Namaste translates roughly to “I bow to the God within you”. To Atomic 212 it also means, “putting people first in advertising”. Yoga on the Wharf is Atomic’s newest initiative in its quest to get the industry working at its best.

Earlier this year, Atomic 212 reimagined how an advertising agency might work, introducing flexible hours, work where you want and no internal emails.

Phase two, Yoga on the Wharf, aims to make its entire industry operate in top gear. It’s a weekly yoga get together in which everyone in the industry, Atomic employees, as well as fellow Sydney agencies, marketers and media people, will get a free class and the opportunity to put their best foot forward for the rest of the day.

And let’s not overlook the chance to network on a playing field (OK, a wharf) where salary and status are irrelevant.

Want to attend? Just drop in on the day, 7.30 every Tuesday morning. Where? Atomic 212, Wharf 8/9, Hickson Road. How much does it cost? Nothing. It’s free.

Chief executive officer, Jason Dooris, believes it is important to nurture a balanced work life for his staff, and is an advocate for breaking down the competitive nature between agencies to create a more congenial industry.

“This is all about nurturing talent in the industry, and putting people first in advertising. Agencies are very competitive in general, but once in a while it is great to come together as an industry in a non-competitive environment, so we can focus on the very thing that makes this industry tick: the people,” he commented.

Atomic knows that with the 38-hour work week almost entirely obsolete, a healthy work environment and doing what you can to keep work and life in balance are ever more important.

Dooris continued, “Big companies are focusing less and less on the health of their employees. People are working longer hours, and the work life balance has fallen out of whack. We want to give something back on behalf of the entire industry, whether you are working with us today or not.”

Yoga is a tried and true way to relieve stress and increase mental and physical energy – a perfect way to start off a long work day.