Inward Office workshops & free videos

to align with monthly wellness topics

2022-2023

Introduction to this booklet: https://vimeo.com/756823485/dfd805c327

Wellness Wednesday Ideas:

-      Follow our Instagram or Facebook accounts – we post ideas for wellness at work. Re-share our posts

-      Go to our blog and pull valuable pieces of information to share in wellness newsletters or social media

-      Schedule 30-minute wellbeing classes on-site or virtually. Customize the program to the culture of your organization and needs of employees. For instance: Core Strength & Chair Yoga at your Desk and Meditation for Busy Professionals.

-      Hold a lunch social hosted by Inward Office. We do a 10 minute practice and have an open 20 minutes for socializing and networking.

January

Themes: Fitness, Exercise, Healthy Weight week, Goal setting

YouTube 5-minute practice

Wake up your abs and hips: https://youtu.be/LbG_mZMGoQs

Movement Class

Yoga for Strength & Stability - Develop strength, stamina, flexibility, and presence in motion with beginning and intermediate variations. Mentally class can help you to manage stress through regulated breathing and body awareness. Ending with deep relaxation.

HIIT Sculpt – A toning & sculpting class that's high energy, strength and endurance focused. HIIT is high intensity interval training--short bursts of movement for a set period of time with a brief rest between the segments.

Exclusive Workshops

(1) “Fit-ting” it in -- A 30-minute full body strengthening workout and tips on how to fit exercise into a busy day. Find a routine you can actually fit into your day.

(2)  Change Habits with Mindfulness – Are you the type of person who has many goals and seeks to shift some well-established habits? Mindfulness can give us insights into our automatic habits and teach us techniques to make more conscious decisions. How can this ancient practice guide us to effective goal setting and getting back on the wagon after we fall off?

(3) Deskercise -- Begin a new routine integrating stretching and strengthening exercises at your desk daily. In this workshop we will teach you the fundamental exercises to stay strong and limber. Comes with a PDF to keep at your desk.

(4) Mindfulness for Busy Professionals – How do we adapt esoteric, ancient mindfulness practices in a practical, functional way? Learn techniques you can integrate into your day in 5-10 minute increments.

February

Themes: Heart Health, Cancer Prevention

YouTube 5-minute practice

Meditation for Challenging times: https://youtu.be/hj2AjykS6lA

Movement Class: Live or Pre-Rec

Yoga for Healthy Aging & Joints - A yin yoga (slow, floor-based stretching) practice for healthy aging. Yin yoga rehydrates the connective tissues, improving long term flexibility, joint health, and reversing some of the signs of aging.  

Zumba – Zumba is a fun dance class set to Latin, hip-hop and pop music that keeps participants moving their whole body. This class includes cardio, strength and ab toning even though it doesn’t feel like you are exercising. You will leave with a smile on your face.  

Exclusive Workshops

(1) Yoga Nidra - Release deeply held stress in this body-based guided meditation practice. This will have you sleeping better at night and give you tools you can use as you settle into bed. This may help manage blood pressure, too. Taught at Gilda’s Club for Cancer survivors, patients, and caregivers. Recommended by the department of defense for soldiers.

(2) Yoga for Seasonal Affective Disorder, or Yoga to Beat the Blues – We may not even notice the weight of cloudy, winter-like days on our nervous system and mood. But it is proven that yoga and deep breathing all can boost our mood no matter the weather. It’s important to have many tools to manage our own anxiety & depression, however it shows up. Your instructor will teach you breathing exercises to change your brain state, movement & stretching to release tension, and relaxation techniques, all with mood enhancing effects.

March

Themes: Sleep Better, Eye wellness, Nutrition Month

YouTube 30-minute practice

Breathing & Relaxation class: https://youtu.be/HIpwaNMgAQI

Movement Class: Live or Pre-Rec

Mindful Chair Yoga-- Learn simple chair stretching & mindfulness exercises you can do at work, including eye exercises. These techniques expand our awareness to enhance other kinds of intelligences: like emotional, social, or body intelligence. Practices can be done from your workspace, in casual clothes with no special equipment. Exercises include chair based stretching & movement practice, breathing exercise, reflection, or meditation.

Exclusive Workshops

(1) Mindful Food Choices (Mindful Eating) - Ask yourself the question: how do I make food decisions? Use the nonjudgmental lens of mindful eating to approach your food decision with kindness and take home reflection questions to deepen self-awareness of food choices.

(2) Yoga Nidra – Release deeply held stress in this body-based guided meditation practice. This will have you sleeping better at night and give you tools you can use every evening as you settle into bed.

