Working within our health aware community as an entrepreneur since 1994, I was always in awe of how consistently those who practiced yoga seemed to have so many “tools” to be entrepreneurial in body, mind and spirit.
Why is that? Although there are an incredible number of parallels between entrepreneurship and practicing yoga, the strength we gain (in all dimensions of wellness) and the speed we lose on our mats is fuel for success.
The benefits of running your own business and practicing yoga are numerous, and I recommend both highly. Consider the following benefits of yoga (or any slower, mindful, conscious movement) and why it’s a seemingly brilliant way to train yourself to be the best entrepreneur you can be.
We get up and walk away from our desk.
Doing yoga gets us up from our desk! This is HUGE! If practicing alone doesn’t come easily to you, scheduling yourself into a class might be more effective in forcing you to get up from your desk (personal experience).
We find flow.
We leave the practice feeling refreshed, more grounded, and ready to get back to work with more balance and flow. With that comes enhanced focus and creativity.
We learn to respect our limits.
It’s healthy and necessary to push ourselves a little more than where we are comfortable, but where are the boundaries? We learn very quickly that too much puts us in a position that can really hurt (and even do damage).
We connect more to our breath.
We learn, in increasing amounts and ways the power of breath and being connected to it. We pause, and make conscious, deliberate moves.
We are kinder to ourselves and slow down.
It’s humbling! We learn that there is no need to be a pro out of the gate, to be good to ourselves, and set a good pace. Yoga is called a practice for good reason.
We become regular, not rigorous.
We can build a steady momentum. Consistency almost always wins over frequency … consistency is a rare and treasured human quality.
We learn the value of rest.
A break between sessions feels good! Even too much of a good thing can have negative consequences. When we make time for adequate rest, sleep and other mindful activities in life, we will feel how good it feels and we want more … we prioritize it.
We can fit it into your daily life, consistent with our own values.
Work and yoga are not things we want to force ourselves to do. It’s about understanding and connecting to our why and making it a part of what you do because it feels good. It’s not time away from our desk, it’s time invested into what we do at our desk in a different way!
We learn to expect improvement, not miracles.
Change happens when we keep practicing. Small improvements add up quickly but are really clear when we look back on them (even though we like to keep looking forward and rightfully so!).
We learn to not judge others.
You never know of another’s struggles or gifts, and where they really are in their own practice. Keep your eyes on your own mat. It’s YOUR practice!
We know it’s not about chasing something.
Yoga is about being present right where we are to make the most of it in the moment. The here and now is a beautiful place to be.
We get better, but we also probably get pissed off first.
It might be frustrating when it feels like we are barely improving, but then all of a sudden … being patient and seeing the opportunity, is the opportunity! There is no failure where there are lessons and growth!
Roll out a mat (an Empathy Economics approved one) … and let us know what lessons you are learning along the way.
Also … if you want inspiration, strategy, and the incredible results from intermittent movement, please join us for Stack Workout Design and join our Exercise Snack Studio … as a hyper-focused creative entrepreneur who can work for days straight and abandon myself, this has been a game changer in how I move, how I feel, and how productive I am. There is no fee for signing up … it is PYOV!
