INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY 2017: TO ACHIEVE WORK-LIFE BALANCE, YOGA PRACTICE IS INVALUABLE

You have an important presentation and suddenly you have a panic attack, you lose your temper because of trivial things or you tend to forget what you have to do next. These are the indicators that you are under stress. Some people have greater resilience or have mastered the art of workload management, but most of us try in vain.

The good news is. resilience can be acquired and you can also learn how to manage your stress — through the practice of yoga. From complex asanas to free-hand movements, yoga teaches many kinds of postures and breathing techniques, each serving a specific function. To reap maximum benefits, training under an established practitioner is recommended.

Yoga can generate infinite power and help you attain balance in life. Here’s how:

Physical invigoration

Today, the nature of our work restricts us from moving around. We remain completely sedentary for about 6-7 hours every day, poring over our computer screen. Call it a boon-turned-bane, gadgets have made physical movement almost redundant. Millennials in their 30s suffer from ailments like chronic joint aches, high blood pressure etc. However, the growing awareness about the importance of yoga in achieving better health is a reason to cheer. Yoga can help stressed-out professionals as it induces one to work on one’s bodily flexibility, and in regaining fitness.

Even if you do a one hour yoga session every morning or evening, this is what you gain:

It’ll revitalise your body by increasing blood circulation.
You can feel a therapeutic effect on your muscles and nerves.
It practically rewires you inside out.
You feel energetic and ready to start your day.

This simple breathing exercise works like magic in your tight schedule:

Pranayama that comprises anulom and vilom helps you to practise inhalation and exhalation. It regulates breathing and corrects the rhythm. Interestingly, most of the time we do not complete a full breathing cycle. The breathing exercise helps the blood to carry oxygen to all our cells and enliven them with energy. The moment our body is rightly tuned, our mind becomes activated and we feel ready to bounce back.

To thrive in a competitive world, physical stamina must be your priority and yoga helps you attain it.

Mental agility

Our productivity increases or decreases with our mental well-being. Pressure at work, grave commitments at home take a toll on our mental health. We get easily distracted, irritated or feel depressed and become trapped in a vicious cycle of work and stress. How do we harness our brain to be in our control? Resort to yoga and see the difference. It enhances your mind’s capacity, develops the power to concentrate and quietens your mind. While you are juggling responsibilities, regular yoga practice will keep you alert and mentally active. You’ll have a sense of being in-control, be governed by logic than impulse, respond appropriately and retain a calm exterior. Meditation is the best cure for rejuvenating your mind.

Meditation builds your capacity to focus. You learn to contain your emotions as meditation significantly curbs anxiety by harmonising your mind with the surrounding. Greater concentration increases your efficiency and inspire you to achieve perfection. With mental alacrity, you can spot errors faster, you are more accurate with your tasks and become more creative in your approach at finding solutions.

Meditation trains the mind to resolve conflicts that we face in our daily life. When your mind is empowered, you can thrive in any situation.

Spiritual nourishment

Whether it's a presentation-gone-wrong, or an altercation at home, when we are upset with something or someone we waste so much of our energy and time on that. Our mind replays the event and aggravates our woes. Yoga frees us from the spell of negativity and heals our hurt. It takes us on an introspective journey, where our mind is our mirror to reflect and realise. We naturally learn to acknowledge and accept what cannot be changed and move on. We feel happy and contented from inside.

Yoga brings us tranquillity and poise through asanas and meditation. It prescribes a lifestyle based on simplicity and purity. It also stipulates firm discipline and regular practice.

You’ll achieve spiritual nourishment by being committed to the yogic ways. The spiritual benefits of yoga offer you a holistic vision of yourself and help you define your purpose in life.

How yoga helps me

As an entrepreneur, I constantly explore new ideas and re-align my vision, and as an ardent practitioner of yoga I channelise my energy to achieving my goals. I’ve learnt how to overcome the challenges that each posture throws my way and gained a deeper understanding of their purpose. I’d like to mention two asanas that I find challenging, exciting and empowering:

Shirshana (head stand): standing upside down on your head gives you a completely different perspective of the world. It reverses the energy flow of your body and makes you adept at managing unforeseen circumstances. Finding calm and balance in a seemingly unnatural position allows me as an entrepreneur to stay poised through the ebbs and flows of a business.

Bakasana (crow-pose): it shifts the energy centre and body weight to your wrists and shoulders. Again, an unusual shift in the centre of gravity, requires tremendous control and ability to transfer your energy and balance. As an entrepreneur, metaphorically, this allows me to switch my planning and execution based on market trends and changing landscapes. It allows for greater agility and ability to drive change.

Yoga has the power to regenerate our mind, body and soul. Embrace it wholeheartedly and reap the rich harvest throughout your life.

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