Team-Building and Community-Making with Group Yoga
Team-building exercises, like partner and group yoga, teaches people how to trust each other and work together to achieve common objectives, whether it is in a corporate, family, or social space. Recently, I was asked to lead team-building workshops for a corporate retreat by business leaders who wanted to build a company culture that benefitted their employees and their businesses profits. What communities are you a part of, including work, school and social circles, where group/partner yoga could help support the community to build bonds and grow together?
Group Yoga Connects Us to Ourselves and the Collective
Unlike normal yoga classes where everyone is doing their personal yoga practice inside a group container, group/partner yoga helps people to give and receive touch in a consent-based, healing environment so that they can feel safe and playful in their bodies while gaining all the benefits of yoga and movement. The benefits of this can be very personal, like when we use conscious, consensual touch, which is an amazing healing tool for trauma, depression and anxiety.
Contact-based yoga builds stronger communities, too. It fosters communication, trust and compassion with the people involved. Having communication, and thus making agreements, about how we do, and do not, want to be touched in the poses opens the doors for gradually building to exercises that require deeper layers of trust and surrender. We also cultivate the skill of deep listening to ourselves and others verbally and non-verbally. These practices help us to engage more compassionately and truthfully with ourselves and our community.
In group yoga classes people learn partner-assisted stretches, enabling them to stretch farther than you could on your own by using their body weight. When one is supporting the other person’s weight them are also gaining more strength than they could on their own. Partners, as well as the entire group working together, learn to rely on each other’s support to keep correct body alignment, balance and focus in a posture. When one feels physically and mentally supported, not only do you experience a yoga posture differently, but you also begin to allow themselves to trust someone else.
How to bring group yoga to your community
If you’re excited to bring yoga to a community setting, whether it is group yoga or not, here are some tips to how to do it:
1. Choose a venue for your vinyasa
Find a comfortable, private or semi-private location. People may feel self-conscious stretching in the goldfish bowl conference room in full view of the whole company. You will also want to ensure that the space provides room to move, so it is best to avoid cluttered and cramped areas. A gym or yoga studio are the obvious choices for a yoga-based field trip, but you can also opt for more scenic settings.
Interesting yoga settings:
Safe rooftops
Beaches
Parks
Botanical gardens
Wineries. While this may seem a strange choice, many offer yoga events. There are beautiful ones in my area of Sonoma County. Let me know if you want recommendations!
2. Find your teacher
You will want to find a professional to guide your group if you are wanting a touch-positive class, since it is a very specialized yoga style. Make sure they have experience working with people with your community’s demographics and teaching experience group yoga.
Of course, I am available for leading classes and workshops for your group, which can include contact/partner yoga. My current schedule is on my website, and I can also design an offering specialized to fit your groups needs. Here is a list of services that I hope inspire you!
3. Gather your supplies
At minimum you will need yoga mats. You can buy a basic mat for around ten dollars. If you plan to run yoga as a regular team activity, then you may want to consider investing in more durable, communal mats. Otherwise, you can instruct your teammates to bring mats to the session. There is a yoga non-profit called Give Back Yoga that donates mats to under-served populations which your group may qualify for. One yoga mat I am currently using is from Gaiam, which is wellness product company that has really like.
Other supplies commonly used during yoga classes include yoga blocks, straps and blankets
4. Have fun!
Last, but not least, shared joy is a bonding experience, so enjoy your time and have some fun!