Breathe into it!

The headline may sound familiar to you if you have done physical yoga postures as an exercise routine.

My current yoga instructor being an ex-wrestler was primarily focused on building strength early on in his career. He neglected the flexibility in the body until he got severely injured and was advised surgery. As an alternate to surgery, he chose practicing ‘hatha yoga’.

Making a remarkable recovery, he became an instructor of yoga sharing the numerous benefits to others. Not only did he avoid the operation, he also found considerable improvement in his strength and flexibility.

He advocates that it is the balance between these two qualities and the presence of mind to apply them at the right time which brings about the best outcomes in doing a posture.

When faced with a hitherto difficult posture, one requires consistency in practice, holding the position a little longer and breathing into the stretch allowing one to go beyond their comfort zone and meet the challenge. It builds the flexibility at the back of strength. Sometimes when things are not working out, it is not the force which needs to increase but probably the way in which such force needs to be maneuvered to bring about the expected change. A tree which is flexible enough to move along with the direction of the wind in a storm is able to survive even though it may not be as strong as the neighboring tree which got uprooted because it was rigid. Flexibility builds resilience, giving longevity to prosper and flourish. In times of difficulty, sometimes brute force may be required to push your way through but often the force needs to be accompanied with flexibility to get the maximum advantage.

Like in ‘hatha yoga’, where one works with the body and mind to gradually achieve a posture without forcing, similarly, in a coaching session the client gets to their own solution rather than being advised by someone else.

If you find yourself stuck or monotony creeps in for continuously delivering targets, take a pause to connect for a coaching journey, allow yourself a space to reflect, identify and take actions to move forward. It may be just what is needed to accelerate achievement of your goals.