That Yoga Glow for your Business

You know how you feel after a well-balanced yoga class?

That peaceful, centered, smoothed-out feeling of being infused with energy and life?

Yeah, I know, it’s good stuff. Just thinking about it makes me tingle.

How often do we step off the mat and out into the world and get annoyed, tense, and down-right cranky as life interferes with our blissed-out yogini vibe??

Yeah, I know, it’s like a bad joke.

As urban-dwelling women who have businesses, families, friends, spouses, and house payments, that intersection where yoga practice and life meet is (despite how painful it can be) the sweet spot. It’s where our true, wise and resilient nature meets our habitual, ego-driven habits and beliefs. Unless you are seriously Buddha-esque, well, that collision point can be rough, much of the time.

Taking your practice into your life, as a business yogini, requires a willingness to let those moments open you up, instead of closing you down. To stay connected to the breath, to stay grounded and, to stay in yogini-mind, which means not doing the habitual thing. To ask yourself (and answer), with compassion (ahimsa) and integrity (satya), the tough questions, “Is what I’m thinking about this circumstance really true?” “What is it about this experience that is upsetting me?” “What is my part? What can I change? Who do I really want to be, in this moment?” And then taking action (or not acting) in the most skillful way possible.

Sometimes you will be able to do it, sometimes not. A lot of times not, if you are anything like me. It’s a process — it’s not about perfection. This is how we start to bring the wisdom of our practice on the mat into our lives, and into our business.

Next time you go to a yoga class, or, your home practice — notice the meeting point between your practice and the world. Do you open up, or do you close down in irritation? Can you bring a relaxed body, a calm mind, and the rhythm of your breath to your interaction with the difficult client or the angry vendor? Whether you can, or you can’t, see if you can internally bow and honor the divine within them, and yourself.

The next few weeks I will be off-line, enjoying a family vacation in Paris with my family. I have had a lovely summer with lots of vacations and lots of visitors, which has meant less time for blogging – I hope your summer has been relaxing and fun!  I’ll be back in September…. Namaste!!

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