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In boardrooms from Manhattan to Silicon Valley, the mantra "let's do lunch" is being replaced by "let's do yoga."

By Nancy Wolfson (Yoga Journal)

Just after sunrise, I am lying on the floor of Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York. Next to me are 14 other students from the Market Development department at MTV Networks, here on a two-day corporate team-building retreat. The program includes sports, hikes, a croquet tournament, and this yoga class for "active relaxation."

"Your hands are like cosmic conductor cables," intones our instructor Sara Harris. "The hands bring energy into the body and they send healing energy out. Focus on your hands and the energy; then listen to your breathing and feel the echo of your heartbeat."

Harris, who has taught classes for NYNEX, IBM, and AT&T, uses business buzzwords like "systems" and "mind screen" to tap into the language of her students.

At the end of class, Harris has us lie on the floor and leads us in relaxation. She tiptoes around the room, placing an acorn at everyone's side. "In this little acorn there's a huge oak tree," she says softly. "Let this acorn be a reminder of how powerful your energy is. All you have to do is channel and focus it." Harris's metaphor resonates with everyone in the room. Afterward, I talk to one of the MTV staffers who tells me, "Life at work is full of distractions. Yoga gives me an opportunity to focus, since it's rare that everything is so serene."

This attitude may explain why yoga is catching on at corporations. Nike, HBO, Forbes, and Apple all offer on-site yoga classes for their employees. These and scores more Fortune 500 companies consider yoga important enough to offer classes as a regular employee benefit.