When I started practicing yoga four years ago, I was motivated – like many others – by a desire to be healthier, less stressed and more energetic. As I’ve become more deeply involved in my practice (I was recently certified as a Skanda Yoga instructor), and as my career has become increasingly rewarding (and challenging as well!), yoga has taught me some valuable lessons about life and about work, and how the two are both separate and distinct and at the same time closely integrated.
While certainly helping me to manage stressful situations at work and gain perspective, I’ve come to realize that my yoga practice has become much more than a way to start the day on a positive note or wind down after a long week. What I’ve found is that it’s directly aligned to almost every aspect of my role in business. The school of yoga I follow – Skanda – is a breath-inspired practice that uses stretching, flexibility and strengthening to develop qualities such as will, perseverance and courage and, through them, prompt transformation in all levels of being.
As the Chief Marketing Officer for the US and Canada of a technology services business, all of these attributes are essential to my daily responsibilities as well as to my long-term goals. To respond to ongoing changes in the market and to effectively support and mentor my team, I need to be flexible, focused, persistent and (occasionally) courageous. I need to support transformation – both for my team internally and for our customers. And goodness knows I need to be able to breathe!!!.