Small Shifts, Big Impact: Behaviour Change, Yoga & the Workplace.

In today’s fast-paced working world, stress has become something of a badge of honour. Long hours, back-to-back meetings, skipping lunch, and multitasking are often worn with pride. But what if real productivity and genuine wellbeing, could be found in slowing down, breathing deeply, and changing just one small thing?

As someone who left a corporate career in finance and IT, I know first-hand how easy it is to fall into patterns that don’t serve us. I also know how hard it can be to change them. That’s where behaviour change science and yoga can be such powerful allies, especially in the workplace.

Behaviour change isn’t about flipping a switch. It’s more like turning a dial. According to models like the Transtheoretical Model, change happens in stages: from not even thinking about changing to contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. Understanding this can help us bring more compassion to ourselves and others when trying to shift habits, especially those deeply embedded in work culture.

We often try to overhaul our entire routine: starting a new diet, joining a gym, or downloading productivity apps. Have your new healthy habits already started to sleep? What’s far more sustainable are tiny, consistent actions.

Yoga isn’t just a physical practice: it’s a framework for transformation. It meets you exactly where you are and offers a compassionate, embodied way to change. Yoga teaches awareness, and that’s the foundation for any behaviour change.

When we pause and tune in to our breath, body, and thoughts, even for a few moments we give ourselves the chance to choose differently. That might look like getting up from the desk to stretch, taking ten deep breaths before replying to an email, using lunch breaks for a short walk rather than more screen time, or practising mindfulness during a stressful team meeting. These small acts can ripple outward in profound ways.

Workplace yoga isn’t about headstands in the boardroom. It’s about creating a culture where wellbeing is integrated into the rhythm of the day. It can support behaviour change by regulating the nervous system, making it easier to respond rather than react, improving focus, fostering self-awareness, and creating community which supports accountability and emotional resilience.

At its heart, yoga supports us to change from the inside out. When we begin to feel better, we naturally begin to make better choices. And when those choices are supported by our environment, like a workplace that values wellbeing, lasting behaviour change becomes possible.

If you’re a business owner, team leader, or simply someone who wants to feel better at work, ask yourself: What’s one small thing I can change today? How can I bring more breath, presence, or movement into my working day? Who else might benefit if I prioritised my wellbeing, even in tiny ways?

Change doesn’t have to be dramatic. It just needs to begin.

Naomi Hurst