Blog Archives - Page 6 of 9

September 22, 2021September 22, 2021

Catch A Mental Break With Corporate Yoga

corporate yoga and meditation with body techniques

We could all use more “Om” in our lives – especially if you have a desk job. No matter if you’re a secretary, sales representative, customer service manager, or CEO doing yoga at work will almost instantly revive your spirit.

In our time working within the corporate yoga and meditation industry, we’ve found that dedicating even 10 minutes a day to a well-deserved mental break can boost employee morale, collaboration, and ultimately productivity. After all, a little mindfulness never has never anyone!

Read on to explore different ways you can incorporate yoga and meditation into your workplace and help your employees manage their stress naturally.

What Is Corporate Yoga?

Skipping the technical jargon – corporate yoga is a stress management program employers can offer their workforce so they live happier, healthier lives. We hire the most qualified yoga instructors in various areas of expertise like Vinyasa, Hatha, Vini, and more. The idea behind this is to provide corporate yoga in such a way that all of your employees are able to enjoy this practice because in all reality – it’s life-changing!

Wellness is for everybody, so we also offer online yoga classes so everyone – remote or in the office – can catch a well-deserved mental break.

Does Practicing Yoga In The Office Really Work?

No one can argue that practicing mindfulness through yoga and meditation benefits those who do it. Those who practice are in a better place mentally and physically. This trickles into every aspect of their lives including their professions. There’s a special chemistry that happens between a group of people who practice yoga consistently together. You begin to realize that you’re not so different from your fellow coworkers. In fact, you have a lot in common after all.

This not only helps your employees bond but makes it easier to bear the daily stress that comes with the job because you trust one another more than ever before.

Different Types Of Corporate Yoga

A common misconception about practicing yoga is that you have to be an expert doing handstands and balancing on fingers all the time.

This couldn’t be farther from the truth. If it were, then we wouldn’t call it a practice. Body Techniques provides several types of yoga classes that are easy to introduce into any workplace setting.

The best part? Classes are modified to meet your employees where they are in their own practice be it a beginner, intermediate, or advanced!

Decompress Yoga

In our Decompress Yoga classes, employees experience a balanced blend of vigorous flowing asanas and intense, yet blissful stretches with a little restorative movement before letting it all go in savasana. Your employees float out of class revitalized and ready for the rest of the day.

Hatha Yoga

If you’re looking to feel the benefits of deep stretching, Hatha Yoga may be a good option for your needs. This technique encourages increased body awareness and therapeutic release of tension through long-held yoga poses and movement. By focusing on the breath through the poses, chanting, and meditation, employees open their lungs, hearts, and minds welcoming an energizing sense of calm.

Strengthening Yoga

Strengthening Yoga helps build a strong foundation and core. You could almost consider it our form of a yoga bootcamp! Nearly all of the postures focus on both strengthening and stretching major muscles and tend to take the brunt of a desk job. Sweat towels are encouraged – you’ll be glad you have one after class!

Understanding Yoga

We highly recommend the Understanding Yoga class for beginners, as it is the foundation of the other classes we offer. If employees are interested in going deeper into the roots of yoga this is also a great fit! In this class, we teach about correct alignments in the most fundamental Asanas (postures). Employees will also dive into the energetic body exploring the sensations of the breath and chakras.

Vini Yoga

Originating from the ViniYoga tradition, this form of yoga is sequenced to help employees learn how to transform the neuromuscular patterns in their bodies into a more relaxed state. Each pose is adaptable to any level of yogi.

Vinyasa

One of our most popular corporate yoga classes is Vinyasa. Set to music and harmoniously uniting breath to movement, Vinyasa builds heat, strength, and flexibility. Poses range from beginner to advanced but modifications are always offered for all levels.

Yoga Flow

If you’re seeking a gentle but energizing meditative yoga practice we suggest Yoga Flow. The class features guided meditation and sound healing to awaken the mind and synchronize it with the body. This class is another client favorite!

What To Expect In Your Corporate Yoga Class

In order to provide the best experience for your employees, make sure you have everything prepared prior to the session. Two major factors to set your stress management program up for success are:

Subsidize the full cost of the program. There is stronger participation and thus benefits from these classes when companies offer the program at no cost to their team.
Make sure you have enough space. This applies to both in-office yoga classes and virtual classes for remote employees.

