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Founder and chief guide of the Manthan program Maneesh Kalra conducts a course.
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Japanese companies utilize Manthan wellness programs; report increased productivity, staff happiness during pandemic

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Manthan, a wellness program for Japanese corporations, has said that their pilot program involving three top 100 Japanese companies in finance, advertising and healthcare technology, has improved performance, staff engagement and staff retention over the six-month pilot period.

The newly piloted program Manthan (Sanskrit for “churning” the ocean in order to find peace and happiness) begins with an initial 12-week course which introduces the participants to the concepts in the program and helps them set goals and walks them through the techniques of meditation and yoga and touches on mindfulness, empathy, and introspection. The online offering is designed with consideration for the safety and convenience of participants.

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Maneesh Kalra

Founder and chief guide of the Manthan program, Maneesh Kalra, said: “With the current pandemic and growing movement to work from home, we find new stresses and difficulties in connecting  with colleagues in our daily work lives. This leads to lower productivity and reduced staff engagement as the lines between home and work become blurred.

"Our program is about taking the participants on a ‘personal journey’ which is aimed at improving physical and mental condition, and help create a new work/life balance, reducing stresses and strains borne particularly during the pandemic. As this is a journey, we refer to our trainers as ‘guides’ rather than ‘teachers’.  Our program is designed to work with HR and people teams and I am pleased to report that in all three pilot programs we were able to achieve increased productivity, staff engagement and, most importantly, the participants felt energized, focused and happy.”

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Founder and chief guide of the Manthan program Maneesh Kalra conducts a course.

Each course is tailored for the company, with participants being assessed and trainers creating the activities that help achieve a progression in improved condition and well-being. The course can also be a more communal activity, with colleagues worldwide taking part and is considerate of pace, home life balance and working styles. Guides can deliver in both English and Japanese.

The Manthan program consists of:

  • Assessment and creating personal goals
  • Breathing and meditation
  • Yoga and physical conditioning
  • Mindfulness and mental resilience
  • Break-out sessions with colleagues
  • Reporting and accountability

One of the pilot program participating companies is Philips. Its head of Employee Wellness, Ms. Omori, said: "We were so happy we were able to provide our staff with support and training of this kind, and we really see the results of the program that Maneesh and his team delivered. We will be continuing with the course and also look for new ways to help our staff to be happy and healthy in this ‘new normal.'"

More information can be found on the Manthan website.

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10 Comments
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A crash course for 6 months duration and when the hype simmers down then what...?! Mind meditation to levitate your conscienceness is never to be trained - it's self disciplined.

It is surely no bad training but one needs more personal psycological support if you are in fact in need for courses over several months.

Not necessarily. Seven years ago I undertook a similar program. There were two components: a weekly focus with exercises and homework for 8 weeks and a 30-day, incremental regimen designed to establish a meditation practice.

I have not missed a day of the meditation practice since. That brief but effective program gave me the strategies and tools to approach and navigate numerous challenging circumstances and extraordinarily difficult life events with grace, compassion and calm. In addition, I was able to manage without additional (and often costly) psychological support.

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A crash course for 6 months duration and when the hype simmers down then what...?! Mind meditation to levitate your conscienceness is never to be trained - it's self disciplined.

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This is great! Any help or advice to reduce workplace stress is needed in Japan :)

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Let workers go home without extra hours at a normal time and no compulsory nomikai and you will increase the happiness in 50 % at least.

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I don't like guru type of training. I prefer exchanging between colleagues everyday.

Japanese (and Asians in general) are so passive on average !

Productivity can only rise because it is so low from the start.

It is surely no bad training but one needs more personal psycological support if you are in fact in need for courses over several months.

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If an employer forced me to take part in stuff like this, I'd quit.

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Really???

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