorite moments, favorite poses, and more from many of our yogis. Enjoy!

From Mai:

Favorite pose? “My favorite yoga moves are the balancing poses because it pushes me to focus and stand still, which is really hard for me.”

Favorite eROI yoga memory? “My favorite yoga moment was when Jill first started and had to partner up with Ryan to do the double down dog.”

From Verity:

“I started doing yoga at eROI because I wanted to get serious about my health and fit exercise in whenever I could. My favorite pose is Crow. Yoga at the office is a great way to bond with my co-workers. I makes me feel valued as an employee that we have the opportunity to have the class here. It is much needed stress relief! My favorite yoga memory is either when we all did handstands against the walls.. or when we had the windows open and the guy outside was barking so loud it was disrupting class. haha!”

From Hannah:

“I trade cocktails for yoga on Thursdays and, shockingly, it is a great trade!” “I’m not a morning person so the new time slot change made all the difference to me. It’s a great way to end the day. I wish it was twice a week!”

From Mary:

Favorite pose? “Child’s pose — helps me to relax, and pigeon — helps to counteract all the sitting I do during the day.”

Why try yoga at eROI? “I thought it was a great team building activity that would be good for my health. So many eROI team building activities center around non-health-related events, and this is a bit more mellow and low-key.”

What do you like about doing yoga at the office? “The commute is great!”

Favorite eROI yoga memory? “The sexy cat from last week — so cute and funny! And, added bonus, your back feels great afterward.”

From KC:

It is great to work at a company that values and offers yoga and health wellness!

From Sydney:

Favorite pose? “Sun Salutations. I guess it is not a pose I just love the flow of connecting all of these poses together.”

Why try yoga at eROI? “Have you seen Jennifer Aniston’s body??”

What do you like about doing yoga at the office? “The ability for us to spend an hour together in harmony without having to even say a word. It also helps me to feel more grounded and relaxed in the same environment that can at times be very stressful.”

Favorite eROI yoga memory? “Group poses with Tanya :)”

From Jill:

My favorite pose is Half Moon Pose! But I don’t do it often. My favorite regular pose is Triangle – there is so much that I still need to work on in that pose even though it is one of the “basics”.

I decided to try yoga for a couple reasons: 1) I just moved to Portland (September 2007) and was looking to find a yoga class anyway, 2) I wanted to get to know some of my new co-workers outside of a work context (and outside of the bar!)

I like having a shared non-work experience with my co-workers. It’s fun and challenging at the same time, and it’s nice to have those kind of experiences in common – it gives you something to talk about later (that’s not work) :)

The eROI yoga memory that sticks out most in my mind is when we did partner yoga back in the old office. I’m pretty sure I hadn’t worked here for a month yet, and I ended up being paired with Ryan. An interesting way to get to know the CEO of your new workplace!

Like my emails, I’ll leave you with a quote: “The world may be chaotic around you; it may be full of fluctuations; it may be fearful; it may be full of pain; but the Yogi aims to be in peace even though circumstances are not.” ~Gurani Anjali

Namaste,
Christine

*All photos were taken by our fabulous designer, Elliot Olson. Thanks for taking the time out of your Thursday afternoon to snap some shots. We really appreciate it!