Find The Right Workplace Yoga Program For Your Business

With so many options, it can feel overwhelming to choose the right corporate yoga and meditation class for your business. Should you need help with program selection, or have questions in general about our stress management programs we’re here to help! Contact us today to learn more.

August 16, 2021August 16, 2021

Corporate Wellness & Safety: Top Questions To Ask Your Workplace Wellness Vendor

Hiring a workplace wellness vendor not only promotes morale around the office, but shows your employees you care about their wellbeing. As you narrow down the right stress management program for your workplace, keeping safety top of mind should be a priority across the board. Knowing what questions to ask and policies to look for can make all the difference when choosing where to invest your wellness dollars.

No matter what style of corporate wellness you’re looking to introduce to your office, the vendor you choose should practice the latest CDC guidelines and evolve their safety protocols to meet new demands of the modern workplace.

In this article, our very own M.D. compiles a list of the must-ask questions to review with potential vendors that prioritize safety above all else. But first, it’s important to understand why now – more than ever – safety and wellness are one in the same.

How Safety & Corporate Wellness Go Hand-In-Hand

Every business in every industry needs safety and sanitation protocols. At Body Techniques, we understand the value of creating stress-free work environments. This starts way before we arrive onsite at your business. In fact, we developed an entire Clean Wellness Policy to preserve the integrity of our corporate wellness services. This keeps everyone – our staff and yours – safe, healthy, and comfortable.

In other words, safe and clean work environments help employees relax. Make sure you’re preserving the integrity of your new corporate wellness program by following up with these important questions to ask.

Communicate Openly About Corporate Wellness & Safety

Finding new methods to keep employees stress-free shows you care about their wellbeing. When exploring different stress management or corporate wellness programs, make sure to prioritize health and safety protocols just as much as you look at pricing. The best providers out there are already expecting you to ask and if they’re the real deal, they’ll have a policy in place that keeps everyone safe and comfortable.

Body Techniques Is Here To Keep Your Team Well

Studies prove stress management programs work – but only if they’re carried out properly. Our team of dedicated experts are here to help you find the best solution for your workplace wellness needs. Learn more about how we put health and safety first and contact us today.

July 29, 2021July 29, 2021

5 Benefits of Corporate Chair Massage

Human Resources personnel are tasked with walking a fine line between keeping employees safe and happy in a world returning to the office. Unlike ever before, employees are demanding better pay, benefits, and ultimately a work-life balance that puts their wellbeing first instead of at risk.

It may take some brainstorming, but providing your employees with the benefits they want can also increase their productivity. When people feel valued, they’re more likely to have more pride in what they do – no matter the line of work.

Not all work benefits are created equal, however, all benefits should be designed to help your team stress less. Corporate chair massage is quickly becoming one of the most preferred employee benefits in the United States. Why? Because stress management is easier to conquer with corporate chair massage. Not to mention it helps boost employee morale, which can be hard to come by in a post-pandemic work setting.

In this article, we break down five key benefits of introducing corporate chair massage to your employees.

What Is Corporate Chair Massage?

Corporate chair massage entails professional massage therapists coming to your office to provide a soothing massage for your employees. The main idea is that by bringing massage into your workplace, employees not only have something to look forward to, but ultimately feel rejuvenated after and have a revived mindset as they jump back into the daily grind. Incorporating this benefit into your corporate setting shows you want employees to know you value their hard work and contributions to the team.

5 Benefits of Corporate Chair Massage

As one of many stress management programs out there, onsite corporate massage benefits your business in more ways than one might think.

#1: Stress Management

You know that anxious feeling that sets in on Sunday evenings? Also known as the Sunday Scaries, a large portion of the U.S. population becomes increasingly stressed about heading to work on Sundays. Work-induced stress doesn’t just happen on the weekend though, in fact, 80% of workers report feeling stress on the job. Credible employers should want to make the workplace welcoming for their employees. Amping up your benefits with stress management programs like corporate chair massage can empower staff to feel better about themselves and the work they’re doing. It also shows you care – and who doesn’t want to work for an employer that wants their employees to succeed?

