This is the face I make when I don’t do enough yoga. It’s not pretty.

So, in the month of August, something weird happened. Enough people went on vacation, that my meeting schedule went from a couple a day to a couple a week. I had huge blocks in the middle of the day where I could do what I wanted (within reason, of course!)

I started going to lunch time yoga.

Lunch time yoga is the best.

Yoga Tree at Richmond and Spadina has 50 minute classes. Perfect! I could get there and back in under 10 minutes. Add changing, settling in, and what-not, these classes would probably take an hour and a half out of my day. So I decided to get their 30 days for $40 intro pass, go to work for 8am instead of 9am, and take as many lunch time classes as I could. I went about 3 times a week for three weeks, opting for hatha and vinyasa classes instead of their hot classes so I wouldn’t have to shower when I was really crunched for time. (I’m gross, I know.)

Did I tell you lunch time yoga is the best?

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it so much. But it breaks up your day and gives you 50 minutes were you don’t — and can’t — think about work. You get to move your body, focus on your breath and sweat. It calmed me. Not only because I was giving myself a break, but also because it meant I was fitting my daily workout in without any problem: no feeling guilty about not waking up early to get things done or feeling bad because I missed an evening run because of a social engagement. It was scheduling efficiency at its best. I didn’t dwaddle during my coffee breaks or spend my lunch reading celebrity gossip sites, because I knew I was going out of the office for an hour. I wanted my time at my desk to be as productive as possible to validate that hour.

It made me a happier and more productive employee.

Every yoga studio should offer 45 minute classes at lunch. Seriously, people. An hour is too long to expect people to slip in and out of the office. But 45 minutes? It’s a manageable block of time.

But, with August almost over, everyone is back. The 1pm and 2pm meeting is becoming a staple again. I need to figure out how to negotiate getting 2-3 mid-day classes in without disrupting everyone’s work schedule. I know I can go before (Yoga Tree has a 7:15 class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday) or after (like I’ve been doing since I became a grown-up with a real job), but it’s not the same. I haven’t done lunch time yoga in 4 work days and I’m achy, sore and a little bit grumpy.

This needs to change.

And not just for me. We’re a team. And when individuals thrive, the team thrives.