Yoga and Leadership Series: #3 Practitioner to Instructor - How Teaching made me a Better Student and a Better Leader.

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Leadership Starts Within

I first learnt the sun salutation and a few basic yoga asanas through my training in Indian classical dance. It was a warm-up routine and sometimes a cool down to help relieve tired and sore muscles. Though I was aware of how good it made me feel to stretch and hold some postures, little did I know how powerful a restorative practice it was. Having learnt it an a very young age, and not quite receiving a formal training, I was an on-again off-again practitioner.

Recently, I wanted to delve deeper into the practice, and completed an instructor's training course last year (2017) to be a certified Yoga instructor. One of the first things we were told in class was that one should never experience pain during the practice of Yoga, as a restorative and rejuvenating practice anything that causes wear and tear is not in alignment with the basic principles of sukham (joy/peace) and stheeram (steadiness/effort).

With the proliferation of yoga in the west and the visual interpretation we receive from hyper-flexible models, we have been imprinted with a notion that Yoga is a training in contortionism. Thanks to this newfound wisdom, my mental and physical approach of getting into and out of an asana has changed completely, making for a more joyful practice.

Having had a very bad bout of dengue last year, coupled with age and an amassing of one too many injuries over the years, this new approach was the solution I needed to get my body back on track - or rather my mental approach to my body.

The principles of the breathing techniques, coupled with a practice of awareness and understanding of the anatomy and physiology made me realise just how accessible this practice is to EVERYONE. And just how powerfully transformative it is. Some key points that I was instantly taken by are:

1. There are ways to modify an asana, so despite our ability there are still ways to reap the benefits of each posture.
2. The idea of each posture is not how it should look, but how it is approached, in engaging the targeted muscles
3. And ahimsa (non-harm) can not be stressed enough - it begins with being kind to oneself every step of the way.
4. No mirrors - this school of yoga did not have mirrors for the sole purpose of encouraging practitioners to focus on themselves through their awareness, and not be distracted by how someone else is doing the asana
5. No music - when we do not have an external source to soothe our senses we are aware of our internal state, hence bringing greater depth into one's practice. And building up on those inner peace muscles.

I especially liked #4 and #5 as I preferred being out in nature, but the real take home message for me was #3. We are constantly pushing ourselves for everything. From getting out of bed in the morning, to getting to our first appointment, to meeting deadlines, to having meetings, replying to messages, cooking dinner....really unless we practice our daily routines with awareness we become a human "doing", rather than a human "being". So, it is no surprise that we bring the same "doing" to all our activities. #3 Reminds me to slow down and enjoy the experience on the mat.

As I improved as a practitioner, I became more excited about sharing all these wonderful tips and techniques, and in so doing saw the visible difference at the end of each class. Every class was a learning experience in and of itself. Observing different bodies, life experiences, body conditions, and mindsets. How everyone reached the mat after a long day, helped me appreciate the beauty of life and strength of the human spirit.

This understanding then created motivation to deepen my personal practice, generating a beautiful cycle of growth and expansion.

With the inception of the idea of Corporate Yoga and injecting a leadership component in it, I knew I had to first practice this in my life. So, as a practitioner I am constantly deepening my study to see how every drop of wisdom from the ancient texts of the Yoga Sutras can be applied in our modern lifestyle. The truth is....just about all. Some of the yogic cleansing techniques may not be suitable for the workplace, but can certainly be practiced at home.

And speaking of cleansing techniques, I tried a full intestinal cleanse and undertook the required diet for a month whilst going about work and daily life. It was one of the hardest month I had, but fully worth it. I can now say for a fact what a difference in made in my health, and of course emphathise when someone complains about what a pain in the butt it is. (I will do a separate post on this technique and the health improvements I experienced)

On my second round of cleanse however, I am doing much better, and can say that it does get easier with practice.

Here are some of the leadership skills I learnt along the way:

1. It's okay to make Mistakes. Accepting it without fear of judgement and being open to learn and receive feedback for improvement.
2. Discipline. Working on a routine with compassion instead of rigidity
3. Non-judgement. Practicing this is different from stating it as a fact. It is a very humbling experience.
4. Patience. Taking each day and honouring the cards of the day to play out despite our best efforts, sometimes there are greater things at play.
5. Encouragement & Empathy. Especially in teaching, making a student comfortable in a practice is key. Understanding all potential body limitations, and working with it taught me how to motivate regardless of where they were in the practice.
6. Courage and Calculated Risks. Although it is important to be compassionate, it is also just as important to try new things. Sometimes it is about putting myself out there. Other times it is about attempting something that looks nearly impossible.
7. Show Up! On the mat and in life. It is one of the most important things in leadership, is to show up.

And in case of haven't mentioned it enough, gratitude and humility. These aren't your typical leadership markers, but they should be.

However, the point of this entire self experimentation was to see if Yoga is effective as a tool in enhancing Leadership skills in an applicable and attainable manner. Meeting these requirements, gave me greater motivation to share this with more people who can benefit from the practice and hopefully cultivate a greater appreciation for the wisdom behind this ancient practice.

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Previous Posts of Interest:

On yoga, creativity and leadership:

Yoga and Leadership Series: #2 Yogini to an Entrepreneur - an Insight to Yoga and Spirituality
Yoga and Leadership Series: #1 Introduction - A Brief History of Yoga
How to Relieve Writer's Block using Backbends and Downward Facing Dogs!

On life:

Future in the Hands of an Infinity Gauntlet or Pursuit of Happiness
Courage in Vulnerability - Walking the Walk not just Talking the Talk
Have You Listened to Your Gut Today
The Imposter Syndrome, an Unfortunate Chemistry Class and the Road to Recovery
Benefits of Being a Student for Life
Why Motivational Quotes are Driving Me Nuts

Poetry / Haiku

If Truly I had Eyes that See
Is Leadership an Outward Reflection OR an Inward Journey?

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MY Ikigai:

What I LOVE: Writing about life, expressing ideas, poetry, haiku, short stories and motivational quips. Practicing yoga and internal reflections, walks in nature, compassionate acts towards nature, animals and humanity.

What I OFFER the world: Innovative solution to Creative Self-Expression. With a passion for Creativity, Innovation, Integrity and Authenticity in thoughts, words, and deeds.

What I am/can be PAID FOR: Writing, teaching yoga, books (in the making), training, facilitating. And hopefully to sit and spin out creative ideas/solutions at whim!

What I'm GOOD at: Hypnotising my Yoga students apparently! Writing from the heart, being a hopeless romantic, passionate utopian, innovator and creator of all things fun and uplifting.

The IKIGAI - SoulArist

• To find out more, please visit our webpage
• For event listings/past activities visit our Facebook page
• Snippets of SoulArist can be found on Instagram
• Read about the founder on LinkedIn

Upcoming Posts:

Blogs and podcasts on meditation/awareness practices

Yoga and Leadership Series

I was going to use the website to publish these materials, however, with the discovery of Steemit, I will be redirecting the flow of these posts to start here at Steemit and then to the website. I am new to this whole program, so please bear with me as I find my footing on this platform, with the help of all my fellow steemians here no doubt ;)

I am very grateful for the support and encouragement from @maverickfoo @elizacheng @bitrocker202 @curie.

Thank you for introducing me to a revolutionary world of self-expression. One that is mutually beneficial, engenders greater awareness and provides entertaining intelligent banter #awesome