Tag possibility

yoga prop
What yoga taught me about business
yoga prop
Using props is important, in yoga and in business.

The other day I was taking Theresa Simmons’ yoga class at Eagle Fitness in Carson City. We were doing what I considered to be a basic pose. I don’t remember the name right now. However, it was a pose where I didn’t feel like I needed to reach for my blocks. “Use the blocks, that’s what they are there for,” she said.

Immediately my ego shouted at me “No!” “I won’t use blocks for this pose!” “I don’t want to look like I don’t know what I am doing.” “I don’t want to appear weak.” “I can do it without help!”

Yet, the one thing yoga practice has done for me is that it has helped calm my monkey mind. And boy can that thing chatter! It has taught me to challenge my ego. Sometimes, challenging my ego means accepting help from a block made of cork.

Immediately, the pose felt better. I wasn’t straining as hard. I could breathe. Even in the simplest of poses, utilizing my props made it easier.

Suddenly, it all came together. I haven’t been using my props (my support system) in business!

The ego shouting sounded the same in a business context. “No!” “I won’t sub-contract this out!” “I won’t ask for help. I don’t want to look like I don’t know what I’m doing!” “I have 20 years of experience. I don’t want to appear weak.” “I can do it without help.”

I have been blessed to have a great support system. This system grows every day as I open myself up to possibility. When I use my blocks in yoga, I don’t hurt. When I use my support system in business, I also don’t hurt. Things…. flow.

Coaches are like blocks, too. We are business yogis of a sort. We help correct your poses. We connect the asanas. I used to hate it when a yoga teacher would provide an adjustment or correction. That, too, provided a business lesson. Sometimes, we need our teachers. We need our blocks, our straps, our bolsters, our blankets, to help get us to the next level.

That, my friends, is going with the flow of business.

Daily Exercise: Choose one area where you will ask for help today. Comment about it below.

Your life is a blank canvas. Paint it!

abstract skyline

This week, I finished painting a little project I started about a year ago. I drew the outline and then I just put it back in the case. I went about my life. What I realized, when I picked that canvas up again, is that I really feel peaceful when I paint. It’s not about doing it right. It’s about putting brush to canvas and seeing what materializes. Often, it’s not what I expected. As I paint, I get inspired to do different things, use different colors, and express myself in new ways. I have come to realize this is a great approach to apply to life as well.

Blank canvases are filled with possibility. When you can quiet your mind and listen to what inspires you, it’s amazing where life leads. You can dip your brush in a color, fill a pre-conceived drawing, but you never really know exactly how it’s going to come together until it has. Life often imitates art in this way. I love it when someone asks an artist, “what was your inspiration?” Some artists have a very clear direction. In art classes, the students learn according to a very specific plan. There may be room for color interpretation. However, if the class is centered around painting a horse, everyone is going to walk out the door with a horse.

Art also imitates life.

You can walk through life with yourself, your higher power (whatever that may be), trust and faith. Or, you can find a living mentor and follow a base set of instructions. You can use a mixture of the two. However, one thing is constant. You start with a blank canvas.

To achieve a blank canvas, clear your mind of pre-conceived notions of how things should be or will be. Choose a path and walk down it. Artistic blocks happen when your will and the will of the universe clash. Give in to full inspiration and you will be inspired.

Today’s Exercise: What inspires you today? What can you clear away to create a blank canvas to express that inspiration?

This week, I reinforced my rediscovered love of peace and painting by purchasing a meditation pillow and some new art supplies. I can’t wait to see what I create with them! What will you create? What hobbies will you indulge in? What projects will you complete? How will you paint on the blank canvas that is your life? Share by commenting below.