The title gives it away: If you have a workplace yoga program, it should be voluntary and not mandatory. Often 
businesses across Canada will start a Corporate Yoga program with us because they want to provide a low-cost, simple and effective wellness program for their staff. After setting up the classes with us, the next step is to promote them internally within the office – emails will be sent out, posters put up, word of mouth…whatever it takes, as we generally need at least 5 people to make the cost effective for everyone.
One thing we always suggest to the Human Resource managers that we are partnering with is that they keep yoga optional, not mandatory.
Now surely yoga isn’t going to hurt anyone – that’s true, but there is always a risk of injury, and if you have a staff member that have been inactive, forcing them into certain yoga poses could set them up for a not-so-fun injury. If you have someone who is emotionally unstable or that has recently gone through trauma of some kind and then they are forced into a yoga class, it could flip an emotional switch that perhaps this person isn’t ready to deal with.
Other reasons to not force staff to do yoga might include being uncomfortable being so intimate with co-workers, embarrassing digestive issues or just not having any interest in yoga.
Now all that being said, the benefits of a Corporate Yoga program FAR FAR FAR outweigh any potential downside. It can save your company money on healthcare premiums, reduce turnover and more…not to mention the benefits of yoga itself: lowered blood pressure, increased flexibility, improved strength and much more.
So while forcing anyone to do anything against their will generally isn’t a good idea (even yoga), creating a warm, inviting and supportive environment at a Corporate Yoga class is a positive way to create a thriving corporate culture and an appreciative staff that loves coming to work.