From workplace wellness to networking consciousness
New World Native’s Rachel Hughes and Stacey Griffin talk about the role of yoga at conferences and the power of workplace wellness
Yoga is an increasingly popular activity at events, helping attendees ground themselves and recharge to get the most out of their experience. After a hugely successful me Convention in 2017, Mercedes-Benz put on a smaller taster in Austin at the SXSW 2018 — including classes and experiences by Rachel Hughes and Stacey Griffin from New World Native — The Conscious Network, an innovative wellness network & platform. Namaste.
What is the role of yoga at a conference or networking event? How can it benefit attendees and help them make the most of it?
At NWN we heavily support the notion of the Ancient Chinese concept of Yin & Yang in life. We, as humans are in a constant flow of balancing. So, on the one hand, we have a festival that is amplifying your human experience, information overload and non-stop action, so how do you counter that? Well, yoga is a perfect balancing practice for a crazy conference like me Convention or SXSW. There are no phones, no bright lights or distracting screens, just you, your body and your breath. You’ll feel stretched out, balanced out, re-energized and ready for another round of the festival!
What does workplace wellness mean to you, and what can we do to improve it?
Workplace wellness is all about making employees healthy and happy. We are spending more and more time working both in the office and out, which makes balance ever more important. Companies large and small are starting to realize there is a difference between the quality of work and quantity of work, therefore a focus on keeping the workforce healthy & engaged in new and interesting ways is going to be a big one for 2018 and beyond. Moving forward, companies should be setting the standard for better work/life balance from the outset. Beyond just HR departments adding in mindfulness programs, creating partnerships with wellness centers and studios will be the next step. Also, a big trend will be gamification and employee wellness tracking, because it’s not just about having a wellness program, it’s about engagement.
How can online communities help tackle the fragmented nature of our connections today? What are the ingredients for success?
In the era of fake news and content overload, trust is more important than ever. People are really looking for authentic connection and more and more online communities are not enough. With NWN, the end goal is always a meeting in the real world, so online communities can be a great facilitator for these meet-ups. And a validation system that really focuses on the different qualities of a service/person, rather than a simple review tool, will also go a long way to earn people’s trust. This is something NWN is in the middle of developing.
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