#2: Improves Posture & Muscle Tension

Desk jobs are great in many ways, but not so great for our posture. People tend to slouch at their desks which can result in muscle pain and tension. Having access to onsite chair massages can help ease back and shoulder pain. Not to mention, we all know someone (unless it’s us) that suffers from chronic headaches, which routine massage therapy can alleviate!

#3: Increases Productivity

It’s not rocket science, but definitely a benefit of onsite chair massage: relaxed people are more productive. Being strung out on eight cups of coffee can make us feel like we’re getting a ton of work done, but the quality of that work may be inferior when compared to someone who is relaxed and ready to put their mind and body to work.

#4: Reduce Employee Turnover Rates

When a job isn’t going so well, employees tend to keep their options open. With corporate chair massage programs, your team will take a new liking to their jobs. HR managers spend hours training new hires time and time again when turnover rates are high. Having benefits available that honor your employees’ well-being lowers their desire to find a new job.

#5: Boosts Immune Systems

Did you know that massage therapy boosts our immune systems? In today’s world, nothing is more attractive to an employee than a healthy work environment. Onsite corporate massages are a great way for employees to incorporate routine detoxing into their daily lives. Effective stress management programs keep us healthier. Simple as that.

Is Corporate Chair Massage Right For My Business?

As you assess your current benefits package keep in mind employees want benefits that keep them healthy, safe, and happy. Corporate chair massage benefits not just your workforce, but your company as a whole. Body Techniques builds custom chair massage programs to meet the unique needs and goals you have for your workplace. It’s convenient, effective, and shows your employees you want them here – as the best version of themselves.

Build Your Benefits Package With A Corporate Chair Massage Program

Choosing the right stress management program can be tricky. Talk to a chair massage representative today and see just how easy it is to create the work environment everyone wants to be a part of.

June 28, 2021October 26, 2021

Return to Office Celebration

Massage is one of those magical things in life that not only feels good but also is good for us. We believe everyone can benefit from even 10-minutes of chair massage, so we’re doing all we can to bring massage to every office across the US. When employees have access to company-sponsored stress relief programs, retention, and productivity increase while stress and burnout decrease.

As offices across the country establish a new normal, Body Techniques is here to make your return to the office stress-free with a corporate massage. Last year, we really missed bringing massage to hard-working employees and can’t wait to get started with you now!

Why Corporate Massage

Corporate massage is a fantastic resource to calm the stresses of high-performance teams. When you work with Body Techniques, our certified Massage Therapists (MTs) are dedicated to releasing tension and providing relief through chair massage. Our MTs will set up their space, listen to each employee’s needs, and deliver comfort through massage. To keep bookings on time and organized, Body Techniques provides proprietary booking software that helps ensure your massage appointment is stress-free.

Beat Bad Ergonomics

Whether we need relief from a sore back, a stiff neck, or an old nagging injury, introducing massage to our routine can help. By managing our pain through massage, we can focus on the moments that matter, such as connecting with loved ones and nailing that challenging presentation.

Massage Boosts Immune Function

Many studies show massage can boost the immune system in just one session. Regular massage is the perfect feel good way to ensure your team can keep showing up healthy and happy at work, at home, and everywhere in between.

Massage for Mental Health

Stress keeps our nervous system in fight or flight mode. Massage is proven to reduce stress while promoting deep relaxation. This ancient practice stimulates our nervous system’s better half, the “rest and digest” mode, so that our mind and body can shake off stress and naturally restore themselves.

And, did we mention it feels good too?

This summer, we’re offering a Buy Two Hours, Get One Free promotion on massage events. To celebrate bringing chair massage back to the office, we’re giving away the biggest discounts ever offered in our 25-years of business. We want to make sure your team feels supported; schedule a massage event today to help your team relax and restore as they return to office.

Get wellness on the books.

