Personal Productivity from the Yoga Mat

In one of my first yoga classes I remember the instructor asking us to focus on using the minimum amount of energy to hold the pose with integrity and notice everything else falling away.

As a personal consultant, I explored this within myself and with my clients. I started asking, "What areas of life or what issues do we hold on to with so much charged energy"? Charged in the way that it isn't serving us in reaching a preferred outcome and charged in that it is draining of energy.

In my professional consulting, many areas of resistance include frustration of expression. As in, "Is it the ongoing negative conversation in your head about what you really want to say to that boss or antagonizing co-worker?" Could it be the never ending to do list that keeps your energy frantic and scattered?" "Is it keeping up with what everybody else is doing rather than being focused on your own life?" All these are ways of holding on with more energy than is required.

Once awareness is brought to these areas of resistance, you can then focus on releasing it. In our sustainability consulting, we begin by focusing on the positive version of what it is that you want. Instead of rehearsing the ongoing negative conversation in your head about what you want to say, see it differently. See yourself expressing positively and confidently while reaching a good result for both parties. Consider asking why do you keep yourself distracted with a long to do list? How would you spend your time differently if it were not consumed with excessive activity? As you focus on the positive version of what you want, you'll notice feeling relief and a bit more freedom in your personal energy.

A simple statement from my yoga instructor went a long way.