A recent story from Germany falls into the 'nice idea while it lasted' category

The national railway company, Deutsche Bahn came up with the novel idea of offering yoga and massages to relax the country’s stressed-out commuters; and for a few weeks in Munich and surrounding Bavaria, onboard yoga instructors taught passengers breathing exercises, relaxation techniques and how to sit properly. At the same time physiotherapists prowled the aisles offering back and neck massages.

An EU study late last year showed German workers as among Europe’s biggest worriers, with 28 percent rating themselves as ‘highly stressed’, compared to 20 percent in Britain.

But, if newspaper reports are to be believed, only a few passengers were brave enough to practise stretching exercises on the luggage rack. Otherwise, the biggest stress-relief provided by the short-lived ‘wellness trains’ initiative was a huge belly laugh.

A Deutsche Bahn spokesperson now describes the project as a ‘one-off’ that ‘will not be extended’.