Written by: Emily Bonzi
Marketing Director
Body Techniques

May 19, 2021October 19, 2021

8 Tips to Host the Best Employee Appreciation Event

Companies can show gratitude to the vital staff who work behind the scenes by hosting an employee appreciation event. Filled with massages and treats, these events help boost morale and offer thanks to the people working tirelessly to deliver premium service throughout the year. Recently, the Fairmont Hotel was one such company to successfully host an event to honor their essential workers. To thank the teams of people who are committed to ensuring everything runs smoothly, the Fairmont leadership filled tables with treats like cozy socks and provided the staff with a relaxing chair massage. Each employee was able to take a moment for themselves while at work to receive thanks for all they do each day.

With employee appreciation events on the rise, we’ve captured some pro-moves to share with you.

1. Set the Date

If you’re booking an event, we suggest a minimum of two weeks to plan and pull it all together. Ideally, a month allows enough time to finalize all the little details, like making sure there is a space set up, lining up any giveaways, ordering food and beverages, confirming vendors, and getting your team engaged and excited. If there is a holiday in the near future, pairing the event with that can help to heighten the festivities. Still, we here at Body Techniques think that every day is worth celebrating, so choosing a weekday is equally appreciated.

2. Find the Space

When deciding where to host your event, we suggest a quiet room for massage. If that’s not possible, our team works with you to create a semi-private area using drapes and massage equipment. Conference spaces, communal areas, or empty offices all work well for employees to trickle in throughout the day to receive a massage. Although not necessary, displaying a company banner, signage, or photo zone helps to elevate the room and make it feel like a celebration.

3. Spread the Word

To ensure a successful event, people need to know about it. Internal communications like staff newsletters or bulletin boards are great ways to spread the word. The old adage is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, so if this is a recurring event, share photos from past events to build excitement. If you’re working with the Body Techniques team to schedule an employee appreciation event, we have materials and templates for internal promotion to help encourage staff to participate in your event.

4. Everyone Loves a Snack and a Little Swag

In addition to massage, setting a table for employees with extra treats can take your event to the next level. We’ve seen t-shirts, notebooks, backpacks, and tote bags filled with treats all bring smiles to employees’ faces. Setting the room with water bottles, granola bars, and snacks, or boxed lunches also help to create an environment that indeed says, “Thank you for all you do.”

Employee appreciation events for teams across the US and Canada

5. The Massage Station

When you work with Body Techniques, our certified Massage Therapists (MTs) are dedicated to releasing tension and providing relief with chair massage. Our MTs will set up their space, listen to each employee’s needs, and deliver comfort through massage. To keep bookings on time and organized, we provide proprietary booking software that helps ensure your massage is stress-free. In addition, our MTs all undergo rigorous sanitation training and adhere to the highest level of safety. To read more about what we’re doing to keep you safe, click here to view our Clean Wellness Policy.

6. Raffle Prizes

If you’re really looking to wow your team, having a few larger raffle prizes adds to the fun. Prizes like full or half-days of PTO, massage credits, parking spots, or a “Lunch on Us” always seem to be crowd favorites. You can choose to host the raffle in a few different ways. One option is to give all employees a ticket and let them drop it in for the prize they want, or you can enter everyone for all the prizes and randomly select a winner. Either way, your team is sure to get excited about these additional perks.

7. Remain Flexible

You’ve planned, double-checked, and confirmed all the details. However, we don’t live in a perfect world so last-minute changes can happen. The event’s focus is to say thank you to the team that keeps the doors open and the lights on. Should issues arise, we suggest grounding with a deep breath and remind yourself that everything will be okay. Our team remains on hand to help you navigate any uncertainties, so don’t hesitate to reach out for additional support.

8. Share the Success

After the employee appreciation event, it’s time to celebrate! Share photos with your staff and announce any winner of prizes offered. If you’re able to capture a few quotes day-of or, even better, a video, share that! Sending a final email with another message of appreciation helps to wrap up a successful event!

Whether your team is returning to the office or has continued to work onsite throughout the past year, employee appreciation events are a fantastic way to boost morale and foster a team environment where staff can feel appreciated and supported. At Body Techniques, we work with you to ensure your employee appreciation events succeed with our skilled and dedicated team of administrators and massage therapists.

If you are considering honoring your employees with massage, we’re ready to discuss options with you.

