How To Use Yoga For Career Success
There’s nothing wrong with working hard to achieve ambitions, financial targets, promotions, and recognition – unless we try to do this by struggling against our nature. We can become ill, with depression, stress, and anxiety setting in.
Traditional business still orientates around the head and gut, and the heart is too often dismissed as airy-fairy, over emotional, misguided, dangerous or weak. But we believe it is none of these things. So we spoke to Kat Byles, founder of the True Business School, about how yoga can unite us with our creative consciousness, and allow us to be in harmony with both mother nature and our own true nature.
Kat believes that by bringing the principles of yoga into your work life, you can avoid burnout and build your business or career at the same time.
Kat told Belle About Town: “Working with the biggest names in sport, as a global change-maker with a big mission and purpose, and working a 100-hour week, I burned out. My health, relationships and happiness were driven into the ground.
“I listened to my heart’s wisdom and followed it to Antigua. Here I floated in the turquoise Caribbean Sea, walked barefoot on the white sand, ate ripe, juicy mangoes from the tree and fell into a rhythm with nature. This immersion in nature restored my wellness. Then it began feeding me with inspiration for True Business – a way of being in business in harmony with our true, higher nature and creative consciousness.”
So, how you can you avoid burning out by bringing the principles of yoga into your business? Kat says there are three key steps: connection, alignment and skilful action.
Step 1. Connection
Start by connecting with your heart’s wisdom and learning to listen to what it has to tell you.
You can do this through meditation; or by being in nature — perhaps swimming in the ocean, or walking in the forest — or by journaling, painting, dancing, breathwork, movement, playing with your children or pets. Find your preferred way.
Step 2. Alignment
Now listen to your heart’s wisdom to build a practical business structure that is completely aligned with who you are and what you came here to do.
Listen to your heart’s wisdom to receive your purpose, and to discover your audience – the people your purpose naturally serves. What is the one thing you want to say to them, from your heart to theirs? What is your message? Where are you showing up to meet them and provide value?
Step 3. Action
This gives you a clear pathway, which is unique and true to you. You are ready to take action that will take your forwards in the right direction enabling you to fulfil your purpose and bring you joy.
Any action taken without attachment to outcome becomes skilful action, also called Karma Yoga. This opens a flow of opportunities that are a match for you and your business. What was previously challenging becomes inevitable.
Remember, it takes courage to trust the whisper of your heart; to let go of attachments and control. You may initially experience a panic, a fear that if you do let go nothing will happen, that the clients, the deal, and the money won’t come in! You may worry that your business will fail and tell yourself that you must get busy and you must push! But, on the other side of surrender, you will experience release and relief. You’ll be able to create with presence in harmony with your natural creative flow, creative consciousness and grace, lighting your way.
Transformation from the heart leading the way
As I began sharing True Business with other creative visionaries, leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers, healers, artists, coaches and consultants, they also experienced this inspiration, liberation and fulfilment.
Plant-based chef and founder of The Mindful Kitchen, Bex Shindler, was fearful of failing in business, leaving her stuck and unable to move forwards. Finally, she listened to her heart’s wisdom and opened up to the joy of alignment with her purpose and message. This gave her the courage to consistently show up and teach plant-based cooking to others via Facebook.
This experience of alignment is a very different one to the frozen fear of failing. She said: “I feel so grateful for exactly where I am. For creating the path of my dreams, the life I want, for being in flow and aligned with my heart’s true purpose. I can feel the life force running through my veins. So connected with Source and at peace. I have everything I need in this moment.”
Nine months later she became the chef for the Black Eyed Peas on their music retreat, who thanked her for her creativity and love in the food which had served their creativity. She produced a plant-based recipe book and was fully booked for a season of Ibiza retreats sharing compassionate food for a compassionate world.
Simon Haas, yoga philosopher and author, was seeking book reviews and articles. Simon is an introvert, a scholar, a writer so writing articles is an obvious logical call. However, his heart’s wisdom shared a vision and pathway to becoming an international speaker and reaching his soul family with ancient wisdom for the modern world.
