The hallway outside the seventh-floor courtrooms in the Sangamon County Complex may not sound like an ideal spot to hold a yoga class, but it does have its advantages.

The space is pretty much vacant over the lunch hour, and one entire wall is made up of windows that overlook downtown Springfield. Looking outside, you can see the Hilton, the state Capitol dome and the tops of green trees extending toward the horizon.

Its serene. Its quiet, and you can look out the windows. Its nice, said Kimberly Fuiten, superintendent of the Sangamon County Veterans Assistance Commission and one of about a dozen county employees taking the yoga class.

The classes were started last year by the countys employee wellness committee as an effort to improve the overall health of county workers. The first classes were held at the Sangamon County Health Department building last year; this is the second round of four-week classes at the county building.

The classes last about 40 minutes, during which time the participants concentrate on their breathing and attempt different poses that stretch their muscles. Some of the exercises are done while lying on the floor, others are done in a sitting or standing position.

Linda Wheeland, a senior planner at the Springfield/Sangamon County Regional Planning Commission, said she is seeing the benefits.

Yoga works the entire body. There is a lot of stretching and stress-reduction involved, Wheeland said. Most of us are at a desk all day, so the instructor gives us poses to do that alleviate any problems that come with sitting all day.

Aasne Daniels, an instructor at Ahh Yoga, 1051 W. Wabash Ave., leads the classes. She said there are a lot of advantages to yoga.

For this group, one of the best things I can do for them is give them tools to help them with stress relief. I think working as a county employee can be a very stressful job, Daniels said. Were building some strength, stamina and some flexibility. Were giving people the tools to sit back, take a breath, calm down and get ready to deal with the rest of their day.

Participants pay to be in the class. No county funds are used. If there is enough interest among county employees, there could be future classes.

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Yoga offered to county workers in courthouse hallway