Written by: Emily Bonzi
Marketing Director at Body Techniques

March 8, 2021October 19, 2021

15 Minutes to Boost Your Day

I don’t know about you, but a year into this panorama I find my focus and attention span are almost nonexistent. My ability to maintain a routine is about 48-72 hours long and discipline, well, that left sometime in 2020. Let’s not even go into the shame spirals around all that I just mentioned. With so much happening over the computer screen, tablet screen, and phone screen the digital fatigue is real. This leads me to think about the day-to-day choices I make with my wellness practices, and how my choices influence whether I maintain vitality resilience in the new normal of post pan dulce life.

Starting Small

Often, the biggest hurdle is inertia and with most things still on pause it’s hard to find the gas pedal. However, I’ve found that gradually working towards the change I seek improves my odds of success. The power of “habit”, as my favorite Ted Talk deliverers call it. With habits, the small focused time boosts my ability for engagement and I am able to focus longer and more intently.

Coming Together

Another important piece of my wellness come back is variety and community. It’s been as simple as adding 15-20 minutes of wellness activity into my day a few times a week, and having that friend or colleague to join me. In a year with so much disconnection, coming back to creating connection with others is a powerful motivator.

Accessibility

Finally, the real cheat code is access. I found that removing the obstacles for myself to actually do the thing I want helps tremendously. I keep it simple so I can get the most out of my bite-sized wellness reset for the day. Whether it is a quick meditation or set of jumping jacks, I always come back stronger and more alert after a quick break.

The Daily 15

It’s always more fun when our friends get in the fun. If bite-sized, accessible, and engaging wellness excites you, check out The Daily 15. We’ve added a sample one-minute video for you below, so that you can take a moment to pause and refresh with us.

The Body Techniques team has put their heads together and created our newest program, The Daily 15, to help virtual employees stay motivated and engaged. We know it works because we do it every day and we want to share it with you. . We encourage everyone to schedule fifteen minutes for themselves and come together as a team.

Written by: Nicki Butler
Operations Assistant
Body Techniques

January 13, 2021October 19, 2021

Mindfulness and Meditation: Let’s Get Professional

With regular practice, mindfulness and meditation can have a profoundly positive impact on us mentally and physically. The science is in, and it shows that we can reap many benefits in all aspects of our lives with a regular practice of mindfulness, which we at Body Techniques call the “4 P’s”:

The 4 P's

If you’ve been tuning in for the last three installments in this series, you know the last “P” to discuss is our professional life. Now, meditation can’t stop emails from pouring in or extend a tight deadline for you, but it can help with how you react and respond to the challenges you face at work. Meditation has been shown to increase focus and concentration, decrease work related stress and anxiety, and increase productivity and job satisfaction. So grab your coffee or tea, turn off those email notifications, and let’s explore these scientifically backed benefits in greater detail.

Strengthens Focus and Concentration

Being able to focus and concentrate on the task at hand, and refocus after a distraction, is crucial to job performance. We can’t accomplish much of anything if our brain is constantly wandering while we should be creating that spreadsheet, drafting that important email, or writing that final blog post installment.

In two studies conducted, one brief 10-minute audio-guided meditation improved the attention span of the participants. In the first study, participants who listened to the meditation “exhibited a boost in accuracy reflecting increased attentional control,” even when time constraints were placed on them. In the second study, “when the task was more complex but less temporally constrained, participants in the meditation condition were faster to respond correctly, regardless of the presence or absence of distracting stimuli.” Both these studies show that even with a one-time brief meditation, you can strengthen your focus and concentration and be less impacted by distractions, which leads to greater productivity and less stress. So next time you find yourself struggling to concentrate at work and your brain is thinking about what’s for dinner or the lyrics to your favorite song, try pausing for a brief meditation to reset and refocus your mind.

Decreases Workplace Stress and Anxiety

Let’s face it, no matter how wonderful the workplace or how much you love your job, we all experience workplace related stress and anxiety. It’s a natural part of life. But too much stress and anxiety is detrimental to the body, mind, and yep, our professional life. We often cannot change what is causing the stress, but we can change our response to it. In the words of Jon Kabat-Zin, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” And, in this case, meditation is your surfboard.

