The benefits of yoga off the mat

The numerous health benefits of yoga are well documented and generally known.

I would like to share the benefits of yoga off the mat, the  transferable skills to the business world the support the yoga community.

I recently changed the jobs and the process of applying for positions and attending interviews was made easier by my yoga practice.

In preparation for the the job interview try the following poses, they aim to keep the spine upright and increase confidence.

Apart from standing tall (in Tadasana which is our basic standing pose) I included asanas (poses)  which open the chest (to increase confidence), think of the Warrier 1, 2 and 3 poses (virabhadrasana 1,2 and 3 in Sanskrit). Move the shoulder blades in and down to open chest and to lift your sternum. Have energy in your arms and fingers, keep your chest facing the front. Work your legs and feet without gripping the mat with your toes! Legs they are the foundation of the Worrier poses!

It is also important to be in the right frame of mind, so regulating the breath (maybe slowing it down whilst waiting for the interviewer, inhale for the count of 4, exhale for count of 4 or 6 if more experienced). During the interview be alert, be in the present by sitting tall, keeping your face relaxed, throat soft, chin parallel to the floor and look the interviewer(s) in the eye.

Yoga teaches us to be strong and flexible on the mat, have perseverance and to know when to have a rest.  All these skills are transferable to the business world!

The yoga community is also important.

I clearly remember attending a morning class as a student not long after my husband suddenly passed away, many years ago.  I was sitting on a yoga block and as the sun softly shone in the room I was thinking that this was familiar environment and I should keep coming here to allow this part of my life to go on as it used to.

A few years later I was preparing to teach yoga when i friend called from Hungary to tell me my Mother had peacefully passed away a few hours earlier. There was no time to find a replacement teacher. I taught the best class i could, in memory of my Mother.  One of the students offered to drive me to my Aunt’s place (who is my Mother’s sister).

I attended The Australian Yoga Therapy conference on the same weekend. During the two day conference I cried a bit here and there and everybody was sympathetic, accepting and allowed me space to be. Again I felt the support of the yoga community.

I find it reassuring to practice with regular fellow students and have regular students in my class. Over time we get to know each other and friendships are born from the common shared interest.

Once you become a yogi you become a yogi for life. The benefits of yoga “OFF THE MAT” are almost as important as the practice itself.