Leadership Lessons from the Yoga Mat

A little over four years ago I finally got serious about commiting to a regular yoga practice. I'd enjoyed yoga sporadically over the years but had never been good at keeping up any regularity. I've found that the physical benefits have been greater than I ever anticipated: strength, flexibity, balance, better sleep. But the mental and spiritual benefits have been just as wonderful and just as needed. As I've taken this journey deeper into my practice I've also noticed that there are many lessons learned on the yoga mat that have great applications to effective and ethical leadership. Here are a few:

1) Let go of comparison and judgment. Everyone's physical gifts and challenges are different and the only comparison that is valid is with how your body is responding from one practice to another. This applies equally to our skills and aptitudes in other areas of life.

2) Breathe deeply and notice your breath. One of the basic lessons in yoga is that everything connects to our breath. Breathing brings you out of your head and into your body. Noticing the breath brings you into the present moment, which is the only place you totally control.

3) Push yourself, stretch your limits. Yoga can be much more physically demanding than I ever imagined and there have been many times, stuck in a challenging pose, that I've wanted to give up. Learning to breathe through it and hold the pose a bit longer has taught me great lessons of perseverence.

4) Remember to fully relax when you are done with your practice. I'll admit after a hard 90 minute practice corpse pose is my favorite in the whole asana repertoire. A good reminder that we should always relax, celebrate and play after completing a strenous endeavor.

5) Age is not an excuse. I'm inspired by yogis that are my age and older. I marvel at how bendy and strong some of the "older" yogis are that I know and I aspire to be like them. And it is a good reminder that we are never too old to try something new and follow our hearts.

These are just a few of the most obvious lessons I've learned while on my sticky mat. I'm always amazed by the insights and answers that come during and after a practice so I'm grateful and willingly stay open to those rays of light. Namaste!