(3) Gentle Mat Yoga for Better Sleep – Downshift from a busy day. Let go of the stresses of daily living. A mat based yoga class designed to balance your body for better rest. Ending with a deep relaxation.

(4) Deskercise – Isometric (no equipment) strength training using your own body. Stretches that you can do daily from your work station. This class can include facial exercises and self-massage to help with tired, watery eyes, neck stiffness, and tense foreheads.

April

Themes: Nutrition, Stress Awareness, Alcohol Awareness, Earth Day, Child Abuse Prevention

YouTube 5-minute practice

Yoga for Stress Relief: https://youtu.be/Q8gRtIqCJIg?t=93

Mindful Eating lunch: https://youtu.be/-YPQbnu3TqQ

Movement Class: Live or Pre-Rec

Barre Flow or HIIT Sculpt (Stress) – By increasing the challenge of your exercise, you can reach new levels of ability. But we don’t know how strong we are until we are tested. Try our more intense classes to see how you may overcome inner resistance and rise above perceived limitations.  

Exclusive Workshops

1.   Family or Partner Yoga – Yoga can be for all ages and stages in life. Incorporate the other people in your family, including the youngest members. Make yoga fun by doing partner exercises with your team. The boundaries of your practice don’t end at your mat; they spill over into all of your relationships.

2.   Mindful Food Choices (Mindful Eating) – Ask yourself the question: how do I make food decisions? Use the nonjudgmental lens of mindful eating to approach your food decision with kindness and take home reflection questions to deepen self-awareness of food choices.

3.   Mindfulness for Stress Management - Mindfulness is an approach to life that eases resistance to life’s ups and downs. In our workshop, we define stress as a moment that requires a shift in perspective or a change in action. Take home specific & short exercises that you may do on your own to enhance well-being through strengthening your muscle of mindfulness! Our practices are based on the study of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness which all use body-based techniques to bring about presence. 

May

Theme: Mental Health Awareness, Blood Pressure Awareness, Asthma Awareness, Arthritis Awareness

YouTube 25-minute practice

Meditation and the Mind: https://youtu.be/QwZqdgALIQw

Movement Class: Live or Pre-Rec

Meditation (Mental Health Awareness) - Meditation is bravely facing what comes up in our experience and training our minds to be aware of attention. Every week the meditation may be a new experience as your own awareness changes daily. This is a secular practice that beginners and intermediates alike can benefit from. 

Mid-Day Yoga (Blood Pressure) - A gentle mat yoga class that won't get you sweaty in the middle of the day. Class includes long held physical postures, breathing & relaxation techniques. Physically, yoga poses strengthen muscles, improve range of motion, and can be adapted for most health conditions.  

Yoga for Healthy Aging & Joints (Arthritis) – See description in February

Exclusive Workshops

1.   Yoga for Anxiety & Stress – With so much uncertainty over the last few years, it’s common that we are experiencing new levels of stress and anxiety about the future. What can we do? We can tend to our nervous system. Practice recognizing your personal stress response and learn strategies to bring your stress into balance. The skills we will practice are: reflection, deep breathing, physical relaxation, mental attention training, stretching & movement, and healthy lifestyle habits.

2.   Deep Breathing & Gentle Yoga – Learn deep breathing and yoga-based techniques to release deeply held physical and mental tension. Using strength and flexibility exercises (yoga), we put our body under “stress” and gain insight into our automatic reactions and then self-regulate with precise guidance. When we release stress physically as well as mentally, we find a deeper rest and rejuvenation that gives us access to more energy, creativity, and focus. This is safe for all levels and ages.

3.   Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Introduction: MBSR was developed at the UMass medical center and has been integrated into education, psychology and medicine. It has been empirically studied for diverse populations. Learn a new way to relate to stress that engages your body and mind. We are all experts in distraction. We use many things from alcohol to TV to decrease the perception of pain. But what if there is another way that allows us to be in the moment and have a new perspective? Try MBSR exercises that are simple and repeatable throughout your week.

June

Themes: Preventive Care, Headache Awareness, Men’s Health, Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness

YouTube 5-minute practice

Technology Break Meditation: https://youtu.be/X9c0sY2ipCA

Movement Class: Live or Pre-Rec

Yoga for the Lower Back - Yoga is an excellent practice for lower back discomfort, poor posture, relieving stress and for those who need a gentle entry back into exercise. Classes are alignment based helping you discover the healthiest movement patterns and re-setting old habits. Classes give you a well-round immersive experience of yoga that incorporate direct experience of deepening self awareness.  