This systematic review of 23 studies on the “effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on employees’ mental health” found that meditation:

Reduces workplace stress and anxiety
Reduces emotional exhaustion
Reduces psychological distress
Reduces depression and occupational stress
Improves quality of sleep
Promotes relaxation

That’s a hefty list of benefits, and it’s important to note that this list demonstrates that when we can reduce stress and anxiety, we will see improvements in so many other areas, such as sleep and self-compassion. It becomes a ripple effect throughout our life. So next time work related stress presents itself, grab your mental meditation surfboard, take a deep breath, and ride the waves with a more calm and centered mind.

Increases Productivity and Job Satisfaction

Increasing productivity and job satisfaction are key elements to decreasing burnout, having a long-lasting and fulfilling career, and improving your overall quality of life. When we feel accomplished at work, we are happier and more satisfied with our job. And when we are happier with our job, we are more satisfied with our lives. It’s that mindfulness meditation ripple effect again.

This study of a randomized control trial conducted at a midwestern marketing firm compared the effects of a half-day mindfulness seminar with that of a 6-week mindfulness training program on employee well-being outcomes. “Although both groups improved comparably on job productivity, the 6-week mindfulness training group had significantly greater improvement in attentional focus at work and decreases in work–life conflict, as well as a marginal improvement in job satisfaction compared with the half-day seminar comparison group.” Now, to be fair, pushing yourself to be productive and satisfied in a job that is not the right fit for you isn’t beneficial in the end. But mindfulness meditation can help provide you the clarity to know whether to keep pushing forward, or begin looking for something new. And if your job is the right fit, it will only serve to increase your productivity and job satisfaction.

Start Your Journey Today

Meditation gives us the tools to approach professional life challenges from a calm and centered place. When we feel better, we do better. Not sure how or where to start? We’ve put together a simple and free “focus” mantra to get you started:

Are you ready to help your team:

We hope you enjoyed taking a look at the science that drives what we do. Stay tuned for more blogs exploring wellness in the workplace and more!

If this has increased your desire to practice mindfulness and meditation, click here to learn more about our programs and offerings.

Let's get started today!

Author: Rebecca Kurdziolek
Corporate Site Director
Body Techniques

December 10, 2020October 19, 2021

Mindfulness and Meditation: Let’s Get Personal

Even when you practice mindfulness, you’ll still get stuck in traffic and you’ll still have to file your taxes. Nothing changes, and yet everything changes. The profound transformation that occurs takes place within you and this includes changes within your brain. So, how does this transformation occur? Well, practice! Establishing a regular practice, whether it’s three minutes a day or thirty minutes a day, will get you on your way to experience the changes that can happen as a result of the practice of mindfulness.

We’ve been working on sharing the 4 P’s of mindfulness over a series of four blogs. In this third installment, we take a look at the juicy details the benefits mindfulness and meditation can have on our personal lives.

The 4 P's

When we practice mindfulness and meditation regularly, we see changes in our personal lives in the following ways:

Less emotional reactivity

You don’t sweat the small stuff. A lot of our days can have us tripped up in habitual reactions to ordinary things, for example, the stress of getting organized for a meeting or finding the keys to our car. Starting a regular mindfulness practice, even if it’s for 5-minutes a day, can aid in stopping those habitually reactive cycles. Simply taking the time in a stressful situation, to breathe in and breathe out changes our nervous system instantly. Mindfulness helps us cultivate equanimity. We become aware of our triggers and learn to pause so that we may respond thoughtfully, not react habitually. This study shows, by tuning into our breath puts the breaks on constantly cycling from one activating crisis to another. Our nervous system becomes more regulated, we are in the driver’s seat, no longer the passenger on a wild ride. We literally stop sweating the small stuff.

Meditation helps to:

It improves our relationships

No matter how far you’ve come in your intimate relationships, cultivating care, intimacy, and union is an ongoing process. As mindfulness is the ever-unfolding source of compassion and non-judgmental awareness of each moment, mindfulness practices and relationships go hand-in-hand. For example, mindfulness can help us navigate through tough emotions. When experiencing a strong emotion (it might feel like our muscles are tensing or tears rising), we can turn towards this feeling by taking a few deep breaths, softening the mind, and paying attention to the sensations and stories that are moving through us. After a few moments, we might try to express ourselves in a new way. It can be helpful to focus on our own needs, hopes, and desires, rather than expressing the other’s wrongdoings.

