Huffington Magazine Issue 60 | Page 55

HUFFINGTON 08.04.13 CORPORATE ZEN Coke and a candy bar, relying on a sugar rush. The pounds she added while pregnant never went away. Then, she began going to company-subsidized aerobics classes held in the Mind and Body studio in the basement of the research and development building. “It was amazing,” Kubly says. “It motivated me and made me healthier and more energetic.” She stopped snacking, began eating more fruits and vegetables at home, and dropped 15 pounds. She began sleeping better and feeling less stressed throughout the day. Her cholesterol improved. Her high blood pressure returned to normal. How does one measure these impacts to Promega’s business? The accounting is more art than science. But Kubly says she sees a doctor less frequently and brings greater energy to her work. Soon, she began going to meditation classes. On a recent Thursday afternoon, she’s among the six women being led in deep breathing by instructor Joyce Lyle. “If at any point during our meditation you feel yourself losing focus, like you feel the workday creeping back in, the breath is always available,” Lyle says. “The breath can anchor us into the moment.” I ABSOLUTELY DO THINK IT HELPS THE BOTTOM LINE. WHEN PEOPLE ARE MORE ENGAGED, THEY’RE MORE COLLABORATIVE. The women in the room have assumed the lotus position atop cushions stacked on their mats. “Let those sitting bones sink down,” the instructor says. “And now the shoulders that have been holding so much today, just let them relax.” She turns off the music. “Notice your breath,” she says. In this room inside this company that makes its money deriving products from the ticking engine of life itself, everything is still. “It just helps you feel at peace,” Kubly says later, back at her cubicle. “I always leave and have this tremendous sense of clarity.” Peter S. Goodman is the executive business editor of The Huffington Post.