The RYT200 for HR professionals & corporates
Rather than see Yoga as just another fitness routine, a metaphor that better applies to this ancient Indian discipline is that of a First Aid Course!
Just as everyone can benefit from taking a First Aid Course — and all of us have or should have a First Aid Box at home — Yoga too can benefit each and every person, whatever their age, job or medical history.
Remember Yoga is never about just the physical. It addresses the person as a whole, and that means the mind, body and spirit.
With this in mind, let’s move on to exploring a very special Pratimoksha programme crafted for Human Resource personnel in particular, and the corporate world in general.
Stressed out HR
The very nature of an HR professional’s job is such that there is bound to be stress. HR professionals act as a bridge between employees on the one hand and management on the other. They have to convey the company’s vision and ethos and work culture to staff and at the same time ensure that employees’ valid concerns and needs are met by the senior team. They are answerable to the top management when staff they onboarded do not perform to expectations. Hiring and firing are part and parcel of the job.
There’s bound to be ruffled feathers on every side as the one thing we all know is that we can’t please everyone. Hence for those working in HR, safeguarding mental health is paramount. Emotions have always to be kept on a tight leash and giving in to moments of frustration and anger can have repercussions on career advancement.
Not only do HR managers and team members have to know how to keep stress at bay, and their emotions under check, it is vital they know how to channelize stress so they don’t succumb to the pressure of bottled-up feelings.
Other issues that HR staff face result from their having to spend hours in front of screens and keyboards. So Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and eyestrain are areas of concern.
“We cannot take sides but have to be calm, composed, practical, logical and impartial at all times,” said a young HR manager, who did not want to be named. “We have to report to the management and ensure their goals and vision are being fulfilled by the staff. At the same time, we have to also handle the staff — on-boarding them, and gently at the same time firmly guiding them to adhere to the company’s principles, ethos and rules and culture. As such those filling HR roles must be very strong mentally. They cannot be overly sensitive or emotional. They have to be able to calm themselves down when faced with high-pressure and stress on the job. I know colleagues who succumb to many stress-related tendencies such as over-eating, comfort eating, smoking, drinking as coping mechanisms.”
Here’s where Yoga comes in
As the young lady rightly identified, we look for coping techniques when we are constantly under stress. At the neurological level, our Sympathetic Nervous System that is in charge of keeping us alert to danger is always switched on. However, we cannot be under constant stress. Our rest and restore functions, controlled by the Parasympathetic Nervous System, must be able to kick in at some point to bring our bodies back into a calm and balanced equilibrium.
Yoga can offer many tools and techniques to help our bodies make this switch. Yoga philosophy is replete with the wisdom one needs to withstand constant attempts to rock our boats.
Making Yoga a daily habit can go a long way towards keeping ourselves healthy, mentally, physically and emotionally.
Once we learn to build our lives on the bedrock of Yoga, we would do well to learn how to best teach those skills among family and friends and within our organization.
The RYT200 for HR
Enter the RYT200 course for HR professionals from Pratimoksha.
The general RYT200 course equips a person with the skills and knowledge to teach Yoga. Modules on Yoga Asanas and philosophy, human anatomy and physiology are part of the course. The student can then start working as a Yoga teacher, and in time complete the fuller RYT500 course to become a full-fledged teacher.
However, the RYT200 course for HR is to primarily address all the concerns and pain points within an HR department. So, although students will be taught human anatomy and physiology, emphasis will also be on stress management among other topics. Breathing techniques and the science behind it, meditative techniques, and even chair Yoga that one can do at the desk to ease stress stored in the neck, shoulder and back, will be taught.
The aim is to help managers use the tools and philosophy of Yoga to help staff become more focused, productive, efficient managers of time, sincere team players with a good grip on balancing work with family.
The 200-hour Teacher’s Training Course will be delivered over 3 months and upon completion the student will be awarded a Yoga Alliance certificate.
Yoga Alliance is a US-based professional organization of Yoga schools and teachers. Pratimoksha is a registered Yoga school with Yoga Alliance and offers both the RYT500 and RYT200 courses for those aspiring to become Yoga gurus.
For more information on the RYT200 programme and to find out how to register for it, please call us at 00971-50-395-5613.
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