It fosters compassion

Some mindfulness teachers say that awareness and compassion are the same thing. The more aware we are of the present moment, the more in tune we are with the experiences of others, their joy and their pain. This generates compassion — a true desire that all creatures be free from suffering. We act to help others not because we know we should or because it’s what we’ve been told to do. We help others because we are aware that their pain is our pain. Our awareness becomes compassionate engagement.

Start your practice today

As shared above, mindfulness helps us move toward stronger personal relationships by teaching us to tap into the present moment. Body Techniques aims to stock your mindfulness toolkit with breathing techniques and mindfulness practices so that we all can identify the techniques that work best for us. We believe everyone can benefit from mindfulness and want to share this wellness practice with as many people as we can.

Mindfulness helps us:

Meditation gives us the tools to approach life’s challenges from a calm and centered place. When we feel better, we do better. This ripples through all areas of our life. The science behind mindfulness continues to inspire the BT team to show up daily. Stay tuned for our final look at the benefits of mindfulness as we kick off the new year; we’ll look at all the positive impact mindfulness can bring to our professional lives.

If this has increased your desire to practice mindfulness and meditation, click here to learn more about our programs and offerings.

Let's get started today!

Author: Nicki Butler
Operations Assistant
Body Techniques

November 23, 2020October 19, 2021

Practicing Gratitude

November often shifts conversations to reflections on all the good that surrounds us throughout the year. Although 2020 continues to feel far from the norm for many of us, the BT team believes in holding true to the tradition of showing gratitude. Gratitude helps to ground us and, as UC Davis psychologist Robert Emmons shares from his research into gratitude, it can increase our own happiness and satisfaction within our lives. As a regular practice, acknowledging the positive aspects of our life can help develop the habit of recognizing the good in even challenging moments, and it also helps us connect more deeply with ourselves and others.

At Body Techniques, we thought we would take a moment to practice what we preach, and share what we are most grateful for this November. So, here’s our list, straight from the pages of our gratitude journal, about that which we are most thankful for this year:

Our Providers

Time and time again this year, we have been inspired by not only the flexibility but also the depth of knowledge that our providers share with us and our clients. Before many offices shifted to remote work this Spring, our providers were showing up daily to share stress relief techniques through massage, in-person fitness classes, yoga, and more. Now, we’ve witnessed the growth of our virtual wellness programs, particularly meditation, largely due to the passion, depth of knowledge, and commitment to sharing wellness with others from our providers. We see people who at their core have an unflappable dedication to helping others and we’re proud to have them as part of our team.

The Commitment of Our Clients

It’s powerful to see companies recognize that their employees’ wellbeing is just as important as productivity. This is ultimately why we are here. Body Techniques aims to help create a more balanced and rewarding working experience through our stress management programs. In the most hectic times of this year, our sales team was able to continue relationships and develop customized plans with companies so that their teams’ could reset with an hour of a gentle stretching or participate in a weekly meditation. We also were honored to offer massage to essential workers who continued to show up daily throughout this entire year. When many doors were closing due to restrictions, we were able to stay active and engaged because our clients are committed to supporting their employees. As a result, our team continues to have the opportunity to show up daily and do something that we believe in.

More Meditation

Although Body Techniques was already offering meditation classes to clients, it is now one of our core products. With the launch of BT Mindful, we were able to see how impactful a 15-minute guided meditation session can be on teams as they navigate all the challenges that arise on a daily basis. We’ve deepened our commitment to sharing tactics that produce small incremental changes and learned the power of keeping things brief.

The Strength of Our Team

For our operations team, 2020 has felt like the ultimate trust fall at a company picnic, and we learned that we have each other’s backs. Luckily, we were able to tap into many of the resources we offer our clients so that we could show up, coffee in hand, and ready to tackle whatever came our way. Deciding how to approach each new 2020 challenge sparked a resiliency in our team that is now a steady burn. This year, we’ve continued to bring on new staff and strengthen our programming and delivery. More than ever, we’ve learned to communicate openly, lean on each other’s strengths, and come together to make something stronger than any one person could do on their own. Pretty powerful stuff, right?

