Yoga is something I enjoy doing and would like to do more often because it complements my ballet classes and helps me stay nimble in mind and body. You may be saying to yourself, "So wait, what does that have to do with business?" It's the nimble-minded part that I think overlaps well with business (aside from the fact that when you're also in reasonable physical shape, you normally feel better all around, which actually also helps in business).
Yoga is much more than just stretching and bending. It's about learning, mindfulness and looking within yourself for what you need. Whether it encompasses health, relationships, attitudes or overall well being, there are lessons and skills in yoga that carry over well into everyday life and business. Here's a few of them that I am practicing:
Focus. The physical and mental aspects of yoga will serve you best when you are able to maintain an uninterrupted state of attention on at least one aspect of your practice, whether it's breathing, holding a position, balancing or thinking.
Small business owners wear multiple hats every day and have to switch gears quickly and frequently. This can make maintaining focus on any one thing challenging. But when you are faced with important decisions, being able to focus is critical. Thoughts that race from here to there may fuel creativity, but don’t usually aid in solving problems.
If an increase in your ability to maintain focus could improve your business, consider some simple mediation techniques. Check out Meditations to Change Your Brain by Rick Hanson and Richard Mendius.
Empathy. Yoga respects all living things. Empathy is huge in the business world because it is imperative to providing over-the-top service and making an emotional connection with your customers and employees. We are in business to provide a service to someone, and by practicing empathy we can understand what it feels like to be that someone. I know when I make an emotional connection with a service provider, I'm more likely to do business with them. Honing this skill will serve you well in business and in life.
Equanimity. This is a fundamental skill for self-exploration and emotional intelligence, and it is often misunderstood and confused with suppressing feelings and apathy. Equanimity is a state of extreme calm and inner balance, a continuous relaxed state over your whole body as sensations of all kinds – pleasant and unpleasant, physical and emotional – are allowed to wash through. When you're able to intentionally create equanimity in your mind, you'll let go of negative judgments about what you're experiencing and replace them with an attitude of loving acceptance and matter-of-factness. Imagine how this would help the stresses that come your way each day at the shop.
Presence. As simple as it sounds, being present is one of the most challenging concepts to get your head around, and often is difficult to accept and practice. This requires an understanding that the past is the past and cannot be changed. You only have the moment that is "now." It is literally the only time you can do anything – in the here and now. Coming to grips with this fact can make monumental differences in the way you approach your business and other aspects of your life.
Gaining a grasp of what presence is can be difficult; don't be discouraged if it doesn't come easily and quickly to you. After all, it is considered a life-long practice. If you want to delve into this topic in greater detail, I encourage you to look into the works of a couple of modern-day practitioners, Jack Kornfield and Eckhart Tolle.
These are centuries-old ideas, and you certainly don't have to practice yoga in order to use them as tools. Think of them as yoga for the brain – keeping you flexible in the way you think – even if you can't negotiate lotus position or touch your toes.
Namaste.
