“Call it stress, tension, or anxiety- essentially, it is just this: your intelligence has turned against you.”
- Sadhguru
This year and the past year have made us aware of the uncertainties of life. It has also marked almost eighteen months of our lives when we have just been bound to the laptop. Be it for work or for personal use, devices have become our faithful companions while our house has turned into an “always open” office. Stress and the anxiety around workplace uncertainty have been on a constant rise for the past year or so. The Corona pandemic has accelerated these attributes leading to an increase in suicides globally.
Enterprises and companies have awakened to this new reality which has the potential to turn into a tsunami / mental pandemic, as stress, self-esteem, self-doubts, anxiety, etc has now started to affect an individual's performance at work as much as in the other aspects of their life. Today, there is a compelling need, more than ever before, to shift our focus from just physical health to mental & emotional well-being.
Work Beyond Stress- A programme by Isha Foundation
Isha Foundation is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization founded by Sadhguru, that is operating in more than 300 centers and supported by over eleven million volunteers worldwide. Through powerful yoga programs for inner transformation and inspiring social outreach initiatives, Isha Foundation has created a massive movement dedicated to addressing all aspects of human wellbeing.
One of its mission is to address the needs of the corporate sector by helping to create leaders whose human potential has found fullest expression, who are deeply rooted in their inner well-being and are able to operate from a sense of inclusiveness resulting in more incisive actions and decisions; while also addressing the needs of their employees. Work Beyond Stress is a unique corporate offering towards employee well-being.
“Work Beyond Stress” (WBS), a unique corporate offering, is a powerful offering towards employee well-being. Comprising uniquely curated e-learning modules, this self-paced learning tool is an unmatched amalgamation of practical wisdom, insight, Yogic sciences, and tools for application.
It consists of:
- 1. Short video bytes of 5 -15 minutes each: Incisive insights and unique perspectives make one look within and trigger a journey of learning & transformation.
- 2.100+ videos: Covering pertinent subjects like stress, mental and physical health, parenting, conscious relationships, working well, and more.
- 3. Journey Partner: Assessments, reflection, and action plan tools come together to create a comprehensive learning journey - A guide in your pocket.
“It has been a great learning experience with Isha especially when you have a preview on the enriching wellness programs that they are launching for corporate employees. I am thankful that our colleagues are going through this program now to benefit from this transformation journey in their life,” Mimi Tan, Business Consultant, Digital Commerce.
At Sambaash, we recognize the fact that humans are more than being looked at as resources; we humans have infinite potential and possibilities and our role is to facilitate a conducive environment, where our team members can explore the various tools & technologies to unlock their potential and create possibilities for themselves.
“At Sambaash, we have set ourselves on the path of helping educational institutions & corporates to be able to deliver transformational education & learning across all domains and fields. One such area is the humane, empathetic, sensitive & very personal topic of emotional & well-being. We are very glad to have been able to contribute our little might towards this gigantic need of the hour, by channeling our technology energy and action to construct a valuable partnership collaboration in these much-needed times,” said Giridhar Nayak, Founder & CEO of Sambaash.
As part of our commitment to enhancing our team members, we are glad to share that we started the rollout of Work Beyond Stress, with a webinar to launch it today. It was a session delivered by two full-time volunteers- Dhivya Hemachandran and Samta Sardana from Isha Foundation. The session was not just wonderful; it was very serene and created a lasting impact. As a part of the launch of this program rollout, we were walked through quite a few thoughtful & impactful learning content and a breathing practice named Nadi Shuddi.
“I think what I like about this program is that the contents are bite-sized and self-paced. I am sure we'll be able to get good support from the Isha team as we progress. I would like to propose team leads to practice "Nadi Shuddhi" with the team before the morning scrum call so as to give them a fresh start for the day,” Jane Chong, Co-Founder & Executive Director.
What did our team members feel about the roll-out session?
Most of our team members had never experienced a session like this before! A lot of them in fact had not attended even a well-being session before; this is why sharing about their experience of the session becomes very important.
“I felt calm and composed. In just an hour of going through the session, I was in a state of complete restfulness. I felt very good and energetic as we finished the practice. It was a very different and wonderful experience. I would definitely want my family and friends to experience such a state of calm, especially amidst our stressful and often chaotic life,” said Sukumaran Palaiyah, Manager, Business Development & Projects.
“The session was quite positive, both intellectually and emotionally. It seems lighthearted yet even though the content of learning how to handle and manage stress is a rather heavy topic, it was easily delivered. I also particularly liked the fact that because the Isha online platform is by us, I get to experience first-hand our own product (OmniLearn),” Jeff Pyi Soe, Business Consultant.
- 1. The current pandemic seems to be staying here for a while. One way of looking at it would be to see how we can coexist blissfully. But the other way would be to work upon ourselves, more than ever today.
- 2. “Yoga can provide the necessary tool for risk reduction, amelioration of stress and anxiety, and strengthening of the immune function. The online platforms provide a good media for Yoga training at workplaces and homes,” observed a study named The role of Yoga in working from home during the COVID-19 global lockdown as published in the National Library of medicine.
- 3. Thus, team sessions like this could be of immense value for each one of us. “It's important to have these sorts of programmes as a team because it feels like you're not going through this alone. Indirectly, it works as a motivating factor for each one of us,” said Diana Jumaat, People & Culture Development Manager at Sambaash.
Takeaway
“If your work is important, who you are needs to be worked at.”
- Sadhguru
While it is absolutely true that stress is a reality of today’s life, it is also true that it can be dealt with in a better way. When we, as individuals, work on ourselves, it can result in a joyous experience called ‘Life’.
