Employees Wellbeing and Yoga. The Case of the Museum of Asian Art Staff

Abstract

Museums are increasingly recognized not only as cultural and educational institutions but also as environments that foster wellbeing. While many initiatives focus on visitor wellness, far less attention has been given to the wellbeing of museum staff, who often experience stress despite working in culturally enriched settings. The ASBA project addresses this gap by introducing chair-based yoga practices specifically adapted to the museum workplace and designed to connect staff with museum collections through embodiment-based practices. This study presents the approach and preliminary findings from a pilot session conducted at the Museum of Asian Art (Turin, Italy), in which participants reported their levels of anxiety and stress before and after the intervention and provided qualitative feedback. Results offer initial evidence that museum-tailored yoga may support staff wellbeing, laying the groundwork for clarifying how embodiment-based practices relate to art appreciation and for developing structured programs that can be adapted across institutional contexts to enhance employee wellbeing.