How You Do Anything, Is How You Do Everything.
I recently started working with a new client. He’s a great guy, successful businessman and life long New Yorker. He’s had a consistent practice for 5 years and at 50+ he looks pretty great. Except he’s still a New Yorker, and it shows up on his mat, and probably in other areas of his life. And he’s not alone.
Many of my students come to yoga to unwind and find balance; but they approach their practice with the same attitude and hardness they have at work or on the streets of New York City. Which means their practice probably isn’t serving them as well as they would like.
How you do anything…
I was once in class with Rodney Yee, when he encouraged us to focus on bringing the asana (yoga poses) to life, rather than seeking to attain a pose and then hardening into it. He urged us to enliven the poses so that we could more deeply connect to our experience in that moment, instead of forcing our way into a shape and then fighting to maintain it.
….is how you do everything.
My understanding of Rodney’s encouragement wasn’t about the poses, it was about the application of that teaching off the mat.
The rigidity he was encouraging us to step away from probably shows up in your life like this: The tightness that creeps into your shoulders while madly racing to complete a deadline. The sigh that escapes your lips as you step into an elevator (realizing it’s your first deep breath all day). Or the sharp response you bestow on your significant other or child at the end of a long day. All signs that you might be inhibiting the flow of breath when faced with stress, and in effect, showing up less alive than you’d like to be.
Imagine how different your work life would look if you were breathing life into it, instead of allowing it to suck the life out of you. What would that mean for your presentations, deliverables and relationships?
Research has proven that intentional breathing enhances our resiliency when dealing with stress. Practicing intentional breathing while engaging in activity, further encourages us to maintain our calm under pressure and enables us to show up balanced, centered and at our best.
The yoga mat is just one sandbox for exploring how you show up in the face of stress. If not your mat, choose one part of your day to observe how you approach activities or conversations. Take that information to heart, because there is a great chance that it’s showing up everywhere else too.