UITS Staff Yoga Group: Namaste for the work day
Kris Nicola, Lead Analyst, University Information Technology Services (UITS), IU Bloomington, shares how one six-week sponsored yoga program led to an ongoing, peer-organized practice at work.
Taking the initiative to feel great at work
The UITS Staff Yoga Group’s weekly at-work practice started over two years ago. Our group began when the UITS Living Healthy Team sponsored a six-week instructor-led yoga class. The class was very popular, and once it ended, attendees decided that they would like to continue meeting because it was such an enjoyable experience. We decided to get creative and use free, online yoga videos in lieu of an in-person instructor.
My coworker Kelley Cantrell initially took on the tasks of scheduling room space and finding videos. This is when we discovered “Yoga with Adriene,” led by Adriene Mishler, on YouTube. The videos are fun, safe, and free — and there are a wide variety of videos to choose from to fit our group’s needs. For example, if a particular member has an area they would like to focus on, we look for a video that meets that desire. And while I have since stepped in to schedule the room space and find videos, it is a group effort with others jumping in when needed.