Honouring his heart’s wisdom and dharma he said yes. Simon set off on a three month, 12 location UK speaking tour. Invitations to speak in Holland, France, Lithuania followed. Two years later Simon was invited to speak at the United Nations International Day of Yoga in New York, followed by a yoga festival for thousands in Mexico. Simon was living his heart’s vision and dharma.
5 Yoga Poses for Business
To help you create connection, find alignment and take action, there are five yoga poses I use myself and recommend for different aspects of business.
- Mountain Pose or Tadasana
Stillness. Stand tall like a mountain.
Stand upright, feet parallel, facing forward. Ankles, knees and hips are stacked evenly above each other. Your tailbone is neutral. Shoulders are open and down. Arms are loose and long and your palms are slightly open.
This brings you to a still, grounded, presence. It’s a moment to check-in with yourself, notice your breath, your feelings and your needs. A time to turn from the outer world and ‘doing’, to your inner world and ‘being’. This is a movement away from giving and towards receiving. This pose will take you into peace, calm and strength.
I choose this posture: Before I start the business day, anytime I need to check in with myself, and to bring a grounded presence before a meeting or presentation.
- Goddess Pose or Utkata Konasana
Energise. Power up the feminine energy that created the universe.
Stand with your feet three feet apart, turned out 45 degrees, exhale and power squat. Drop your shoulders. Bring your arms up and bend as you do for a wall angel. Keep your chest open and chin parallel to the floor. Breathe.
This is a power pose. It ignites your energy, grounds you on the earth, and fires up your fierceness so you are ready for anything. It leaves you feeling confident, focused, and plugged into your inner power and pleasure.
I choose this posture: For an energy boost, when doubts and fears rise, and when I need to take a stand for myself and my vision.
- Warrior 2 Pose or Virabhadrasana II
Focus. Open up concentration, discernment and stamina.
Face the long side of your mat, arms stretched out, feet parallel in a wide stance. Turn your right foot towards the short end of the mat. Bend your right knee over your right ankle. Press down the outer edge of your back foot. Reach strongly through both arms and turn your gaze to look past your right fingertips. Repeat on the left.
This pose is named after Virabhadra, a warrior representing the destruction of evil, ignorance and delusion. It opens up your focus, concentration, stamina and strength. It brings a discernment to say yes to your purpose. Distractions fall away.
I choose this posture: When focus and urgency is required to meet a deadline, when I feel scattered or overwhelmed, or when I need to go the last 100 metres to complete a project.
- Tree Pose or Vrksasana
Balance. Rooted, playful, flexibility and freedom to fall.
Begin in Mountain pose. Spread your toes, press your left foot into the mat. Find your focus, a steady gazing spot in front of you. Place your hands on your hips and raise your right foot high onto your left thigh or shin. Stretch your arms overhead like branches reaching into the sun. Hold and breathe. Repeat on the other side.
This encourages you to feel rooted and reach tall. It challenges your balance. You may find yourself swaying, or falling. Replace the need to get it right or perfect, by inviting in playfulness, the freedom to fall and flexibility.
I choose this posture: When I need to restore the balance of being and doing, when I need to inject playful creativity into the day, and when I need a reminder that falling isn’t failing.
5. Corpse Pose or Shavasana
Surrender. Total relaxation. Give yourself to the earth.
Lie on the floor. Lengthen from your neck through your tailbone, open across your chest, and move your shoulder blades away from your spine. Let your entire body sink into the floor. Let go. Relax. Give yourself completely to the earth.
This complete relaxation allows you to release any tension, and to assimilate, integrate, restore, and surrender to universal flow. You mind starts to settle and your nervous system recalibrates and resets.
I choose this posture: After meetings where there’s a lot of information to assimilate and integrate, anytime I experience sensory overload, and to close the business day.
By bringing yoga off the mat and into your business, you will find that the business thrives without the need for long hours and constant activity. Your business becomes a true expression of who you are and what you are here for bringing you a wonderful combination of happiness, health and wealth.
