An oasis of calm in the workplace

AMSTERDAM - Some people have a gift for making others feel good. Francesca Polo is one of those people. I spent an hour and a half with her and left feeling relaxed and inspired – and all we did was talk. As I cycle home, I wonder what her clients must feel like after a yoga session of the same length.

Polo talks animatedly about what she does, but at the same time exudes a calm confidence. If this is the result of years of regular yoga practice, then she is a walking advert for her company Office Oasis. Founded in 2005, Office Oasis offers yoga, chair massage and coaching in the workplace.

Prior to becoming a yoga teacher Polo had worked almost exclusively in offices. As a result, her programmes are very pragmatic. One of these is her ‘30 minutes yoga’ class, an adaptation of the Dutch government’s current campaign to get the Netherlands moving for at least half an hour a day. It’s also a format that fits well in a business environment where employees are often trying to squeeze in exercise or relaxation between sandwiches.

Yoga’s, ahem, flexibility is part of what Polo likes about it. “You can do it anywhere,” she says, adding, “It’s a great way of raising people’s awareness of the limits of their bodies. This is a huge stress-prevention tool. Economically, introducing yoga into a company is much smarter than giving an employee a one-off treatment.” Om shanti to that.