Active Yoga- Yoga is a practice. We need regularity, determination, and commitment to see changes in our body and minds. Julie's practice keeps us moving and also returning to noticing our own experience within our body. Yoga is an excellent way to gain flexibility in the joints and muscles, strengthen the body, and do it safely. This class is designed to learn yoga in a virtual environment safely, with precision. 

Exclusive Workshops

(1) Yoga for the Lower Back- see description above under Live Virtual class

(2) Yoga for the Upper Back & Shoulders - Yoga is an excellent way to gain flexibility in the joints and muscles, relieve pain, strengthen muscles, and do it safely at any age. This class is designed with safety and precision in mind, as we teach a wide range of learners. Yoga is a practice. To undo the habits we have accumulated from poor posture at desks, we need a set of understandable tools and information to release the held tension.

(3) Self-Massage for the Upper Back and Shoulders -  We will use rubber or tennis balls to relieve pain and, integrated with stretches, improve range of motion. Compression & release techniques can re-hydrate connective tissue that have grown brittle from use and age. Complements any movement routine you have. Based on the Yoga Tune Up Roll Method.

July

Themes: Substance abuse, Skin Cancer awareness, Social Wellbeing

YouTube 45-minute practice

Yoga Basics: https://youtu.be/74Sjo03DOXM

Movement Class: Live or Pre-Rec

Active Yoga - Yoga is a practice. We need regularity, determination, and commitment to see changes in our body and minds. This active practice keeps us moving and also anchoring our attention to the experience within our body. 

Exclusive Workshops

(1) Outdoor meditation – Raise your hand if you are constantly distracted! In this class we will use the world around us to bring our experience into focus. Getting outside also has health benefits: vitamin D, oxygen, and a decrease in stress arousal. The instructor will teach training the attention through fully being awake in the natural world.

(2) Yoga for A Strong Posture – We spend most of our waking hours sitting at desks, using computers, driving or sitting on couches. And most of the positions are slouched. This can lead to a decrease in breathing capacity, an imbalanced nervous system, and pain in the neck, shoulders, and back. Learn strengthening and stretching exercises designed with your posture in mind.

(3) Mindful Communication: Learn three tips to save your next difficult conversation. A new way to use your mindfulness skills in interpersonal relationships. Using the natural ability to be present, we will change the way we relate to others. Try an exercise that you can repeat any time of day on your own to increase your joy and satisfaction with daily life.

August

Themes: Musculoskeletal Health, Happiness, Breastfeeding

YouTube 50-minute practice

Core & Yoga with Kellie: https://youtu.be/-rskfhuuq_o

Movement Class: Live or Pre-Rec

Toning & Stretch -  Class begins with some cardio at the intensity you prefer: low and high options are given. Then, work on balance and control in the standing exercises. Body weight resistance exercises increase bone density and begin to boost metabolism. Ab exercise on the mat improve your posture & core strength. This is a lower impact class that is on the slower, mindful side of our classes. Turn on your own music and be sure you have water nearby! Weights & a mat are recommended. 

Barre Flow - Barre is a strength & toning class inspired by ballet. In this class, set to music, you will be engaging the core, improving balance, and overall range of motion. Low body strength and stability is our goal. Great for beginners, those new to fitness, and supporting those with an active lifestyle already.  

Exclusive Workshops

(1) Self-Massage (for the upper body or lower body) - We will use rubber or tennis balls to relieve pain and, integrated with stretches, improve range of motion. Compression & release techniques can re-hydrate connective tissue that have grown brittle from use and age. Complements any movement routine you have. Based on the Roll Method system.

(2) GLAD Yoga – A yoga practice that integrates aspects of the GLAD technique. GLAD is a daily practice of noticing what we are grateful for, what we learned, accomplished, and delighted in. Yoga may release endorphins and oxytocin into the system. Focusing our minds on what is going well, the GLAD technique can also change our natural bias to focus on the negative. This class is certain to give you a mood boost.

September

Themes: Flu Prevention, Healthy Aging, Self-Care, Self-Improvement month, Childhood Cancer

YouTube 20 minute practice

Chair Yoga with Eileen - https://youtu.be/0mcFIZZ9Lw8

Movement Class: Live or Pre-Rec

Yoga for Healthy Aging & Joints (Arthritis) – A yin yoga (slow, floor-based stretching) practice for healthy aging. Yin yoga rehydrates the connective tissues, improving long term flexibility, joint health, and reversing some of the signs of aging.  

