Evoga with Evoke

Posted by Shannon Mitchell, Field Staff on August 11, 2016

I am breathing in, I am breathing out.

I silently repeat this to myself as I notice small beads of sweat roll gently between my shoulder blades and pool at the base of my spine. My head lightly rests on the mat beneath me as I listen to my instructor, Elise, describe the ways in which my muscles could be reacting to this pose. Elise is the Health and Wellness Coordinator for Evoke at Entrada, the company that I work for, and our class is a gift offered to us as a means of supporting employee well-being and extending its’ whole-health focus to those who work in the field.

This is the sanctuary I find myself in every other Wednesday, bare feet fixed to my mat, as sunshine pools in through the large, glass studio windows. I’m surrounded by five to ten other field staff, all finding their peace and liberty from the stresses of the week. Sometimes I think of the release that I feel between tight, tired tendons, other times of the difficulties I experienced during my shift, but most times, nothing.

Teaching a holistic view of health and focusing on the mind, body, spirit connection is something we do in the field each shift. Our yoga classes present the opportunity to, “practice what we preach” and to implement healthy and sustainable habits in our own lives. Many of us look forward to starting our off-shift with a visit to Elise, who also hosts yoga teacher trainings, a few of which field staff have decided to partake in, spreading mindfulness into the world in their own ways.

Wednesday’s yoga classes are just one of the many amazing ways in which Evoke at Entrada cares for and supports it’s employees, while truly living it’s mind, body, spirit intention.