We are so thankful for being able to show up and continue to share wellness with others. By reading this blog, you can help make it possible, so we are also grateful for you! Even though this year might look like a different Thanksgiving than usual, we encourage each of you to take a moment to reflect on your own gratitude, and reach out to connect with the loved ones in your life you are thankful for.

We’ve also put together a brief gratitude mantra, led by Rebecca, who is part of the team we are so thankful for.

Written by: Emily Bonzi
Marketing Director
Body Techniques

November 20, 2020October 19, 2021

Mindfulness and Meditation: Lets Get Psychological

At Body Techniques, we know and embrace the power of mindfulness. When we engage in breathwork and focus on the present moment without judgment, science shows we can reap benefits in all aspects of our lives, which we call the “4 P’s”:

The 4 P's

In our last blog, we discussed the first of the “4 P’s”. We gave you our best Bill Nye impression and shared the scientifically proven benefits a regular meditation practice can physically have on a person and the incredible changes that can occur in the brain on a cellular level. Next up, let’s do our best Dr. Fauci impression and discuss the positive impact mediation can have on the Psychological Self, with the scientific evidence to back it up.

Mindfulness relieves workplace stress and anxiety

Oh, stress. We meet again. And, unfortunately our friend stress is not going anywhere. As long as humans exist, stress will live a long life on this planet. The goal is not to get rid of stress (let’s be real, that’s impossible), but to change our relationship with it. Mindfulness and meditation can help us do just that.

This systematic review of 23 studies on the “effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on employees’ mental health” found that meditation:

Meditation helps us stay in the present moment as well as increase our awareness of how we choose to respond to stressful situations. Through meditation, we can alleviate psychological stress, anxiety, and change our relationship overall with stress. As a result, we find ourselves better able to focus, be productive, and stay grounded during moments of uncertainty. So when meetings, deadlines, emails, and more meetings pile up, we can face those workplace (and non-workplace) challenges with a calmer and more open mind.

Mindfulness improves your mood

You know the feeling of those mornings where the coffee is brewed just right and nothing can get you down? Well, mindfulness can’t make every day a walk in sunshine but adding practice to your routine sure can help promote a positive mood.

According to this study performed on non-experienced meditators, short daily meditations decreased negative moods and increased emotional regulation responses. This means that meditating daily helps us regulate our emotions, so we can be less reactive, especially to negative experiences, and as a result, our mood becomes more positive overall.

Mindfulness improves memory function

Do you ever wonder why your brain can remember all the lyrics to your favorite song from ten years ago but can’t remember where your keys are every other day? Well, we don’t have an answer for that, but we can offer a tactic to make room to remember both things.

This study linked in the above paragraph, also found that 8 weeks of brief daily meditation enhanced:

Our working memory is a cognitive system with a limited capacity to hold information temporarily. Working memory is important for reasoning and it guides our decision-making and behavior, aka remembering where we put the keys. Recognition memory allows us to recall and identify something we previously encountered, and that’s where the song lyrics live in our brains. Improvement in both working and recognition memory translate to the workplace and all aspects of your life, keeping us sharp and concentrated so we can accomplish everything on our to-do list.

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Meditation gives us the tools to approach life’s challenges from a calm and centered place. When we feel better, we do better. This ripples through all areas of our life. We like to think of meditating as giving our minds and mood a spa day. Soak that big beautiful brain for a few minutes a day with even a short meditation practice, and you’ll reap the benefits.

We hope you enjoyed taking a look at the science that drives what we do. . We look forward to diving into even more of the incredible benefits meditation can yield in both your personal and professional life in our next two blogs. In the meantime, check out our easy “belly breath” tutorial, and stay tuned!

If this has increased your desire to practice mindfulness and meditation, click here to learn more about our programs and offerings.

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Co-author: Nicki Butler
Operations Assistant
Body Techniques

Co-author: Rebecca Kurdziolek
Corporate Site Director
Body Techniques

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Mindfulness relieves workplace stress and anxiety

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