Exclusive Workshops

(1) Family Yoga - We invite parents and children ages 3-11 to participate in a yoga class together. Class is designed for fun and bonding. This is a great class to focus on process and connection, rather than outcome.

(2) Facial Massage & Soothing Breathing Exercises – Learn a self-massage technique for the face and breathing exercises to soothe you from the inside out. This class can relieve the facial tension we accumulate from long hours at the computer.   

(3) Yoga for Busy Minds & Tired Bodies – Many of us are worn out: long hours at work, not enough sleep, and mental exertion can make us feel like exercise and yoga are the last things we want to do. In this class we will stretch and strengthen and gently boost our own energy levels.

October

Themes: Breast Cancer/Women’s Health, Emotional Wellness, Health Education, Mental Illness

YouTube 5-minute practice

Breath of Joy Practice: https://youtu.be/ZhVD_04kZ_Y

Movement Class: Live or Pre-Rec

Meditation – Meditation, quite simply, is training the attention. Learn to bravely face our raw, natural experience and train wandering attention. This is a secular practice that beginners and intermediates alike can benefit from. 

Exclusive Workshops

(1) Yoga for Anxiety and Stress – See Description on page 2 in previous October

(2) Yoga for Women – See Description for Yoga for All Stages & Ages in previous October. This class is adapted for women.

(3) Beat the Blues Yoga - As we head into a darker time of year, it’s important to have many tools to manage anxiety & depression. Your instructor will teach you breathing exercises to change your brain state, movement & stretching to release tension, and relaxation techniques, all with mood enhancement as the goal.

(4) Yoga for Anywhere – Create a routine you can do anywhere—at work, on the road, while visiting family--so when the holidays arrive, you can maintain your health.   

November

Themes: Diabetes Awareness, Gratitude, Movember, Lung Cancer, Diabetes

YouTube 40-minute practice

Office Yoga for the hips: https://youtu.be/brlYVjoLRVc

Movement Class: Live or Pre-Rec

Toning & Stretch -  Starting with some cardio at the intensity you prefer: low and high options are given. Work on balance and toning in the standing exercises. Do resistance exercises with hand weights or body weight. Ab exercise on the mat help your posture & improve core strength. This is a lower impact class that is on the slower, mindful side of our classes. Turn on your own music and be sure you have water nearby! Weights & a mat are recommended.

Workshops

(1) Mindful Eating for the Holidays - Five tips to making conscious choices around holiday eating. Use reflection, awareness of tendencies, and attention on the body to enter into the holiday (eating) season confidently.

(2) Mindful Eating Series-A four class series that emphasizes self-awareness, and mindfully changing habits into conscious choices, rather than rules and giving up your favorite foods. Mindful Eating is a non-diet approach to creating healthy habits and a sustainable relationship with food.

(3) Gratitude as a Mindfulness Practice- How does focusing on the good, in the form of gratitude, increase our enjoyment of life? Use gratitude as a mindfulness practice and re-train the dominant negativity bias.

December

Themes: Holiday Stress, Emotions during the holidays, AIDS and Flu awareness

YouTube 5-minute practice

Mental Emotional Balancing: https://youtu.be/qdQnUrsldXY

Movement Class: Live or Pre-Rec

Core strength & Yoga Stretch - Kellie's core class is the best way to start your day! It’s an active class to strengthen the muscles that support our upright posture and spine. She integrates the yoga stretches throughout class so that you are minimally sore the next day. Grab a mat and join us.

Exclusive Workshops

(1) Rest and Reset – This time of year can disrupt our regular schedules. Family demands, parties, travel can create busy-ness that may not lead to more happiness. This class introduces restorative yoga for deep rest, gentle stretches to calm the nervous system, and yoga nidra to let go of deeply held tension. Returning to these exercises regularly can release stress as it shows up.

(2) Deep Breathing & Gentle Yoga for Stress Relief – Learn deep breathing and yoga-based techniques to release deeply held physical and mental tension. Using strength and flexibility exercises (yoga), we put our body under “stress” and gain insight into our automatic reactions and then self-regulate with precise guidance. When we release stress physically as well as mentally, we find a deeper rest and rejuvenation that gives us access to more energy, creativity, and focus. This is safe for all levels and ages.

(3) Neti Pot – Now sold in many major stores, the neti pot is an ancient Indian technique to clean out the body. Do you suffer from allergies or seasonal congestion? Learn a fool-proof method to easily add it to your daily routine to maintain health. Participants will also learn a daily breathing technique to bring about mental/emotional balance.