Top 5 Leadership Lessons From YOGA
Lalita Raman
Are you wondering what yoga has to do with leadership?
I have done yoga for almost 10 years and I still continue to learn not only the yoga poses but what yoga can teach about myself, life and leadership. When I started yoga 10 years back, it was purely as an exercise and to improve my flexibility. Most of the yoga instructors will tell you that yoga is a connection between mind, body and soul and the common link is through your breath. I used to hear this but never quite understood the real essence.
My journey with yoga in the first two-three years, was one of hate and love. However, where I stand today with yoga is one of love, where I have learnt to overcome some of my frustrations of inflexibility. This is where yoga is like leadership, in that a leader doesn’t take credit only when the going is good but stands through tough times and journeys through them.
Leadership Lessons
1) Humility – most start-off with yoga with the aim to be able to do all the complicated poses. Some of us are able to do these poses easily whilst some others aren’t.
If you are able to do almost all the poses, and you let your ego rule you, and not be humble and improve on the finer aspects of each pose, there is a high risk of injuring yourself and facing the consequences of the injury.
The beauty about yoga unlike running on a treadmill or aerobic exercise is that your body indicates to you that it is not ready for that pose. It is here that we need to accept what we are capable of with humility. It is no different from a leader being self-aware and accepting what they are capable of and seeking out the answers to what they don’t know.
2) Patience – even after 10 years, I am yet to get comfortable with some of the yoga poses. I used to get frustrated initially but yoga has taught me to be patient and accept that some things take time. You cannot run before you learn to walk, in the same way yoga teaches you to be present and engaged in that moment with that pose. What is important is the willingness to recognize, acknowledge and pay heed to the present moment.
A leader cannot expect to achieve their vision in a day. Rome wasn’t built in a day. A leader, to be respected has to gain trust, respect and have their thoughts, audio and video in sync.
3. Comfort Zone – the beauty about yoga is that you need to get out of your comfort zone to learn new poses, fine tune those poses with the right breath. It is achieving the right balance between challenging yourself to try a pose that stretches you and being aware of the extent to which you can push yourself. The important link here is the breath. Your breath tells you when you have gone beyond your limits as long as you listen to it.
A leader can grow and develop only by being authentic, self-aware and yet pushing themselves out of their comfort zone.
4. Mindfulness – I have learnt the art of mindfulness in yoga. I have injured myself when I have done a pose without my full focus. It is during these injuries that I learnt that the body, mind and soul has to be in sync and that is possible by concentrating on my breath. Focusing on breathing helps you ease on the pose and I have learnt this from experience.
Leaders have to be mindful in who they are and what they do. Lack of focus and attention will affect their communication and relationships with their team. Yoga teaches you to let go yet not give up. Leaders have to learn to let go, learn from disappointments and mistakes and yet not give up on their passion.
5) Gratitude– being thankful to your body and being content with the practice helps you keep an open mind. At the end of the practice, if you resent what you couldn’t do, your body and mind gets into a vicious circle of negativity.
A leader recognizes that positive emotional awareness is a necessity. You can be a realist but adopting negativity saps the energy from the leader and all whom they influence.
I still have my moments of frustration but far less than what I used to. I recognize that I have to accept what I can do and in the earnestness to challenge myself, I should not forget to be gentle and kind with myself. Yoga empowers not only your body but also your mind. There are many moments during the practice of yoga you feel overwhelmed but if you maintain a calm composure with your breath, you are able to overcome those moments. Life is a roller coaster and the choice to take the right attitude lies with each of us.
Are you going to let your ego take over or will you seek humility in your achievements?
Have you tried yoga?
What have you learnt from yoga?
What are your perceptions about yoga?
Do you always associate yoga with flexibility?
Are you open to challenges ?
What attitude do you take when you face adversity?
Alli Polin
21 May 2013 at 7:37 pmI absolutely love this analogy, Lalita! I’ve never tried yoga because I’m probably the least flexible person I know and more than looking silly, I’d fear pushing myself and hurting myself in the process. I have a dear family friend that became a yoga instructor a few years ago… with just a look and her way of being she helps everyone that hits the mat in her class know that she believes in them and together they get centered, share and celebrate the present moment. She embodies leadership and now, after reading your post, I have even greater admiration for the yoga connection. Enjoyed this piece very much!
Lalita Raman
22 May 2013 at 1:28 amThank you Alli. Yoga starts off with many of us thinking no I won’t venture into it because I’m not flexible. But after couple of years, at best, you forget about the inflexibility part. Through yoga you can deal with life. Hot yoga, which I started couple of years back is challenging for me because I was used to doing yoga in an air conditioned room. Going through the asanas or poses in 40°C is many times overwhelming and those moments teach you that life is similar to that and how can i apply that to life in similar situations. Knee jerk reaction is to take a break, drink water or just get out of the pose but mindfully going through it to the extent you are capable of brings in self awareness.
I find it shocking that there are people who are very good at doing the yoga poses but sadly haven’t learnt humility, respect for their 2*2 space or courtesy for others.
Thank you so much Alli. I appreciate your insight.
Terri Klass (@TerriKlass)
22 May 2013 at 10:47 pmBeautiful post, Lalita! Yoga and leadership work so well together as bringing our bodies in tune with our minds helps us to focus more clearly and be more decisive. I have done yoga over the years and really enjoyed the clearing out of my mind in order to concentrate on the positions. It’s a great way for leaders to practice mindfulness. Thanks so much for this perspective!
lalitaraman
23 May 2013 at 12:03 amThank you Terri. Yes yoga is a great way to practice mindfulness. In fact when one is not mindful and focussed during the yoga asanas, the consequences are almost immediate.
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment.
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23 May 2013 at 1:30 amChristopherinHR
24 May 2013 at 5:08 amA sound and sure analogy. As someone who has practiced on and off for many years I can attest that despite the occasional challenge the marrying of mind, body and soul in those fleeting moments is well worth it.
A beautiful way to think about how we approach our work and our life.
lalitaraman
24 May 2013 at 7:33 pmThank you Chris. I feel out of sorts when my mind, body & soul is not in sync. I appreciate your comment. Thank you
Jean Ann Larson
6 June 2013 at 2:44 amExcellent post and analogy. I just started yoga a couple of years ago – as one instructor says “to undo all the damage that running and other types of exercise has done to my body.” In the meantime, yoga has been so much more and has helped ease several major transitions in my life over the past few years. Namaste
lalitaraman
9 June 2013 at 11:04 pmThank you Jean Ann. I relate to yoga assisting through transitions. Thank you for sharing your insights.